How to make your concrete look like tile.

I am listing a house that is fantastic, and the owner is an artist.  In her painting room, she has a floor that appears to be tile, but it is not; its concrete.  She laid out electrical tape in the shape of tile.  This kept the lines rough and one color and then she chose two colors to sprinkle in the squares and swirled them around.  No two tile is identical but by using the same two colors (she used white and a lighter gray than concrete) it appears they are tiles with small design differences. 

She said now when she makes a mess painting, its easy clean up.  I think this is awesome and would like to try it even maybe outside on a porch or patio. 

That brings me to another idea, what if you used stain instead, a richer look maybe?  Hmm

My Redecorated Listing in Amarillo!

Here is a picture of a kitchen I just remodeled for a new listing.  I've worked on the house for three weeks now.  This kitchen features a Bermuda Bronze tin backsplash - that's where all the shine comes from - a new vent hood over the gas range, and dark brown tile was replaced with this light colored tile featuring a green diamond inset.  I put a new coat of stain/varnish on the 1965 cabinets which also added some shine.  By using a light tile with a linear pattern, we not only brightened the space but made it appear bigger.  The one thing I was not able to get done due to the budget, was add new lights.  I was able to add 4 new canned lights in the living room through!!

Here is the dining area of the house.  This use to have a brown fiberboard wall that was dark and depressing and dark brown wood tone flooring.  By painting the fiberboard a cappuccino white with marshmallow white trim, we brightened the room; and added the same tile as in kitchen making it appear wider..  We used the mirror from Garden Ridge with tin accents to cover a phone jack that was on the wall and balanced that with an original piece of art I made using the splash from the kitchen to form a diamond on a green canvas, thus we have a green diamond surrounded by the splash, tying the art work to the kitchen splash and the combo room's flooring.  We put back the yellow café curtains that had been in the room before, but now they appear light and free, not sad and depressed.

The most changed room is the living room above.  This room was a dark-panalled brown room, with NO lighting, just a fan, dark trim and dark brown dated carpeting.  We put three to 4 coats of cappuccino white Glidden paint on the paneling, painted all trim and ceiling with marshmallow white Glidden paint, and added a new beige carpeting.  This room is now bright and light.  We also added 4 canned lights.  Remember it had NO lights, now it has 4.  This transformation has forced the words of "this doesn't look like the same house" from the owners and neighbors.  This is a 18 x 14 room, which is rather large for a 1,000 sq ft 1965 home, and now you can actually see the space.  Before when you walked in you felt like you were in a dungeon.  I can see in my minds-eye a entertainment center next to that closet, featuring a big flat screen t.v. and a nice sectional in front of the three windows on the west front of the house creating a wonderful family living space. 

We painted all ceilings marshmallow white which brightened the whole house, even the two dark paneled bedrooms and added wall to wall carpeting in the three bedrooms and hallway, which also got painted cappuccino white.  What an amazing transformation that made to the hallway, just opened it up. The three bedrooms got wall to wall new carpeting to match the living room, and the full bath/utility room and half bath in the master lost their dark carpeting and horrible smell (don't put carpeting around a potty, people) and received the same tile as the kitchen/dining combo.  By using the same carpeting and tile throughout, we made this house come together in a unison of harmony. We also added a light kit featuring 4 lights to the fan in the master, as before - just like the living room - there was NO light.  Never have I seen that before except in my son's house.  Go figure.

Now today the "for sale" sign goes up, the lockbox goes on, and this home is ready to welcome a new family to make 48 more years of wonderful memories.

I love redecorating - painting is my thing, trying new ideas like the Bermuda Bronze backsplash to create a new vibe feels great, and trying to be economical and not break the budget is a challenge I enjoy meeting.  So if you know someone looking for someone to transform their tired, outdated living space, tell them to call Judy Dendy, at Prudential Ada Realtors.  I not only sell real estate, I transform it into the 2013's mode.   806-672-3082.  I'm ready to start a new project, and I won't break your bank account. 

Making a Splash with Antiqued Tin!!

I have been redecorating a 1960's home for an estate here in Amarillo the past few weeks.  It was a very dark home with paneling in the living room, hallway and two bedrooms.  We decided to keep the paneling in the two bedrooms in case a day sleeper bought it.  But we painted the paneling a light cappuccino white and all the woodwork marshmallow white for a contrast and we are putting in a white tile with a green diamond in the middle in the kitchen, and baths.  The carpets are a light cappuccino also, and this home is going to really be light and airy.

Another problem we faced was that there were fans in the back bedroom and living room BUT NO LIGHTS.  Really, I'm not lying.  No lights in two rooms of the house.  So I bought light kits for both and then the electrician tells me that the fan in the living room is self-enclosed and can add a light kit.
I could have bought a new fan with light, but hey, if we are trying to make this house lighter and more moderns, why not canned lights.  So we added 4.  This really brightened up the living room.

The major place it is lighter is the hallway that was a paneled dungeon before.

But the thing I am most proud of is the splash in the kitchen.  We chose the Bermuda Bronze faux tin ones from Home Depot.  These are easy to cut to trim into place with scissors, and we used double-sided tape that is sold with the tin sheets.  However, I think after seeing it three days later, I might get some pretty little nails and nail the edges down so there is no bowing or bending.  This splash just sparkles.  Today I put gloss on the cabinets, and I'll do another one tomorrow and then Monday the tile and carpet goes in.

I will then post a picture of the finished product, but I can't wait to show you the splash so here it is:

 

I think the stove is about to be replaced too as the door fell off after this picture was made.  So Monday night I will try and post pictures of the finished room and maybe of some of the other changes.  I'm just so excited that the SPLASH made such a splash with the owners; who all think it is amazing!! 

 

I'm really enjoying this redecorating and hope to get more jobs in the future.  I hope my experience selling real estate will help me choose those items that buyers look for the most in a home and incorporate those items in the redecorating so that the homes sell faster. 

 

I will be listing this home for sale on Tuesday, so I have a vested interest in this being a great redecorated home.  Tonight I am working on an art project for the dining room to join a gorgeous tin metal mirror I got in Lewisville on a recent trip.  By bringing some of the tin into the dining room which adjoins the kitchen, the tin shiny theme can be continued and it looks like they are meant to be together.  I might do something for the living room too as this is kind of an open concept living/dining/kitchen combo. 

 

Hope you enjoy my redecorating story, and call me if I can help you too.  I can work on a very tight budget!!