Tool Time

 Okay, so I'm redoing a table.

And I have one of these nifty scrapers.

 The center section of the tabletop is damages veneer and has to come off.

This is going to take forever, right?

 WRONG!

Because I also have one of these! 

Well, yes, of course I know it's a saw.

 But that's where this comes in!

$15 at Lowes, this kit makes your sawzall into a multi-tasking maniac.

Sand, scrape, even clean your grill with this set.

It not only saves time, but money, since you don't have to buy an electric sander

ot additional tools.

 Lock it in to your saw just like a blade.

Now, lets get this tabletop off before the boys get home, shall we?

Product Alert!

The Redhead went shopping for painting supplies, and have I got some

cool new products for you guys!

 First up is this fabulous stuff, available at Lowes.

It actually seals and repairs damaged wood and concrete.

 I'm using it to paint the undersides of Mom's handicap ramp

to make it more weatherproof and durable.

 It rolls on thick.

I only needed one coat of this bad boy!

 Best of all, it seals cracks up to 1/4 inch.

How's that for the duct tape of the paint department?

With over 100 colors to choose from, you should be able to match your motif spiffily.

 To roll the stuff on, I used my Seal Pro paint tray,

a mere $10 at Lowes.

Why do I love it?

 The deep plastic tray comes with a 4" roller and cage that also attach to my extension stick.

Handy, huh?

But there's more!

 You want to take lunch, but don't want to clean up?

The roller fits in a rest inside, and the lid snaps on like a Tupperware container!

Airtight, Peeps!

You know I like to test my toys thoroughly, so just to play around a bit,

I left the paint over night.

Check out how well it held up!

I just went back to painting like I'd had a bathroom break.

And clean up?

The paint blasted off of the surface like it was Teflon coated.

So if you've been bagging your brushes and ruining them anyway,

go spend the $10 and save yourself a headache.

Now, I still have painting to do!

Shopping Alert!

Hey, Besties, it's nearly officially Autumn!

Time to start cozying the house up and layering the seasonal touches

that let you slide from September through Halloween

and right into Thanksgiving Home Base.

I'm trying to get my Fall on in between camping at the condo,

and yesterday, I scored.

Does your family wash their hands like OCD is rampant?

Around here, we call it CDO...I like the letters in the right order.

And actually, we do have one actual official case of OCD.

I'm talking to you, THOM.

 So since we go through gallons of hand soap,

I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive supplies of foamy stuff.

 I was at Walmart yesterday stocking our larder,

and look what I stumbled across!

No, not the Feline Overlord.

Smidgeon is just our spokeskitten for this post.

 These adorable plastic soap dispensers are reusable

and filled with Pumpkin Harvest scent soap.
It's like spicy pumpkin pie in a pump!

 The smell is delicious.

 If pumpkins aren't your thing, they also have a maple leaf shape

and a spooky little white ghost.

Best of all?

They're $2!

With the soap!

These will be reappearing in my house year after year.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask Part 41!

Tiling...
It's intimidating, isn't it?
And the thought of working with those teensy, tiny mosaic beasties?!?!
You're hyperventilating, aren't you?
Not to worry, we're going to take the fear out of tiling a backsplash,
and you're going to master this your very first time!

Here's your shopping list:

Tile Cutter

 As we all know, to tile a wall, you're gonna need one of these.

Individual Tiles

Yep, gonna need some of that.

 Mortar

 Definitely need a bunch of that.

 Spacers

Well yeah, duh, we need those.

 I want you to get all of that in the cart, the laugh maniacally, abandon it,
get a new cart, and start over.
Because we don't need any of that crap.

I'm about to become your best friend.

The staff at your home improvement center, however,

will be making up colorful pet names for me for quite some time.

Many will involve a vinegar and water solution, I have no doubt.

Here at 

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hard Core Remodeling but Were Afraid to Ask!

we're all about bad behavior.

 This stuff here?

This is THE BOMB.
You'll find this at your local Home Depot.

Each box covers 10 square feet, and it's the perfect way to throw tile

up on a backsplash or shower in a day.

Grout can be done right away.

That's right.

No waiting, new look in the kitchen tonight.

Don't love me quite yet?

 This is simple to use.

These are clear sheets with a fully adhesive back, a front with raised

elongated ridges of adhesives, and fiberglass sandwiched in between.

 Mark the center line of your starting point.

 The back of the 9x18 sheets is white peel-off paper. 

G'head, peel it off.

 Position your sheet, sticking the top first to make it level.

Then smooth the whole sheet downward firmly,

pressing out any air bubbles.

Do the full sheets first.

 This can be cut with a razor or scissors to make fillers...

 ...not to mention openings for outlets.

 From the top of the cabinet, it's 4 1/4 inches to the bottom of our adhesive.

 Allow 1 1/2 inches for the counters we're going to install.

Use your carpenter's square to measure and make a perfect 2 3/4 inch strip,

and finish the run.

 Now the fun part!

Press your first mosaic 12x12 square into place.
Take your time, because in 5 minutes, this is not coming back off.
It also will not slide or sag.
It's up there for good.

A few minutes later...

NOW do you love me?

 Use lines on the wall to keep you straight, and pull out your mini level 

along the way just to check yourself.

 These are cheap kitchen shears from the Dollar Tree.

 Tiny tiles cut apart by just scissoring through the mesh backing material.

 This means less tile cutting.

 And less tile cutting makes things like outlets a cinch.

 Which means you can have perfect results your first time out!

 And because the adhesive is already up, cut lines just press into place.

 BOOM, Baby.

 Easy enough, huh?
"But Sunny, what if I HAVE to cut a tile?"

 I'm glad you asked that!
(Relax, it's an imported non-alcoholic beer.)

 These dandy little babies are tile nippers.

 Sometimes, a cut is necessary.
In this case, and outlet needed 2 half inch vertical rows of tile on either side.
The marble tiles are 1/2" already, but the glass ones ate 1 1/2".
Rather than cheat and just use itty bitty marble squares,
we're going to make this look professional.

 Just put the tile part of the way into the jaw of the nipper and squeeze.

 SNIP!

Place it on the adhesive and press firmly as usual.

You paid your last tile guy how much?
Now do you love me?

 Is it really as easy as I keep saying it is?

Does a DIY like this require some practice before you commit to a whole kitchen?

 I admit, I have had vast experience tiling backsplashes.

 And I had a lot of help.

 Okay, that's not true.
This is my first big project, and I did it solo.
That's how easy it is.
I'd never used a tile nipper either.
You can do this and get great results.
This is one full day's work.
Grout can go up immediately.
I'll show you guys how to do that in a couple of days.
I need to read the instructions first...

Now...tell me you love me.