We recently completed Habitat for Humanity Bathroom Renovations in a Weekend.

I don’t usually work for others, but when the executives at my local Habitat for Humanity office asked me to come in and take a look at their dated bathrooms, I said I could. But, I quickly stated I don’t traditionally offer my general contractor services to anyone. Most of you know that Habitat for Humanity is one of my top charities. And for good reason! Our local Habitat for Humanity has built over 600 homes to help address the affordable housing crisis in our area. I would do anything for this organization, but renovating two bathrooms wasn’t a job I’d usually tackle unless it was for one of my own properties.

However, when I saw their sad and dated twin bathrooms, I changed my mind about offering my services. I knew I could improve the bathrooms as a way of thanking the employees for the work they do for our community. I also knew it would be a great way to keep busy before closing on Millie’s Remodel. Between Habitat for Humanity’s calendar and mine, we finally settled on the last weekend before I signed the contract on Millie.

In my head, I thought it would be a quick two day renovation easily accomplished over a weekend. Instead, it turned into a four day marathon working into the evening on two of those days. In an effort to explain my faulty time estimation skills, I submit two facts:

  1. I’m an overly optimistic person. I will always see the glass half full.
  2. I’m not the sharpest math person and forgot to multiply my time by two for two bathrooms.

Oops! Luckily, I got some help from two local friends: Sophie from @TheHipperFam and Stephanie from @UncommonOutpost. Without their help, I might still be working on these bathrooms.

The Before:

Although the pictures look dark, what you can’t see in these photos is the horrible flickering fluorescent light fixtures. The lighting was so dismal, I knew I had to change out the fixtures. Because no matter what updates were made, the lighting would always act as a wet blanket on the new look.

The old vanities were both built for handicap accessibility which left no room for storage under the sinks. Therefore, each bathroom had a ReStore salvaged kitchen cart to make up for the lack of storage. But, the carts were dirty and looked out of place in the bathrooms. I knew I had to come up with a plan to get rid of them.

Speaking of dirty, the walls definitely needed a new coat of paint. The grime and scuffs were everywhere.

The Design:

For the design plans, I challenged myself to work within a small budget and use as many items as possible from the Habitat ReStore. With this in mind, I created a plan in Photoshop and submitted it to Habitat for Humanity for approval.

Luckily they loved the design idea and gave me the go ahead to renovate the bathrooms. But, I kept a few things secret from them. After all, what fun is a makeover project without a little surprise, right?!

The Renovation Plan:

  • Electrician to replace CFL tube lights with LED Recessed Can Lights
  • Pretty Handy Girl build storage cabinet and one handicap sink frame
  • Plumber to Remove Sinks and Toilets
  • Remove all Fixtures from Bathroom
  • Remove Flexible Vinyl Baseboards
  • Clean and Patch Walls
  • Clean floor with TSP Cleaner
  • Paint Walls
  • Lay Waterproof LVT Flooring
  • Sand and Prep Reclaimed Lumber
  • Install Reclaimed Wood Wall
  • Install Vanities
  • Add Wood Baseboards and Paint
  • Plumber Replaces Toilets and Installs Faucets
  • Add Mirrors, Art, and Replace Fixtures
  • Stand back and admire the renovation results (and snap a few pictures)

Let the Habitat for Humanity Bathroom Renovations Begin:

A few days before I started the renovation, my electrician stopped by the offices to swap out the old fluorescent lights with brighter (and less flickery) recessed LED lights. Immediately the room felt brighter, but it wasn’t as bright as I had hoped. To help lighten the space more, I chose light paint shades for the walls. The colors I selected are from Magnolia Home Paint Line because I loved working with the paint in the Saving Etta house.

The handicap accessible bathroom was painted Carter Creme. I knew this color would look beautiful with the reclaimed wood wall and add a little warmth to the room.

Carter Creme paint color by Magnolia Home Paint

I would have liked to use the same color in the other bathroom, but the vanity color  was already a cream color and I didn’t want to draw attention to the slightly dated vanity color (or accidentally match it). Using Cloudy Gray, a paint color with cool tones, helped tone down the warmth of the vanity and provided some contrast.

