Home Decor Archives - Page 7 of 42

Saving Etta: Downstairs Shared Bathroom Reveal

The downstairs shared bathroom in the Saving Etta house was designed to function as an en suite bathroom to one of the bedrooms, but also to have a second door opening to the main hallway for guests or for anyone to use. I can’t take credit for the architectural plans in the Saving Etta house, but I can take credit for the fun design choices I made when putting in the finishing touches on the house. (All product sources are listed at the end of this post.) The downstairs bathroom was one small room where I had lots of fun with the floor tile.

Stripes! From the beginning I knew I wanted to use classic tiles in the bathrooms. And possibly tile a border in one bathroom. If you’ve seen Mandi’s daughter’s bathroom in The Merc you’ll appreciate why I wanted to add a border to the floor.

But, if you’ve ever tried to design a border using little hex tiles, you’ll quickly learn that you can achieve a straight line from left to right, but when you try to create a straight line 90 degrees from the first stripe, it looks like a squiggly line. Bummer. However, sometimes it takes road blocks in your path to help you find a more creative solution you like even better.

I used Jeffrey Court mosaic tiles (available at Home Depot) in white and black to create this unique look. And my tile setter did a phenomenal job with the installation.

Before I take you further into the bathroom, I want to thank 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.

Bathroom Before:

As you learned the other day, the original house only had one bathroom and it was definitely not anything pretty.

After the back of the house was removed, we began to build back in the same footprint. As you can see in the photo below, the wall on the left was the original back wall of the 1900 portion of the Saving Etta house.

After framing, I had my drywall contractor install Purple drywall throughout the bathroom. If you don’t know why it’s important to use purple drywall in kitchens and bathrooms, you’ll want to read this post.

The transom window over the tub lets in a ton of natural light, but no peeping eyes! It’s obscure glass from Plygem’s Mira window line.

The Downstairs Shared Bathroom Reveal:

You’ve already seen the mosaic hex tile floor. Continuing with the black and white striped theme, I made sure to stage the bathroom with a striped shower curtain (could you ask for a more perfect match?) Of course, who can deny the beauty of the glass door knob. These Schlage Hobson knobs were used throughout the house and they are undeniably gorgeous and equally amazing to touch.

The vanity I chose for this bathroom was a wonderful surprise. The price was a steal compared to the master bathroom vanity. When it arrived, I expected a cheap quality vanity, but was relieved to find it had strong construction, adjustable hinges, and came complete with a quartz (marble look-a-like) countertop and integrated sink. In contrast, the vanity in the master bathroom didn’t come with a top or sink. You can read more about that vanity and my opinion of it here.

This vanity is heavy, so I was thrilled that the delivery from Wayfair included placing it in the room of your choice at delivery.

One lesson I learned from this bathroom was to double check measurements during framing. My plumber was the first to point out that the bathroom width was 6″ wider than the tub. After some creative brainstorming, I decided to take the easy route and add some framing on either side of the tub to make up the difference.

Obviously the tub surround turned out okay, but it wasn’t without challenges. Especially because I made the mistake of paying my drywallers to install the cement board. I learned after they left what a sloppy job they did. My tile installer had to perform some miracles to plumb and straighten the walls. I’ll definitely leave that task to the tile setter next time (and save money not paying for the same project twice.)

Time to talk dirty. Well, not exactly, but I want to share with you another inexpensive fixture that surprised me. The toilet!

It is a very modestly priced ProFlo toilet that really performs well. In fact, I’ll probably get the same toilet for our master bathroom. It doesn’t have any fancy features or look special, but frankly I just want it to work well under pressure (if you know what I mean.)

Speaking of things I will use in my own bathroom, I must install another Broan Exhaust Fan and Light. This low profile recessed light doubles as the exhaust fan! Talk about hard working.

Want to hear something funny? After my drywall installers finished the job, I discovered they had sealed the junction box for the vanity light into the wall. My electrician and I were able to find it and cut a hole. Then I realized I had forgotten to purchase the light fixture for this spot. Luckily he had enough work to keep him busy while I ran to purchase a light fixture for over the sink.

I’m so happy with how this bathroom turned out. It’s the perfect bathroom for the homeowners and their guests.

What are your favorite features? Would you change anything? Is there anything you learned while renovating your own bathroom? Please share!

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.)

