How to Install Baseboards in 12 Steps

Adding baseboard to a renovated space is like putting lipstick on a face; it’s the finishing touch that brings it all together. Today we’re showing you how to install baseboards to get professional looking results if want to DIY your baseboards. Whether you’re building out a space from scratch (like us) or replacing baseboard trim with more modern baseboards, these tips and tricks will help you get a great-looking finish. Follow along how to install base boards with our 12-step guide. Continue reading

Trouble Shooting Baseboard Gaps: How to Scribe

Are you afraid to tackle DIY baseboard because your floors aren’t perfectly level? Well, don’t be! Our basement installation was going pretty smooth when all of a sudden, we were confronted by huge gaping spaces between the floor and the baseboard! If this isn’t the look you’re going for either, read on 😉. Today we’re showing you how to scribe to troubleshoot this common problem. Continue reading

Engineered Hardwood Floor: Basement Installation

If you are considering installing real hardwood in a basement, an engineered hardwood floor should be your only consideration – in conjunction with a dimpled membrane! The membrane will help protect the floor from vapour migration coming up from the concrete slab. It will also protect from minor leaks – as we found out when one of our pipes burst a year after this install! Continue reading

Customize Ikea Cabinets – Laundry Room Makeover

More and more people are realizing that you can customize IKEA cabinets. Even the most experienced carpenters we know buy IKEA boxes and then build their own doors. You just can’t beat the price or convenience. So that’s exactly what we started with when we renovated the laundry room in our basement! Our laundry room makeover will show you how to customize and install Ikea cabinets.  Continue reading

Double Pocket Doors

When we built the mancave and craft studio in the basement, double door access was a must have so we could easily move my industrial equipment into the space. We used a sliding door kit elsewhere in the house and were so happy with the result that it was a no-brainer to install a similar system in our basement. This time, we chose to do pocket doors since we were dealing with new construction. Continue reading

Mold Prevention After a Water Leak (Part 2)

Mold prevention – and remediation – after any kind of leak or flood is hugely important because of health implications. We learned a hard lesson last year after the pipe connected to our outdoor faucet burst and caused water damage in my newly built craft room. In that post (part 1), we showed you how we installed a frost proof faucet to repair it and make sure it wouldn’t happen again. Now that it’s Fall, we’d like to remind you to remove the hose from the faucet – even if you have a frost-proof one, so you don’t make the same mistake we did. Leaving a hose connected during the winter is a recipe for disaster! Continue reading

How to Install a Ledger Board: Tile a Wall (Pt 1)

A ledger board is a must-have step for supporting the weight of the tile as it dries when starting with a clean slate (no lower cabinets). If you’re as indecisive as us and you want to move ahead with tiling a backsplash, keep this post handy. We’re going to explain how to install a ledger board to keep wall tile level when installing. Our updated how-to guide for tiling a patterned backsplash will follow here tomorrow!

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Level a Basement Floor with Levelrock

A level basement floor rose to the top of the priority list many years ago when we applied to be on one of those home reno shows. They chose to renovate our basement! – or so we thought. In the planning stages of the reno, the show’s contractor discovered that the slope of our basement floor was too steep to build on. The floor was inconsistent and out of level by over half a foot in some areas! There wouldn’t be enough time in the production schedule to fix it properly so they were going to have to take a pass on us. Continue reading

DIY Man Cave Transformation

Our DIY man cave project was a long time coming. Hubs spent over 2 years renovating our basement in his spare time. Being that our basement is small, we split up the basement between three functions: a craft studio, laundry room and a mancave. However, I took the majority of the space for my studio. Not very magnanimous of me given that he built every single bit of it himself – single handedly (with the exception of pouring a new basement floor). Continue reading

Laminate Countertop Installation

I didn’t think we’d ever do a laminate countertop installation because I’ve always wanted ‘real’ stone. However, installing a laminate countertop without a backsplash turns out to be the best compromise and is the finishing touch in our laundry room!  Our laundry room started out like so many other builder spaces: dark, dank and in the basement.

There’s nothing much we could do about the location. Our house is too small to relocate it, but we can certainly remodel it with beautiful finishes to make it a pleasant space to do laundry in!  Continue reading

Hide an Electrical Panel in a Basement

It can be a big challenge to hide an electrical panel. Some electrical panels are perfectly fine hidden behind a metal door. But when we finished our basement and had to increase the size of our the panel even more to accommodate the electrical needs for my craft room and the man cave, it looked horrendous. Continue reading

Picture Ledge DIY – Staircase Niche Decor Gift

This picture ledge DIY idea sprung out of this year’s reno project: finishing the basement. We recently completed my craft studio and have been working on the mancave too. It’s a testament to how you can upcycle scrap pieces wood into functional decor!

Hubs surprised me with this as a gift; made especially for the stairway leading into the basement. Before starting work on the basement, the stairwell was the drop zone for our central vacuum system accessories. Continue reading

The Making of a Craft Studio (VI): The Final Reveal!

A few weeks ago was moving day. With the help of Hub’s brothers, all the heavy equipment was brought over from my old studio. While I still have some unpacking, I can’t wait to show you the reveal and share our upcycle ideas to inspire you in your own craft space!

Here is what we started with in the basement…. Continue reading

Ikea Pax System: Making of a Craft Studio (Part III)

Using the Ikea Pax system in my craft studio for storage opened up a new world of creativity for me (and our blog). Pax isn’t just for the bedroom! Although we adapted in our basement specifically for my craft room, it’s a perfect solution to get you organized in any room in the house. Build it anywhere and store just about anything.  Continue reading