Cloudy Gray paint color walls by Magnolia Home Paint

Both paint colors were light enough to do wonders for improving the light in the windowless bathrooms.

After painting, Sophie and I worked the afternoon to lay LVT waterproof flooring (also from the ReStore) in one bathroom. The flooring went in very easily, but we did have to slow down to cut around the toilet flange and the doorway.

After Sophie left, I tackled the second bathroom floor, working late into the night. It’s amazing what a difference the new waterproof LVT flooring made in these bathrooms.

On Sunday, Stephanie helped sand and prep reclaimed lumber from the ReStore for installation. We ran out of weathered boards, so had to improvise with a vinegar and steel wool concoction I whipped up the night before. My friend, DIY Pete, has a great tutorial for making this solution here. After the boards were dry, she and I clad the back walls of the bathrooms with the reclaimed lumber.

To achieve the striped look, we alternated the weathered side with the protected side of the wood. These boards were originally subflooring in an old house, so they have lots of character, nail holes, and a beautiful warm color. To protect the boards from water and to keep them from flaking, we coated them with a clear varnish.

Finally on the afternoon of Day 4, I gave my plumber the go ahead to come back to install the new toilets (courtesy of Wilkinson Supply Co.) and the sink faucets. Stephanie and I worked feverishly ahead of him trying to hang the mirrors and art.

We replaced the dated oak mirrors with pretty gold framed ones. I found the first mirror super cheap at a thrift store.

The other one was a gold art frame from the ReStore. I replaced the picture with mirrored glass and it looks like it was always a mirror!

This is a little message area was created by screwing two drawers (salvaged from the ReStore) together and adding cork and a clip board.

The handicap bathroom needed additional storage since it didn’t have a sink cabinet. To solve the issue, I built this little wall cabinet using an old window from the ReStore.

Then I added a little reclaimed door latch to keep the door closed. Hooks on the side are for hanging up a purse or light jacket.

Two Bathrooms in One Weekend – The Reveal:

Are you ready to see the final results? First here’s a reminder of what the bathroom looked like four days earlier. (The new LED light was already installed by my electrician in this photo.)

Habitat for Humanity Bathroom Renovations

And here’s what the same bathroom looks like now!

Originally I thought we could secure the sink base to the studs. But, after discovering the studs were all metal, we decided to add one leg to the front corner of the sink apron for more support.

The art quotes were created by reusing ReStore art frames. I simply created some watercolor art and added the quote in Photoshop.

Habitat for Humanity Bathroom Renovations

The twin bathroom looked like this before:

And now!

The sink vanity was from the ReStore. We were lucky the Raleigh ReStore has a huge selection of donated cabinets.

Habitat for Humanity Bathroom Renovations

I documented the entire renovation on video, hopefully, you’ll enjoy watching the whole Habitat for Humanity Bathroom Renovations process.

Want to Help Habitat for Humanity and Work Along Side Me?

Have you ever wished you could work next to me? Learn some tricks and tips of the trade? Well, now you can! I’ve signed up to volunteer for this year’s Women Build, She Nailed It Campaign with our local Habitat. This is a one day opportunity to help build a house with ALL WOMEN! Don’t be intimidated, you won’t be asked to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. But, you may gain a little empowerment and learn a new skill or two!

Habitat for Humanity Women Build Charlotte, NC | Pretty Handy Girl

The date is Saturday, September 28th in Wake Forest and I’d love to meet you there and share a day of swinging hammers. What do you say? Want to join me? If you can’t, but still want to contribute, please make a donation to the Women Build Campaign. Even the smallest donation will help us accomplish our goal.

Again, I have to give a huge shout out to Sophie from @TheHipperFam and Stephanie from @UncommonOutpost who came to help me on this project and gave up their weekend. Also, a big thank you to ALM Plumbing and Wilkinson Supply Co. for donating the toilets.

I hope you liked the video. If you aren’t subscribed to my YouTube channel, definitely do so now to stay up to date on all my tutorials and renovation projects!

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

See you all soon.