Black Hex Tiles by Jeffrey Court

White Hex Tiles by Jeffrey Court

Transom Window by Plygem

Burholme 49″ Black Vanity Set

Faucet by Moen

Toilet by ProFlo

Bronze Cage Vanity Lights

Schlage Hobson Door Knobs

Shower Head & Tub Spout Set

Shower Curtain Rod

Black Striped Shower Curtain

Shower Curtain Rolling Rings

Recessed Light Exhaust Fan by Broan

Mirror

Wall Color: Emmie’s Room by Magnolia Home Paint

Door Color: Cupola by Magnolia Home Paint

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. 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.

May 3, 2019/0 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

decor, Decorating, dining room, DIY, fabric, Gift Ideas, Home Decor, July 4th, party, Sewing, Summer, tablescape, Tutorial

DIY Oilcloth Drink Coasters

Tutorial for making these DIY oilcloth, water resistant drink coasters for Summer!

DIY Oilcloth Drink Coasters

Hi there! I’m so thrilled to be back today with this super quick and easy project. The weather in Seattle has been totally amazing lately and it’s got me thinking about summer. And, summer entertaining is on the brain! This project will look great on your patios and outdoor spaces. Bonus, it’s totally water resistant too. Let’s take a mini-break and learn how to make these adorable DIY oilcloth drink coasters for gifting or entertaining.

What in the world is Oilcloth?

Oilcloth is a type of fabric. It has vinyl on one side and kind of a soft mesh of cotton on the other side. Vinyl has a slippery and plastic-like feel to it. The best part about vinyl is you can wipe it clean and it’s water resistant! This makes oilcloth a perfect fabric choice for outdoor items like tablecloths, COASTERS, beach bags etc.

The other great thing about oilcloth is that it just happens to be made in a multitude of funky patterns and bright colors. This fabric was made for Summer! When you get a minute – run a google search for ‘oilcloth fabric’ and you’ll see what I mean. Such pretty patterns!

So this is the perfect little accessory for all those Summer fiestas and BBQ’ s you have in the works. Or even for gifting away as little favors. Tie a cute burlap string around them and presto! You have a lovely handmade housewarming gift.

Perhaps you own a pool or live near the beach? Or know someone who does? These coasters make a fantastic DIY gift idea for them.

Here’s the best part: these stylish oilcloth coasters took me 10 minutes to make – start to finish.

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.)

Oilcloth Fabric – I chose these hot pink stripes from Fabric.com
Sewing Machine
Pinking Shears – these are simply scissors with a serrated edge. They are used to cut a zig zag pattern in fabric to prevent fraying.
Tape Measure (for measuring your coasters to a perfect square)

Instructions:

Start by folding your oilcloth in half. We need two exact squares to make one coaster (both front and back will be the vinyl, water-resistant side).

Step 1: Measure out a perfect square on your oilcloth fabric.

I measured approximately a 4 inch square coaster. (It’s totally up to you on sizing. Most drink coasters are between 3-5 inches square. For fun you can also cut circles instead of squares. Use a bowl or circle template to make a perfect circle.)

Step 2 : Use your pinking shears to cut out your measured square.

Since your fabric is folded in half – you can pretty much cut two squares at once. You can also use regular scissors here and even them with pinking shears after sewing.

Step 3: Line up your two squares and sew them together vinyl sides out.

Use use small binder clips (another little sewing trick I use a TON) to hold your two pieces of fabric together while sewing. I wouldn’t suggest using pins because the holes will be visible even after removing them.

A straight stitch is fine, but feel free to try something fun like a zig zag stitch.

Tips for sewing and working with oilcloth fabric :

Because oilcloth is vinyl and kind of plastic feeling, it will stick under your presser foot. To combat this, use two hands to feed the coaster through.
An alternative is to purchase a Teflon presser foot – they are fairly inexpensive and won’t stick to the vinyl fabric as easily.
DO NOT IRON OILCLOTH. It will melt and the mess won’t be pretty. If your oil cloth is wrinkled, lay it out and throw some heavy books on top for a few days. This usually presses the wrinkles out. Oilcloth also “releases” more wrinkles when warmed up a bit. Therefore you can try laying it by a sunny window. Don’t microwave your oilcoth. 🙂

Step 4: Use your pinking shears to clean up the edges of your coasters

Simply snip along the edge without cutting through the seam to straighten and clean up the ends.

Guess what? All done! See how fast it was making these DIY oilcloth drink coasters?

These coasters look so cute and are perfect for Summer! Pin this image to share with a friend:

I don’t know about you, but I may need to mix up a batch of margaritas tonight. I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might want to check out my tutorial on DIY frayed napkins. They also make a nice gift and pretty setting for your tables. And for even more inspiration – be sure to check out Brittany’s amazing backyard and patio reveal, what a beautiful space!

