Author Archives: TheDIYGirl

Repairing torn window screens

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Repairing torn window screens - The DIY Girl

The house I’m in had a couple of screens with serious holes in them. It looked like vines had grown up and sent anchoring tendrils into the screen and someone had attempted to rip the vine off. The vine was gone and so were patches of screen. I have replaced screening before. It’s any easy job anyone can do. You need a spline (the rubber stuff that holds the screen in the frame), a spline roller, and screen. The spline and the roller will cost you about $3 or $4 and a roll of 36″ by 25′ fiberglass screen should … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – before and after

Posted on by September 3, 2015avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update - before and after - The DIY Girl

The inspiration came from the Lettered Cottage and the pictures to the left. They started with cabinets almost identical to mine so I figured I could do the same thing since I love the look of Shaker cabinets. I knew the kitchen had to be greatly improved if I was going to sell this house for a decent amount so the cabinets had to look better. They were well-built, solid cabinets, but ugly. I wanted to keep the cabinets, but lose the ugly while not spending much money. Many, many hours of work that required a lot of patience. This kind of … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – Painting the doors and drawers

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – Painting the doors and drawers - The DIY Girl

Finally. It took almost 2 weeks for me to get all the MDF strips done. I was working in the basement and the cool temperatures made the drying time for the Liquid Nails take forever. I had stumbled across the original post where the paint choice and instructions had come from at Ask the Paint Gurus http://paintgurus.typepad.com/blog/2011/01/the-right-way-to-re-finish-kitchen-cabinets.html. It’s a Benjamin Moore site. It’s a good write-up and I’d recommend a read for anyone planning to paint their cabinets. Set up I had saved a wooden door (I replaced a wood interior door that led to the garage with a steel door … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – applying the MDF strips

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – applying the MDF strips - The DIY Girl

I need to point out the fruit or futility of this project isn’t going to be evident until the final doors are hung from their hinges and the drawers are slid into their tracks and I can see how they look. Until then — who knows? It’s an exercise in faith. Correction — an exercise in faith by a complete novice with a minimal tools. I’m sure pros would groan over my methods. Prep for applying strips I built a couple of frames to assist me. For the drawers I cut sections of 2″ x 4″ and added some trashed … Read more…

PVC Dog Cot Tutorial

Posted on by February 21, 2017avatar
PVC Dog Cot Tutorial = The DIY Girl

Update February 10, 2015 – New sizes available I have added instructions below for materials and cutting for medium and small PVC dog cots as well as the original large PVC dog cots. The small size looks so cute when next to the large one. I went to buy smaller diameter PVC for the medium and small and didn’t like the amount of flex (bending) in 1″ PVC so all 3 sizes are designed using 1 1/2″ PVC. Make the legs shorter for the smaller sizes. All the general instructions remain the same — just use the correct set of … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – the materials odyssey

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – the materials odyssey - The DIY Girl

I had read a blog post from a couple who had found 1/4″ MDF at a lumber yard that also cut it into strips for them. This is what I was seeking. Do you think I could find it? Heck, no. Can I tell you how sick I am of walking into my kitchen with open cabinets and no drawers? I am so ready to get this project to be completed, my kitchen totally unpacked and fully functional. After making many phone calls for a month and a half I finally tracked down 1/4″ MDF in 4′ x 8′ sheets … Read more…

Non-DIY — new roof

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Non-DIY - new roof TheDIYGirl.com

I don’t do roofs. I don’t even want to get on roofs. I can’t believe roofers do roofs. They have my respect for being tough enough to work at heights in temperature extremes year after year. They are made of far tougher stuff than I am. Weather delays I knew the roof was long past needing replacement when I bought this foreclosure, but have been waiting for it to stop raining and get warm enough to put a new one on. It was supposed to be upper 40’s today (only hit 35) and in the 60’s for the next three … Read more…

Removing caulk from drywall behind backsplash

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar

I had gone into the kitchen update fully expecting to replace the countertops so I dribbled paint on them and had no concern for them whatsoever. So follow this with the decision to keep the countertops and paint them. Need I say I thoroughly regret my earlier lack of care that resulted in swipes and sprinkles of primer and cabinet paint? Note to self: Don’t ever assume you’re going to discard something until it’s discarded. Take great care while you’re working on things. Better to be careful now than sorry later. The curse of poor workmanship – again Don’t you … Read more…

Decisions on countertops and backsplash

Posted on by April 19, 2015avatar
Decisions on countertops and backsplash - The DIY Girl

I ran across a great article at The Family Handyman on comparing cost and materials of different countertop options: Buying Countertops: Plastic Laminates, Granite, and Solid Surfaces. At the end of the article is a link to a pdf that summarizes Wear and Maintenance Comparison Chart for each type. Great information when trying to decide what direction you want to go in for a kitchen remodel. They also have a good tutorial on installing laminate counter tops yourself. Decision 1: Countertops Well I’ve made a decision about countertops. Or rather the decision was made itself for me. I made a trip to … Read more…

Painting kitchen walls

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar

After struggling in other rooms to cover the nasty gold paint that had been sprayed in every room of the house I decided to try primer to cover it before painting. It surely couldn’t make it any worse. I rolled primer on all the walls including the backsplash area even though I had no idea what I would end up doing with that area. Color choice I have to thank Jennifer at Ace Hardware. I went in undecided about what yellow to go with and she steered me to a paler shade than I was thinking. As soon as it … Read more…