Be sure to pin this image to share how to accomplish a bathroom renovation in one weekend!

 

How to Install Privacy Film on WindowsHow to Install Privacy Film on Windows

Do you have a window in your house that puts you on full display? Or maybe your neighbor’s house is very close to your’s and you feel like they can see in your window (especially a bathroom or bedroom window.) Sure you can add curtains or blinds, but then you won’t get the natural light you want from your windows. Today I have the solution to your privacy needs without blocking the light. Let me show you how easy it is to install privacy film to your windows with professional looking results.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

About the Privacy Film:

Before we begin, I have to tell you when Stick Pretty approached me about using their product I was thrilled to find they have some very attractive options for privacy film! Those of us that shop at the big home improvement stores know the options for privacy film are fairly limited. Feast your eyes on just a few of the beautiful adhesive film patterns Stick Pretty has to offer:

And there is a semi-transparent option for blurred viewing (less opaque.)

That’s not all. You can also order any of the patterns in a sheer adhesive film to dress up your windows. All the adhesive window films are customizable with white, fog, mushroom, or black designs.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Stick Pretty also sells tile decals (to brighten your tiles or cover up ugly tiles.)

And they offer decorative adhesive panels for use on walls, furniture, or anywhere your imagination can think of.

If you find yourself falling in love with any of the products on the Stick Pretty website, don’t forget to get 20% OFF your order if you use the code: “PrettyHandyGirl” at checkout.

Now, on to the tutorial for installing privacy film on  your windows.

Instructions:

Watch this quick video to see how easy it is to install privacy film to any window.

Step 1. Clean

Use glass cleaner and a lint free rag to clean the window really well. Make sure there’s nothing on the glass that will stick under the adhesive film (which would stick there forever until you take it off).

Step 2. Measure & Cut

Measure each pane of glass on your window. Add 1/8 of an inch, because it’s better to cut the film too big. We will cut off the excess at the end.

Transfer your measurements onto the privacy film. Use a sharp x-acto blade and a metal ruler to guide your cuts. Apply gentle pressure as you cut the film.

3. Installing the Privacy Film

Carefully peel up your privacy film and take it to the window immediately. If you wait, dust can settle onto your film.

The key to a really good adherence of the film to the window (with no bubbles or wrinkles) is to use a mixture of water and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle.

It also helps to use a good squeegee.

Spray a liberal amount of the water and soap mixture onto the glass. If you find the film sticking too much to the glass, spray more of the mixture onto the glass.

Line up the film at the top. Using your hands, push from the center, down and out to set the privacy film. If needed, lift the film and reposition.

Use the squeegee to push out any water and air bubbles. Again, working from the center out and top down.

Use a clean rag and run it along the edges to clean up any water that has squirted out.

Step 4. Trimming Excess

If your film is too large and overlaps off the glass, take a sharp x-acto knife and cut off the excess. Peel off the trimmed excess.

Then squeegee the film again and clean it up any water from the edges.

You can see the difference between the regular window glass and the glass with privacy film on it below.

Half installed window privacy film see the difference

After installing your privacy film, you may see some ghosting between the film and the window. As long as you have pushed all the air bubbles out of the film, the ghosting should go away after a few days. (Can you spot the ghost spots in the picture below? Within 48 hours they had disappeared.)

Hopefully this tutorial will help someone reclaim some privacy in their home without giving up natural light! Pin this image to share with a friend:

How to Install Privacy Film on Windows

Friends, I have a question for you:

I decided to let the video tutorial guide you through the process on this tutorial instead of the usual step-by-step photos. Let me know what you think and if you miss the photos when there is a video tutorial. Thanks for your feedback.

Disclosure: Stick Pretty sent me the privacy film at no cost to try out on the Saving Etta project. I was not told what to say. All opinions are my own. If you use the coupon code: “PrettyHandyGirl” on the StickPretty.com website, you will receive a discount and I will receive a small percentage of the sale. As always, I am very particular about the brands I represent on this website and will always let you know if you are reading a sponsored post or if I received free materials.

If you liked this tutorial and want to add a layer of security to your glass doors or windows, you’ll appreciate my tutorial for adding security film to your home.