You may also like this tutorial for making mosaic tile coasters…

…or DIY personalized wood slice coasters.

I’ll be back here next month and I’m looking forward to connecting with you all again soon.

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint . I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths , sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands . I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest , Twitter or Instagram.

April 17, 2019/2 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

accessories, Color Theory, decor, Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, painting

How to Pick Color Palettes: Color Harmony in Decorating

Color Harmony in Decorating

One of the most frequent complaints from homeowners is struggling to choose colors for their home. When you walk into the paint store, the color selection can seem overwhelming. Choosing a rug or furniture can be equally daunting. Today I’ll give you some tips and tricks for creating color harmony in home decorating. You’ll learn a little knowledge about color theory, complements and harmonies that make choosing colors much easier. Plus, you can use the same theories in almost any visual field. From graphic design and web design to choosing your outfit for a big event. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to put together pleasing color palettes with ease.

I’m sure you’ve stumbled across art, paintings or photos that use visually stunning color palettes. Chances are that the artist or designer put thought into each color and how they work together. Let me introduce you to color relationships and harmonies!

You’ve heard the term complementary colors, but do you know what defines a complement? Here are the definitions of the various color relationships or harmonies and some great sample palettes you can use in your home!

Complementary Colors:

One of my favorite color combinations are the gorgeous pinks in a bouquet of peonies paired with an aquamarine ball jar. Something about this palette stops me in my tracks every time! The reason this pair grabs my attention is that those two colors are complementary.

Photo courtesy of Two Twenty One

Red/orange and blue/green are directly across from each other on the color wheel which makes them complementary or a perfect pair. (Kind of like wine and chocolate…right?!)

Here is another example of a complementary color palette. Blue and orange are stunning together. All the blues are balanced by a few pieces of fiery orange that demand attention in Sarah Richardson’s nursery below.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Richardson via HGTV.ca

Split Complementary Colors:

Elise from Grow Creative is my newest favorite eye candy blog. She is a watercolor artist and photographer. You should definitely subscribe to her blog for a visual pick me up every time she posts! Her watercolor painting of a cactus contains a great example of the split complementary relationship.

Photo courtesy of Grow Creative

Although, she only used a little of the bright red-orange color at the tips of the cactus, the bright color holds its own opposite the blue and green split. Without the orange, this painting would still be beautiful with an analogous palette (see the explanation of an analogous palette here.)

In the photo below of the Thistle from Grow Creative, the opposing colors have a wonderful split complementary relationship.

Photo courtesy of Grow Creative

The purples and green steal the show for sure, but the small hint of yellow gives this photo more complexity.

Analogous Colors:

While attending the La-Z-Boy event, I fell in love with Beth from Home Stories A to Z’s room design. The dark and light contrast of the navy with the crisp white doors stole my heart for sure. But, the decor colors really complete this stunning palette.

Photo courtesy of Home Stories A to Z

The key colors in her room are navy, light green and yellow. The white and grays are neutral therefore, they work with any color. Together you have a great example of an analogous palette.

Another example of an analogous palette is seen in this photo of a paper floral table runner by Fiskars:

Photo courtesy of Fiskars

Choose colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel for a gorgeous analogous palette. These colors together are sunny, warm, energetic, but most of all harmonious.

Tetrad and Triad Palettes:

Now we’re getting into a few of the more complex palettes. They aren’t hard to use, but do require a little more thought in terms of amounts and value. The bold palette in this dining room works well because they are presented against a neutral black and white backdrop.

Photo courtesy of John David Edison Interior Design in Toronto, ON

The blue, yellow and pink colors form a perfect triangle on the color wheel making them a great example of a triad relationship.

This bouquet my husband gave me for my birthday is a wonderful example of a Tetrad palette at work.

The four colors (red/yellow/blue-violet/green) are equally spaced on the color wheel. Using all these colors in a room design can be gorgeous, but you should choose one main color and a secondary color that will dominate and let the other two colors take up less visual space. As an alternative, you could balance the bold colors with a large amount of a neutral color(s) as shown in the dining room above.

Monochromatic:

After explaining some complex color relationships, I wanted to leave you with a very simple palette. The monochromatic palette is comprised of one color used throughout a room with differing values (shades of that one color achieved by adding white or black.)

My screen porch has a monochromatic palette. Using a variety of shades of blue with white creates a calming palette that’s easy on the eyes (and invites one to sit for a while and relax.)

