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Insane Before and After House Flip in Ohio

Our friends Michael and Doris from the Wright Group Real Estate are local Cleveland real estate agents, house flippers and loyal Bestlaminate customers. After seeing these photos, we HAD to share this make-over. Trust us when we say this is one insane before and after house flip.

Before –  Scary Curb Appeal 
This is the before with a new door. Notice the old windows and overgrown gutters. I think I would have ran away starting with this…

After – Is this the same house?
Amazing what windows, paint and accents can do to your curb appeal! The house looks beautiful.

Before – Not So Welcoming Entryway 
An upclose look at the old door, horrible paint job and very narrow front entry.

After – Come on in!
Wow! Bright, airy and open. White trim, cream walls and beautiful reclaimed laminate floors really creates an inviting feel.

After – View from the Door

Before – Hallway Off entry

After:

Closed Off Kitchen:
Reigning from the 70’s, this is a classic closed off kitchen with peek-a-boo windows.

Worn and dirty old fireplace.

After – Open Floor Plan:
Knocking down the walls, refacing the fireplace and adding the flooring really changed this space! We just love the wall color.

Beautiful mantle appropriately sized for the space. Clean, modern and natural.

 

Before – Inside the Kitchen:
There’s really nothing nice to say about this.

New Kitchen:
Amazing! A functional kitchen with beautiful cabinets and a huge island will make this a family and entertaining hub.

Can you believe this make-over! We absolutely love sharing projects like this. The flooring throughout the home is Armstrong Architectural Remnants Seaside Dockside 12MM Laminate flooring.

For more information on this listing, click here.

What was your favorite part of this flip?

The post Insane Before and After House Flip in Ohio appeared first on Passion for Home - Bestlaminate Blog.

DIY Rope and Reclaimed Wood Sign

Hello again BestLaminate readers! I’m Larissa from Prodigal Pieces, where DIY is what we’re all about – from redeemed furniture, to budget-savvy remodeling. I’m back to share another fun project with you. Last time my post was all about taking thrifted glass and giving it a new look, and today is all about wood. I am excited to show you how to take new or reclaimed wood to create this “Thankful” wall decor to help you decorate for the holidays.

*this post does contain affiliate links so you can find the products I love to use too!

Here’s what you need to get started with the DIY rope and reclaimed wood sign: (do note you are more than welcome to create these projects for home use only – not to be sold)

• (1) 1″ x 6″ x 22″ board
• (4) 3″ x 3″ pieces of scrap wood
• (1) ¼” x 50′ rope
• (4) masonry nails
• (4) 12″ pieces of twine
• Glue gun/glue sticks
• Drill
• Drill bits – 5/32 and 7/64
• Flat black paint or chalky paint
• Artist’s paint brush
• “Thankful” print out (see below)
• Chalk
• (2) Large sawtooth picture hangers
• Hammer
• Utility knife or scissors

For my example projects, I used two scrap pieces of barn wood. One was a piece of dark weathered barn siding with a lighter colored rope, and the other was a piece of chippy siding with dark colored rope. You can find the rope at most home improvement stores.

I am showing you that this project doesn’t have to be limited to my style. You can paint your wood or do whatever you like to get the effect that suits your style. If you don’t have scrap wood, you can use new wood bought from a home improvement store (psst…Home Depot will cut your wood for free), and create an aged look using my layering tutorial or stain it to look aged with a weathered stain.

Or, if you have some laminate scraps from a previous flooring install, go ahead and use that! Bestlaminate has some really cool reclaimed floors.

Once you have your board cut and ready to go, you will need your “thankful” print out. Go ahead and click the images and print.

Trim your printed paper close to the edges and tape together to make one piece.

Next, you can follow my transfer method tutorial, use an artists’ oil pastel to rub the back of the image. (I use a light pastel for dark wood, and a dark pastel for a light wood) Place your sign on a window or light box to make sure you are covering all the text. You could also use transfer paper to do this too.

Now place your “thankful” sign on your board. I chose to have mine right justified (set to the right of the board), but you can place yours wherever you like.

Grab a blunt object, like the top of a marker or dull colored pencil to trace over the “thankful” text. Press hard to make sure you get the pastel to transfer to the wood.

Now grab your hot glue gun, glue sticks, and rope. Working in small batches, apply a bead of hot glue over the transferred “thankful” text and press your rope into the glue, holding for a minute or two to let it cool. Just unwind the spool of rope as you go instead of cutting a piece so that you don’t run out of rope. Also, don’t worry if it doesn’t set right, you can always pull it up and do it again. Be careful of that hot glue and your fingers!

Once your glue has set, add your picture hangers to the back about 1 ½” in from the ends and about ¼” down from the top edge.

Now you’re ready to add the nails. Using your drill and the 7/64″ bit, drill two holes 2″ in from either end and about ¼” up from the bottom. Drill the next two holes 5 ½” in from your first holes.

I like rust, so I rust any type of metal I can, including my masonry nails for this project. Great thing is you can rust a whole box at once and have them ready to go for another project. You can find my rust recipe HERE.

Nail the masonry nails into your pre-drilled holes.

Next, you’ll need your four, 3″ x 3″ pieces.

Using your 5/32″ drill bit, drill two holes in the top edge of your pieces about 1″ apart and  ¾” in from the edges.

Now you will need your flat black paint or, like I used, a bit of black chalk paint. Either will do.

Paint on a small chalkboard in any shape you desire. Don’t feel limited to do a square as I did. Make a heart, circle, star…whatever!

Do two coats of paint, letting cure between each coat. Thread a piece of your 12″ twine through the back and double knot at the front. You will then need to prime your chalkboards with a coat of chalk.

Embellish your board with things you are thankful for, hang, and you’re done!

The best part about this project is that it doesn’t have to be limited to the “thankful” theme. Use any word you like for the text and hang something different below if you choose.

I’m not sure which sign I prefer more…which is your favorite?

If you’re not the DIY type, you can find these sweet signs in my shop. Let me know you’re coming from BestLaminate for a special discount!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask – I’m happy to help!

Pin and share!

If you loved this project, check out our other DIY features:

• Thrifted Glassware DIY Vignette
• DIY Welcome Sign
• Re-purposed Laminate Coat Hanger

The post DIY Rope and Reclaimed Wood Sign appeared first on Passion for Home - Bestlaminate Blog.

Can I install underlayment under laminate with attached padding?

Dear Bob and Betsy,
Is it okay to use a felt Roberts underlayment if the laminate already has attached padding?
-Craig S.

Dear Craig,

Laminate with attached padding (underlayment) can be confusing to many DIY installers. You read articles touting the importance of using underlayment for moisture control, noise reduction, and overall support. It’s natural to wonder what you should do to maximize your floors longevity when the underlayment comes pre-attached.

Extra Padding Poses a Risk

Most underlayment provides extra padding on a floor. When this additional padding is combined with the pre-installed padding on your laminate flooring, it poses a risk and should be avoided. By adding unnecessary cushioning, you could actually be causing more harm to your floor than good. The added friction could cause the underlayment to wear down quickly and make your floors less stable over time, causing stress on the floating floor’s locking system joints.

Vapor Barriers

There is an exception to this rule – a film vapor barrier.

If you are installing your laminate flooring with the pre-attached underlayment over a cement subfloor, you will want to use a vapor barrier. This type of underlayment does not have any additional padding, so it will not pose a risk to your laminate flooring.

We recommend using our Visqueen 6mil PE Vapor Block PE Film in these situations. You can be sure that no moisture or other damage will occur with this option under a pre-attached underlayment.

As you can see, there are many factors to take into consideration when installing your laminate flooring. From subfloors and underlayment, to the type of laminate flooring you buy, you must weigh everything equally to get the best results. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of our flooring experts for help. We’re here to make your installation as easy as possible.