How to Add Security Film to Glass Doors & Windows | Pretty Handy Girl

Saving Etta: Master Bathroom Reveal

This is a master bathroom reveal I’ve been dying to share with you. The master bathroom in the Saving Etta house acted as a room I could experiment in and test some ideas for my own personal bathroom (that is currently stuck in 1978). I used a lot of elements I had pinned for my own bathroom ideas. Many of them looked amazing, but a few of the elements I learned are not as amazing as I thought they were. Regardless, I am thrilled with how the master bathroom turned out.

But, before we move to the reveal, I need to give a big thank you to the Saving Etta sponsors. As you all know, I’m very particular about the brands I work with and I can honestly say my sponsors are the cream of the crop when it comes to selling products for your home and lifestyle.

The Bathroom Before:

When I bought the Saving Etta house, there was only one bathroom. And it was one sad excuse for a bathroom. The size was decent, but the condition was abysmal. The leaking roof had done a number on the ceiling and walls.

Saving Etta - The Story of Saving a House Built in 1900 | Pretty Handy Girl

There was so much mold in this one room, that I closed the door and sealed it up with plastic while I began demo in the other rooms.

In fact, I much preferred the port-a-potty to the indoor bathroom (which should explain how awful Etta’s original bathroom was.)

While demo progressed, I put together a mood board for the new Master Bathroom. You can see more inspiration photos and sources in the Master Bathroom design plans.

Demolition and New Framing:

This is the last time I laid eyes on that poor sad original bathroom. I never touched anything in that room. There wasn’t anything worth salvaging. Even the tub was in rough shape.

As soon as the back of the house was removed, work began on building the new addition in its place. But, once framing started, things really began to take shape. My plumber installed the shower pan for me.

The drywallers installed the Purple drywall in the bathroom (this drywall should never mold!)

There was some debate between my subcontractors about water-proofing the shower in the master bathroom. I finally added some thick plastic and caulked the seams around the shower niche to prevent any future issues with moisture.

Then PermaBase cement board was installed over the plastic by my drywallers.

This is one thing I learned from this experience. Next time I will let the tile setters install the backer board for the tile. Apparently my drywall installers did a very sloppy job and I ended up paying my tile setters to fix their mistakes.

For my own personal bathroom, I’m planning on trying some of the Schluter materials instead of the cement board. In fact I’ll be taking a two day class in a few weeks to learn proper installation techniques.

Beautiful marble outlined black white hex tiles in master bathroom

Once the tile floor went in, and the walls were painted Wedding Band gray from Magnolia Home paint, we were able to move the vanity and the toilet into the bathroom so the wood flooring could be installed in the rest of the house.

The Master Bathroom Reveal:

Ready to see the final reveal of the master bathroom? I can’t wait for you to see this! The style I steered toward in this small 5′ x 8′ bathroom is modern farmhouse.

I kept the elements clean, but also timeless. The rainfall shower head (with exterior mounted plumbing) appealed to my sense of a classic look.

The exhaust fan looks underwhelming, but let me tell you, it ROCKS! Really!

Inside the fan is a bluetooth speaker from Nutone. All you have to do is pair up your bluetooth device with the fan and you can rock out to tunes in the shower. My only complaint is the speaker won’t work when the fan switch is turned off. But, luckily the fan is ultra quiet.

Okay,  I know, the shower niche tile is a real show stopper. It’s from Best Tile, but I’ll have to find out what it’s called.

Even though I added a shower niche, I insisted on putting in a soap tray in the corner.

Now for the other tile choices that will knock your socks off. The floor has a beautiful marble hex tile from The Builder Depot.

This tile is most likely coming into my house! Although, I may look at the honed version of the same flooring.

The black and white tile theme continues into the shower floor. I couldn’t resist these 2″ black marble hex tiles for the shower floor.

I’m sure you spotted the drain cover. How could you miss this fun fixture in the shower?

This is a custom brass drain cover from Designer Drains.

Ignore the silver screws, later I swapped them out for the correct brass ones.