For a little more punch, you can pair one color with black and white.

Photo Courtesy of MintSix Boutique Homewares and Styling in New Zealand

Mint Six Boutique creates a beautiful example of a monochromatic palette with several shades of red and coral in this bedroom.

The coral color steals the show, but is highlighted by the contrasting black and white in the room. Using strong contrasts in your home are sure to create visual impact.

Where to Get a Color Wheel:

Creating new color palettes is easy if you use a color wheel. You can purchase a color wheel on Amazon for less than $10! Once you have one, you can use it to choose colors for a room palette, coordinate your outfit for a big event, tablescapes, logo design and much more.

Before you have one of these great color tools on hand, you can visit ColourLovers. It is a website that allows you to browse color palettes:

(Feel free to follow me on COLOURlovers, as I upload my new favorite color palettes.)

Or you can create your own palettes. One of the best tools on their site is Copaso (found under tools). You can use it to upload pictures and/or create color palettes from scratch. To see suggested complements and harmonies, select one of the buttons below the color wheel.

Find photos that have color palettes you love (Houzz and Pinterest are two great places to start). Then upload the photo in the Copaso program. The program lets you pixelate the photo so you can select exact colors (you can also fine tune the hue and value until you reach your desired color.)

I uploaded this beautiful seaside home from Houzz to create a new palette of seaside colors that appeal to me:

Photo Courtesy of Donna Elle Seaside Living in Nantucket, MA

Next time you are thinking about shopping for home decor, paint colors or furniture, have a plan before you go. Use color harmonies and complements to help you solidify your color palette. Planning ahead will help avoid that overwhelmed feeling.

Pin this post to refer to next time you are trying to figure out good color harmonies!

Enjoy picking fabulous color palettes from now on!

March 31, 2019/25 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, arts and craft, Crafts, decor, Decorating, DIY, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, Summer, wreath

DIY Modern Hoop Wreath for Spring

Hello! I’m so excited to be here to show you how to bring a little Spring into your home. I’m betting we all need a little Spring at this point in the year. After two back-to-back snowstorms and weeks of frigid temps here in Seattle — I’m so ready for it! A great way to bring beautiful spring vibes into your home is with this DIY modern hoop wreath.

I love creating modern hoop wreaths because they are so fun to create and one of my favorite DIY projects ever! Not only do they look beautiful – they are easy on your wallet since you don’t need much to assemble one. Hoop wreaths can be made for any season or holiday, so let your imagination run wild with ideas!

Today I’m going to show you how to make a floral version of a modern hoop wreath —perfect for Spring. Let’s get started!

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.)

Hoop Ring or Embroidery Hoop
Scissors
Floral Wire
Wire Cutters
Jute Twine
Faux Greenery and Flowers – I used tulips, ferns and Queen Anne’s lace (Michael’s, Target, Joann Fabrics, Amazon and Afloral.com are good sources)

How to Choose Your Faux Greens and Flowers:

Before we begin, here are a few tips for choosing greens and flowers for the wreath. Hoop wreaths are particularly beautiful if either one main floral/greenery is used or when a collection of three different flowers are used together.

For this wreath, I used the rule of threes.

Assembling Hoop Wreaths:

First add greenery as a base on the hoop. Then add a secondary green or floral. Finally add your main florals on top for the true showstoppers. For example, this is the order we’ll assemble the Modern Spring Hoop Wreath:

A base of greenery – ferns
Secondary accent of greens or flowers: Queen Anne’s Lace
Main Florals – Pink and White Tulips

I find Michael’s and Afloral.com have the best selection and most realistic looking faux flowers and greenery. However, Target is also stepping up their game lately. These faux ferns and Queen Anne’s Lace were from Target’s Hearth and Hand collection and are very pretty and semi-realistic looking. (I tend to be super picky about my faux flowers!)

Instructions :

Step 1: Cut the leaves and flowers from your faux plants (if needed).

Snip off a few pieces of fern while leaving a little stem to attach to your hoop. It’s usually easier to snip off the individual leaves which will give you the most flexibility when designing your wreath.

Step 2: Arrange your greens on the hoop until you like the layout.

Step 3: Snip off a piece of wire and use floral wire to attach your fern/greenery to the hoop.

Bend and train the greenery as you wrap it with wire. Luckily the wire is thin and can be easily hidden with the greens and/or flowers. But, you will need to wrap it fairly tight to keep the greenery from moving when the wreath is hung up.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 2-3 again, using the secondary flowers or greenery.