Learn More:

• Can You Put Down Two Layers of Laminate Flooring Underlayment to Reduce Noise Pollution?
• How to Install Visqueen Vapor Barrier PE Film – An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide
• All You Need To Know About Laminate Flooring Underlayment

The post Can I install underlayment under laminate with attached padding? appeared first on Passion for Home - Bestlaminate Blog.

The Possibly Prettiest Way To Hide Something – Our New Bespoke Radiator Cover*

We’re loving the transformation that’s currently happening in our dining room. In just a matter of days it’s gone from a neutral (and let’s face it rather bland) room to a much more cozy and inviting space. Since knocking down the load bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room it’s the area of the... 

Read More »

The post The Possibly Prettiest Way To Hide Something – Our New Bespoke Radiator Cover* appeared first on Little House On The Corner.

Absolutely Delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Being ‘basic’ in the kitchen is totally allowed during the fall season because that means you’re on the ‘put pumpkin spice in everything’ flow, which is obviously amazing.

During my quest for the purrrfect fall pumpkin cookie, I stumbled upon Chelsea’s Messy Apron on Pinterest and saw a photo of the best-looking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on this Earth (or the best ones on Pinterest, either way). I immediately knew I would be making my own gluten-free version. And, because I don’t discriminate against the allergens, my version happens to be dairy-free as well!

The thing that people don’t realize is that making allergen-free snacks really isn’t that hard—like, at all. Oftentimes it only involves one or two swaps of ingredients! In this case, to ensure that these cookies are gluten free, all you need is to make sure your oats (or oat flour) is certified gluten free. I prefer Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats because they’re easy to find (I get them at Kroger).  A similar swap goes for the dairy-free version! I conveniently had Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips and Enjoy Life’s dairy-free mega chunks in my pantry, so I just used those rather than getting the alternative—going dairy-free was actually the easier way out for me, ha!

Check out this list of ingredients below and see how easy these cookies will be to make! The only thing I had to get at the store that I don’t usually have is the pumpkin. Talk about my kind of recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Cup oat flour (this measurement is *after* you’ve blended the oats, not before)
• 1/2 Cup dark chocolate chips (I used dairy free)
• 1/4 Cup chocolate chunks (I used dairy free)

Instructions:

1. Beat together the wet ingredients in a bowl—pumpkin, honey, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl.

2. Next, beat in the brown sugar. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients—cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and oat flour.

Tip: Remember to check that you have 1 Cup of oat flour *after* the oats have been blended.

3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Do not overstir—do it until they are just combined.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips. Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, and while you’re doing so, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. After the dough has been chilled, scoop it out onto a cookie sheet. I use a cookie scoop, helping to keep the cookies more uniform.

6. Once the cookies are scooped onto the sheet, press the chocolate chunks into the tops of the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you like your cookies a bit more under-baked, try 6-8 minutes.

So there you have it! This is such an easy recipe to get the perfect amount of ‘basic’ into a fall afternoon. If you try the recipe out, be sure to mention @Bestlaminate and @GFreeLaura in your Instagram and Twitter posts!

Happy baking!

Absolutely Delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print

Recipe type: Cookies

Author: Laura Hanley (G-Free Laura)

Ingredients

• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Cup oat flour (this measurement is *after* you’ve blended the oats, not before)
• ½ Cup dark chocolate chips (I used dairy free)
• ¼ Cup chocolate chunks (I used dairy free)

Instructions

1. Beat together the wet ingredients in a bowl—pumpkin, honey, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl. Next, beat in the brown sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients—cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and oat flour.
3. Tip: Remember to check that you have 1 Cup of oat flour *after* the oats have been blended
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Do not overstir—do it until they are just combined.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips. Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, and while you’re doing so, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. After the dough has been chilled, scoop it out onto a cookie sheet. I use a cookie scoop, helping to keep the cookies more uniform.
7. Once the cookies are scooped onto the sheet, press the chocolate chunks into the tops of the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you like your cookies a bit more under-baked, try 6-8 minutes.

3.4.3177

The post Absolutely Delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Passion for Home - Bestlaminate Blog.