Let’s talk about the vanity. I love the look. The vanity has one operational drawer with a plumbing cut out to avoid the p-trap.

The drawer is perfect for storing things out of site. The bottom shelf allows the homeowners to add baskets and towels for more storage.

But, here’s what I don’t like about the vanity. To be completely honest, it was super lightweight (think balsa wood) and cost way too much for the materials to be so lightweight. I was really angry I paid so much for it, especially because I could have made it myself a lot better quality. Once the quartz countertop was installed, it weighs down the vanity, so it doesn’t feel so lightweight. If you like the look and want this vanity for your home here’s a link.

If I had the time I could have built a better vanity. This is definitely something I will do for my own bathroom.

Once the sink and countertop were in, the vanity felt more substantial. And I do love that countertop! I used the same marble look-a-like quartz countertop as was used in the kitchen.

The last thing I want to show you in the master bathroom is the privacy film I added to the Plygem Mira window. It’s a product from Stick Pretty and I love how it lets light in but not the view of nude bathers.

I’ll be sharing the tutorial for installing the privacy film soon. It came out great!

What do you think? Do you love the master bathroom at the Saving Etta house?

Sources:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Wall color: Wedding Band by Magnolia Home Paint

Floor Tile: Carrara Venato Polished Hexagon Nero Strip Marble Mosaic Tile by The Builder Depot

Shower Floor Tile Nero Marquina Polished Black Marble 2″ Hexagon Mosaic by the Builder Depot

Octopus Drain Cover by Designer Drains

Shower Wall Tile: White Subway Tiles by Jeffrey Court Tiles

Hanging Cone Pendant Lights from Houzz.com

Bath Exhaust Fan from Nutone

Sensonic Bath Fan Speaker Accessory from Nutone

Rainfall Shower Faucet Set from Rozin

48″ Farmhouse Vanity

More Saving Etta Fixture Sources Available Here

Disclosure: I received materials and/or compensation from the sponsors of the Saving Etta project. These were the bathroom sponsors: Ask for Purple, Plygem, Broan-Nutone, Schlage, Magnolia Home Paint, KILZ, Jeffrey Court Tile, Wilkinson, Designer Drains, The Builder Depot. I was not told what to write. All opinions and words are my own. As always, I will notify you if you are reading as sponsored post or if I was compensated. Rest assured I am very particular about the brands I work with. Only brands I use in my own home or that I’ve had a positive experience with will be showcased on this blog.

Saving Etta: Revealing the Downstairs Bedrooms

I’m thrilled to be able to reveal the downstairs bedrooms to you today. If there were two rooms that get me emotional in the Saving Etta house, it would be these two front bedrooms. They make up the majority of the 1900 portion of the house I was able to save. Except for the original kitchen, all the other rooms in the house were added on over the years. Unfortunately those additions weren’t built to last (or built with any building codes in mind.) Although we tried to save the original kitchen, one of the girders was completely rotted out and the rest of the floor joists were almost laying on the dirt. We determined it would be best to remove it and build completely new framing behind those front bedrooms.

Here is the proposed floor plan where I’ve highlighted the bedrooms you’re touring today:

Before we get this show on the road, I owe a huge thank you and a big shout out to all the Saving Etta sponsors. As you all know, I’m very particular about the brands I work with and I can honestly say my sponsors are the cream of the crop when it comes to selling products for your home and lifestyle.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Before Starting Demolition:

Before we get to the tour, I’m going to rewind the clock to show you how the rooms looked when I bought the house.

These photos are from the south bedroom (on the right when you enter from the front porch steps.)

The original mantel was still in the room. Although there was no hearth, I’m fortunate the mantel was left alone. Unfortunately the original door was replaced with a cheap hollow core door.

This room was a living room and had carpeting throughout. The moldings on the windows had some decorative trim, but otherwise the room was fairly devoid of architectural features.

The north bedroom had an identical mantel, but this room also had two closets. I think this room was used as a bedroom in recent years. But I’m not 100% sure because most of the contents had been removed because of the presence of black mold growing in here.