Tuck the Queen Anne’s lace around and on top of the ferns. It’s really coming together now!

Step 5: Add the main florals – these beautiful spring tulips!

Use your floral wire to attach the stems to the hoop wreath, and then use the greenery you attached earlier to hide the wires. It works perfectly every time. You may have to play with it a bit until the wires are hidden, but no one will notice once you do.

Step 6: Tie a little bow of jute twine around the center for a sweet rustic finishing touch.

The jute bow helped hide more of the floral wire and gives the wreath some extra holding power.

That’s all there is to it!

Tips for Hanging and Displaying your New Wreath :

Modern hoop wreaths can be hung with the flowers on the side or at the bottom. You can use a wreath hanger or a Command light clip. The light clips hold these hoops perfectly and are clear, so you can’t see them. You can also use a suction cup hook or a magnetic hook if you have a metal door. Or tie a pretty ribbon to these wreaths and hang them from the ribbon. I purchased a clear wreath hanger from Amazon that hooks over the door. These wreaths look beautiful not only on your front door but also on your interior walls, closet doors, hutches, over mirrors etc.

Feel free to get creative with placement and add some spring to all parts of your home!

When you are ready for a change, simply snip off the wire and reuse your greenery and florals for another project. These modern hook wreaths end up being a very cost effective decor project.

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. I’m looking forward to connecting with you again next month!

In the meantime, check out these beautiful spring decor projects on Pretty Handy Girl.

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint . I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths , sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands . I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest , Twitter or Instagram.

March 27, 2019/0 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

Home & Auto Maintenance, Home Decor, renovation

How and Why You Should Install a Smart Lock on Your Door

How and Why You Should Install a Smart Lock on Your Door

Smart locks have been around for a while, but I’ve been slow to jump on the bandwagon and install a smart lock. I worried they might be tricky to install and had heard stories of the technology being glitchy (although I can’t find a lot of concrete evidence beyond this firmware update glitch that left 500 LockState locks completely useless.) However, after installing a Schlage smart lock on the Saving Etta house, I am a converted technophobe.

If you’ve never installed or used a smart lock before I have some considerations for you when deciding How and Why You Should Install a Smart Lock on Your Door.

Why are Smart Locks are a Good Investment?

If you’ve ever had the unfortunately situation of locking yourself out of your home, with a smart lock this is a thing of the past! You only need to remember your code! Do you hire contractors or cleaning people to work at your house? Now you don’t have to take off work or give them a key if you aren’t home. Set up a temporary code for each person and remove the code when they are done. The same can be done for guests or for an AirBnB property.

Do you have kids old enough to let themselves in after school? Why not give them a code so you don’t have to worry about them losing a key and you can keep track of when they got home.

Finally, if you’ve ever had that nagging feeling that you left the door unlocked, you can rest easy by simply checking or locking the door remotely from your smart phone.

What if I told you a smart lock can also help lower your homeowner’s insurance and could be a selling feature when you sell your home? Is there really any reason you wouldn’t want a smart lock? There may be, so read on.

Some Things to Consider Before Buying a Smart Lock:

Do the centers of your deadbolt and door knob holes have at least 5 ½” between them? (If not the interior circuit and alarm unit may not fit.)
Does your deadbolt hole equal 2 1/8″ in diameter?
Does the deadbolt and door knob hole backsets equal 2 3/8″ or 2 3/4″ from the edge of the door to the center of the holes?
Is your door thickness 1 3/8 – 1 3/4″ wide?
Is the latch bore hole in the door frame at least 1/2″ – 7/8″ deep?

If you couldn’t answer yes to all of these questions, a smart lock may not be right for your current door.

If you have a door that requires you to push hard, pull up, or hip check it, you will need to make adjustments to your door before installation. Why? A smart lock is activated by an electronic mechanism. The deadbolt needs to move freely into the frame to work properly.

Do you have a smart phone? If you don’t, you can still use a smart lock, but understand that you can’t take advantage of all the remote features.

Most smart lock run on batteries, but many needs Wifi or Bluetooth to handle features performed on your phone remotely. Obviously these functions may not be available if the power is out in your home. For this reason, it’s always good to carry a back up key on your keychain.

Some experts say smart locks can be hacked, but most standard locks can be picked or opened with brute force. Both have their limitations. I’d recommend doing further research if you are concerned about smart lock security.

Finally, there is the cost to consider. Smart locks aren’t cheap, but as I mentioned above, they can save you money on insurance or give you more money in your pocket when it’s time to sell.

