The countertop paint worked great on the beveled edge but we had some problems with streaking on the island and she'll probably end up replacing that counter top with a solid surface material. The good news is that she won't have to replace the rest of the counters in the kitchen until she's ready.
The glass backsplash tile was installed using premixed mastic tile cement which was applied with a trowel. Cutting the tile was easy using a hand held glass tile cutter and my wet saw. We used electric box extenders to move the electric outlets flush with the surface of the new tile and grouted with non-sanded grout mixed with a stain blocking additive that will help to keep the grout clean.
We also primed and painted the kitchen walls in washable matte paint Benjamin Moore Rockport Gray. I don't have any "before" photos, but the walls were a dark tomato red and warm beige prior to painting.
The laundry room was a relatively quick makeover to resolve several functional issues.
It originally contained a sink which had not been used in twenty years other than as a storage space for buckets and cleaning cloths. Since the laundry is next to the kitchen, there is a sink readily available should she need one.
The laundry sink was removed and the pipes were capped so that we could install a floor to ceiling storage cabinet (18 x 92 inches found for 80% off in the "scratch and dent" section at the Home Depot) which provides reachable shelves to hold cleaning and laundry supplies with upper storage for things that she doesn't use often.
The ceiling got a fresh coat of white paint and the walls were painted with matte finish paint in Copley Gray to cover some long ago sponge painting.
The flooring is the same Armstrong solid surface laminate that was installed in the kitchen and mudroom to allow for continuity between the rooms. After the cabinet was in place, we installed a heavy oak closet rod to provide nearly six feet of hanging space which eliminated the need for the floor rack and freed up the floor space immediately in front of the dryer.
And finally, last but certainly not least...the real reason why I went to my sister's to help: installing new marble on the front of her family room fireplace:
My sister and her family removed the green tile and the wood trim from the front of the surround before I arrived which meant that all we had to do during my visit was to cut, install and grout the new tile.
Since I had a relatively new tile saw that I purchased when I repaired the tile at the apartment, I thought that we were all set. In hindsight, if we had rented a saw that was meant to cut larger tiles, it would have been much easier. (My saw is made for up to 8 x 8 inch tiles so there was some creativity involved in making it work on the larger tiles.)
I still can't believe that we accomplished all of this in five days with trips for paint and supplies and me working my "real job" from her home during the process! Sure, it was crazy and the entire first floor of her house was a danger zone for a week but then, suddenly, it was complete and it looks like a new home! As a side benefit, we had so much fun installing the marble on the fireplace and the mosaic glass backsplash that I recruited my sister to help me with the tile at the farmhouse when the time comes!