At first I thought the mold was caused by a roof leak, but I later learned it could be attributed to the window air conditioner unit. The moisture had been leaking down the wall and under the carpet, creating a toxic growth of black mold.

Despite this unwanted presence in the room, there was a very desirable element still in this room! See that closet door below? In the corner of the room I found one of the original 1900 doors. Luckily I also found another door to match in another local property that was slated to be completed demolished.

Demolition Begins:

After carefully removing all the carpeting from the front bedrooms, I began to pull up the particle board subfloor. It was tedious work involving a pry bar and a hammer to pull up all the nails from each board. Contrary to my initial thoughts, the particle board would only pry up in fist size pieces when I put a flat scraper underneath. Instead I had to remove ALL the nails first. Underneath a layer of resin paper, I found the old pine floor planks. I was really excited about the prospect of being able to refinish these original wood floors.

My optimism began to wane as I pulled up the sub-flooring in the south bedroom. Underneath it were several layers of vinyl, tar paper, and glued down lineoleum sheets. (Of course before pulling up these layers, I dutifully sent samples to be tested for asbestos.) When the results came back negative, I spent three days trying to get all the layers removed. But, I lost steam and this is where I stopped:

I was going to rent a floor scraper, but decided to wait for the mold remediation team to demo and clear the black mold from the north bedroom. After remediation, the full extent of the damage to the wood floor was revealed. There were many spots where the floor had rotted after being exposed to too much moisture. I also discovered patched areas using sheets of plywood in the foyer and the north bedroom.

After another trip into the crawlspace, I realized there was no subfloor under the pine planks. They were laid directly onto the joists. After wracking my brain trying to figure out how to salvage the old pine flooring (and how to find matching planks to fill in the holes), I realized my dream of restoring those original floors would be nearly impossible. Sadly, I decided to move forward and save time by putting in new flooring when the time came.

Post Asbestos Abatement:

As if that wasn’t enough of a hit to my budget, I had to test the sheet rock before demolition continued. Consequently we found asbestos in the joint compound. I quickly scheduled the asbestos abatement team (a company I had used in the past) to strip the drywall from the house. After a few days of abatement, I was finally allowed to enter the property and was greeted by this sight.

This is a view of the north bedroom (the one that previously had black mold.)

Across the hall in the south bedroom I was met with this amazing sight:

Vintage wallpaper was everywhere and it was exciting to see the little surprises hiding behind the drywall. Notice the two additional layers of wallpaper beneath the pastoral scene:

Besides the wallpaper, what made my mouth fall open was the view of the original ten foot ceilings! At some point in time the ceiling had been lowered to eight feet (most likely to make the space easier to heat).

Demo Help from Friends:

Pretty Handsome Guy, my friend Sarah, and I worked on removing the lathe to get down to the studs in the south side bedroom.

I can’t even begin to explain how sweaty, messy, and dirty this job was. The demolition required respirators and goggles. Regular dust masks were not enough protection.

Finally the entire south room was stripped down to the studs and all the lathe was thrown into the back of the house, while the insulation was shoveled into giant garbage bags. The view below is looking toward the foyer and into the north side bedroom.

You can see the big pile of lathe in the back room. During the removal of the additions, the excavator scooped it up and dropped it into the dumpster like they were a small pile of pick up sticks.

Completing Demolition:

To be completely truthful, after completing demo on the south bedroom, I had no desire to go through the same dirty demo labor in the north room. I asked my demo contractor to include that task in his bid. His guys breezed through the demo in record time. Sometimes it’s better to pay the professionals.

Below is the view from the north bedroom. The front door can be seen on the right.

This is all that was left of the house after demolition and removal of all those poorly built additions. Shortly after this photo was taken we had a big storm roll through Raleigh. I was terrified I’d find the house blown over when I made it back downtown the next day. But, this old gal was one tough old house.

Flooring Old to New:

While the footers were being dug, I set out on an excursion to find new flooring to replace the old. I was determined to find solid wood flooring with an aged appearance.

Luckily my friends at Impressions Hardwood Collection helped me find flooring perfect for a historic house. You won’t believe how good they look in the downstairs bedrooms!

With everything stripped down, it was time to rebuild. You can see the Saving Etta framing process here and a photo of the north bedroom during drywall here.

Downtairs Bedrooms Reveal:

The two downstairs bedrooms are exactly the same size as when the house was built. The walls and doorways were put back exactly where they were in 1900.

The only change was adding closets to each room to make them more functional as bedrooms.

Speaking of closets, you have to get a closer look of the beautiful door knobs and paint color.

The knobs are by Schlage and are the Hobson series glass knobs with Century backplates. I fell head over heels in love with these knobs and wish I could replace all the door knobs in my house with them.

The closet doors (and all new doors in the house) were painted Cupola by Magnolia Home paint.

You’ll notice the bedroom doors were left wood. After stripping the many layers of paint off them, I couldn’t bring myself to cover up the old growth wood grain and square peg construction. I felt their beauty needed to be appreciated and serve as a conversation starter for guests.

Hopefully a future homeowner won’t be tempted to paint them. ;-(

Because, then you wouldn’t see the beautiful square peg construction:

Isn’t it amazing how those Schlage glass knobs look beautiful on both natural wood and painted doors?

Speaking of amazing, let’s talk about attractive ceiling fans. If you live in the south, you know ceiling fans are non-negotiable. It’s important to have them for comfort. For years I was resigned to the fact that ceiling fans were utilitarian and therefore not stylish. (Or the stylish fans I found were too expensive for my budget.) Alas, that was before I discovered Fanimation’s ceiling fans.  The fans I selected for the downstairs bedrooms are the Distinction Fan with mix and match blades and light kits.

The white blades are a trick I use to help the fan disappear against the white ceiling. A schoolhouse glass light kit offers a subtle vintage appearance.

The north bedroom was staged an office, and as you can tell, the same Fanimation Distinction fan is right at home with modern decor.

When the fan is turned on, the blades virtually disappear:

Let’s talk about the other finishes in the bedrooms. You probably can’t take your eyes off the beautiful wood floors, right?! They are from the Impressions Hardwood Collection, Elegance Series in Flint stain color. The Elegance series is a pre-finished hardwood floor with a low luster top coat. It receives a wire brushing to bring out the grain in the wood, giving it an aged and antique look. Well, what do you think? Is the Elegance Series flooring a good solution for not being able to save the original?

One of the other original features I couldn’t save were the windows. They had no weights in them, and several of the panes had been repaired with plexiglass. Plus, I needed to block some of the sound from the street. Instead, I worked with the folks at Plygem to select windows that fit with the style of this historic house. These are Plygem Mira windows with a black frame interior and white exterior. What makes them so beautiful is the simulated divided light grilles. You’d have to get super close to see the grilles are on the outside of the glass, but there is a divider in between the energy efficient panes of glass.

Plygem Mira Simulated divided light windows

Best of all, they help block outdoor street noises. I chose double hung windows. Want to know why? Double hung means the upper and lower sashes move independently. Did you know if you lower the top sash and raise the bottom window, hot air will flow out the top and cool air rushes into the room from the bottom. It’s a natural way to cool a room in the summer!

Can we all agree, these rooms are the heart of the Saving Etta house?

What do you think? Do you like the flooring I chose?

What about those natural wood doors? Would you paint them? I hope not. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section.

Disclosure: Impressions Hardwood Collection, Schlage, Fanimaton, Magnolia Home Paint and Plygem were all sponsors of the Saving Etta project. I was provided with complimentary products to use in the Saving Etta house. I was not told what to write or say about the products. 

How to Fix Cracks in Door Panels - An Easy RepairHow to Fix Cracks in Door Panels without Taking the Door Apart

Wooden doors will develop cracks over time, especially if the panels aren’t free to expand and contract. Most of the time, years of paint or caulking the seams around the panels will cause the wood to stick and not allow the panel to expand and contract with the weather. The result is a big vertical crack along the wood grain. Today I’m going to show you how to repair the crack without taking the door apart!

You may remember right before I purchased the Saving Etta house, I discovered a discarded door by the dumpster behind our local grocery store. It had a big crack in the panel and was very dirty. But, otherwise, it appeared to be structurally sound. Pretty Handsome Guy and I salvaged the door on a late night rescue mission, and had a good laugh about it afterwards.

The door sat in the garage until the addition was framed and rough openings were created at the Saving Etta house. With the windows set to arrive, I knew I had to take a day out of my busy schedule to repair the cracked door and prepare it for installation.

Dirty Front Door found in the Trash

First the door got a good cleaning with soapy water.

Cleaning Front Door with sponge and soapy water Looking better already!

Cleaned front doo

Now it was time to fix the door. Let’s learn how to repair a cracked door panel without taking the door apart.

Materials:

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Instructions:

Lay the door on a flat surface like a workbench or saw horses.

burgundy side of dumpster found door

Using the Dremel with a cut off wheel, clean up the crack and open it to the width of your wood spline.

Open door panel crack with dremel cutting wheel

Sand smooth any jagged edges along the crack and any dings on the rest of the door.

Sanding door smooth

Test fit the spline into the crack. Make any adjustments to the crack as needed or cut a narrower spline on a table saw.

Insert wood spline into door crack

The spline should fit snuggly in the crack.

Test fit wood spline in door crack

Remove the spline and apply a liberal amount of wood glue into the crack.

Add lots of wood glue to door crack

Insert the spline and clamp the door until the glue hardens.

Clamp door repair overnight.

Chisel off the excess spline (you don’t need to get it perfect, but you’ll want to remove as much of the spline that protrudes beyond the door panel.)

Chisel off excess wood spline

Sand the repaired crack until the spline is even with the rest of the door panel.

Sand fixed door crack smooth

There will probably still be some minor cracks or voids, but these can be repaired with putty. Mix up a small amount of Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty (just add water!) Apply along the repaired crack and fill in any small holes or dings on the door. Let the putty cure.

Use Durham wood hardener to smooth imperfections

Flip the door over and repeat the process of removing the excess spline material and adding the wood putty.

Add Durham Wood Hardener on back side of door repair

After the putty has dried, sand until smooth. Start with a 120 grit sandpaper and work your way up to 220 grit.

Sand cracked door panel repair smooth

Clean the door of any sanding dust. Tape off the window edges (if applicable). Prime the door on both sides (allowing one side to dry before priming the other side.)

Prime repaired door with KILZ 2 primer

Paint your door any color you like!

Paint repaired door with Magnolia Home Magnolia Green paint

Want to Stain Your Door Instead?

If you prefer the natural wood look on your door, be sure to choose a spline that matches your door’s wood species and skip the wood putty step.

Installing the Door:

Back at the house, my framers had some fun with the house wrap at the front door.

After I added an exterior door frame kit to my repaired door, the framers hung it in the rough opening.

Because I didn’t paint the exterior of the door yet, you can barely see the repair above. But, after a fresh coat of paint, I challenge you to spot the repaired crack!

Do you like the color I painted the door? You might remember my decision making process when selecting the exterior color scheme. Ultimately I chose Magnolia Green and Locally Sown in the Magnolia Paint line.

Magnolia Green Door with Locally Sown Magnolia Home Paint on Siding

And just in case you thought I was only good at saving doors, apparently now I’m also a house saver! The Saving Etta house received her plaque denoting her name as it’s registered in the list of National Historic Properties.

Saving Etta: 1900 Home Saved from Demolition and restored into a beautiful Triple A construction modern farmhouse.

Hopefully she’ll last another one hundred plus years!

A funny story about the green door: Originally I was going to hang the door with the handle on the opposite side, but made a last minute change. The interior of the door was supposed to get painted gray to match the rest of the doors in the house (minus the salvaged 1900 doors shown above. They were left raw to show off the original wood grain and square peg construction.)

Many of you loved the green color and voted on Instagram to keep the front door green on both sides. Which is why Etta has a green front door inside and out!

Saving Etta: 1900 Home Saved from Demolition and restored into a beautiful Triple A construction modern farmhouse.

What do you think? Do you like the double-sided green door? Do you have a cracked door panel in need of repair? I know you can fix it.