How Hard is it to Install a Smart Lock?

Installing a smart lock to your entry door may seem like a hassle, but it’s actually a fairly simple installation anyone can accomplish.

For some reason I thought the install would be more difficult, which is why I installed the ho-hum satin nickel knob and deadbolt on the Saving Etta house door. Sadly, it stayed on the door for months. As the completion date neared, I thought I’d need to clear an hour or so to install the Schlage Smart Sense lock. Boy was I mistaken, it took less than 30 minutes!

Let’s give your home a smart upgrade by installing a smart lock today. Here’s how to install the Schlage Smart Sense Deadbolt in thirty minutes or less.

(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.)

How to Install a Schlage Smart Sense Deadbolt:

Remove the Smart Sense Deadbolt from the box and make sure you have the booklet included. This booklet has the programming codes and must be kept in a safe place. DO NOT THROW IT AWAY!

Materials:

Schlage Smart Sense Deadbolt
Screwdrivers (flat and phillips head)
Tape Measure
Hammer & scrap of wood (may not be necessary)

Instructions:

First check to make sure your deadbolt engages freely into the door frame and deadbolt strike plate.

Remove the existing hardware.

Also remove the existing strike plate from the door frame. Then install the reinforcement plate into the door frame using the longer reinforcement screws. (Pay attention to the wording on the reinforcement plate telling you which way to orient the plate.)

Install the new strike plate on top of the reinforcement plate.

Insert the new bolt into the door (if you have a circular faceplate in the door, you’ll have to swap the rectangular plate with the round one in your kit and use the hammer and block to tap the bolt in.) Secure the bolt to the door.

Close the door and use the flat head screwdriver to test the locking mechanism. Does the deadbolt seat properly in the door? If yes, move on. If not, make any adjustments to your door now.

My door needed some adjusting (a shim behind one of the hinges to square up the door) before the deadbolt could open and close freely.

Now that the bolt seats properly, add the keypad to the outside of your door (be sure to feed the cable through the door and under the bolt as you seat the keypad.)

The cable should be positioned under bolt and exit on the interior side the door.

Add the support mount to the interior of the door using the mounting screws provided. The support mount is stamped with the words TOP and AGAINST DOOR. Be sure to orient the support accordingly. Make sure the support mount and keypad are straight and plumb before tightening the screws.

Remove the top cover on the alarm unit.

Attach the cable to the back of the interior alarm unit.

Carefully attach the alarm unit to the support plate. You may have to turn the knob to line up the slot in the back of the alarm unit with the tab in the bolt.

Secure to the mounting plate with a screw in the middle of the until and a second screw above the circuit board. (Please note: Schlage recommends using a hand held screwdriver instead of a drill. I’m a rebel, what can I say?)

Remove the battery tray inside the alarm and insert four AA batteries.

Replace the battery tray with the batteries facing the door. Re-attach the battery connector.

Make sure not to turn the deadbolt knob until you set up the keypad. Replace the cover.

Now it’s time to test your keypad. Grab the brochure and locate the default codes on the sticker. Press the Schlage logo. The keypad should light up.

Enter the default code and the deadbolt should go through a set up routine. Let it finish, then close the door from inside the house and test the lock using the thumb turn. The bolt should still be able to open and close freely. (If not, make any adjustments to your lock or door as necessary.)

Now you can test the keypad entry. Take a key with you as you step outside. Close the door and press the Schlage logo. The door should lock.

Press the Schlage logo again (the door should stay locked.) Now enter one of the default codes and the green check mark should illuminate and unlock the door.

Your new Schlage Smart Sense deadbolt lock is now set up.

To manage your new smart lock, download the Schlage Smart Sense app on your smart phone and follow the instructions. You can also set up new codes, or lock and unlock it remotely.

Schlage has an installation video if you have any questions about this installation. Watch it below:

The Schlage Smart Sense Deadbolt was fantastic to have on the Saving Etta house. I was able to program temporary codes for the subcontractors and deactivate them after they finished their work.

I will definitely be looking into adding one of the Schlage Smart Sense Deadbolts to my own home. Especially because my boys are always misplacing their keys. 😉

Disclosure: As a sponsor of the Saving Etta project, Schlage sent me the Smart Sense Lock for the house. I was not told what to write, all opinions are my own.

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Want to learn how to drill new door knobs holes?

Or maybe you want to learn how to replace the other door knobs in your home:

March 22, 2019/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey