Happy Friday, everyone! We’re tackling the foyer today (photos on Monday), but before that I wanted to share two bathroom updates — one of which was a pretty big oops. First up: we removed the extra countertop slab from the side of our vanity, and it made a huge difference.
The side slab always felt out of balance, and removing it was a straightforward DIY. If your sink has a similar side-splash you don’t love, you might consider taking it off. Most modern sinks don’t include one and the wall is perfectly fine without it.
We started with a manual screwdriver, sliding it under the side slab and being careful not to damage the sink surface. A rubber mallet or hammer can help gently tap the screwdriver along the seams — top, bottom, or side — to loosen the slab.
Once it was loose we pulled the slab away, but we did end up with four small puncture marks in the drywall along the top seam where the screwdriver dug in.
Don’t panic — this is easy to fix. I sanded the area lightly to remove any glue or loose drywall and then used spackling paste with a 2″ putty knife to fill and smooth the damaged spots. I like to build the spackle just a bit proud of the wall so it can be sanded flush later.
After allowing the spackle to dry for several hours, I sanded the patched area with a sanding block. A block with straight edges helps keep the surface even and prevents a wavy finish. Sanding creates dust and sometimes reveals small low spots, so resist the urge to paint immediately.
Wipe away the dust, then do a quick second pass of spackle for any remaining dings or low points. That extra ten minutes makes a noticeable difference in the final smoothness.
Once the second layer of spackle was dry I sanded again, then applied a bead of white paintable silicone caulk between the vanity and the wall. Paintable caulk is important so the finished repair can be painted to match. I ran a thin bead into the gap and smoothed it with my finger until it looked clean and seamless.
Finally, I painted a touch-up coat over the repaired area so everything blended perfectly. That second spackle-and-sand pass is always tempting to skip, but it’s worth the effort if you want a flawless finish.
Now for the oops. We spilled about half a quart of the paint we used — Baby Fern — all over the concrete floor in the garage. It was a gelatinous mess and initially felt catastrophic.
Instead of scrubbing at it and making a bigger mess, we decided to leave it alone and let it dry. Our hope was that once the paint hardened we could peel it up like a big latex sticker. After about a week we pulled on it and, surprisingly, most of it came up in one piece.
There was a slightly darker mark under the peeled paint at first, but once it dried it became barely noticeable. We’ve since moved the items that were around the spill site and it’s tough to pick out the exact spot anymore.
I still can’t believe the leave-it-and-peel-it approach worked so well. If you spill a big glob of latex paint on concrete, letting it fully dry before attempting removal can be a surprisingly effective tactic.
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Psst — we’re trying a little bonus feature on Friday posts: four forum topics to peek at if you don’t want to head back to work just yet.
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| by ElizabethAnn | by KatyRICEdesigns | by KellyLawler1 | by ArtisanDesarts |
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