Fixing Ceramic Tile Chips for $5

For all of you out there that have lived with builder grade ceramic tile floors…this tip is for you. We built our first home and waiting for a year and half for it to be finished. We selected all the materials and upgraded many things but our tile floor was not one of them. After we sold that house and moved into our current house, I concluded the previous owners who built this house, did the exact same thing.

We have basic creamy colored ceramic throughout our kitchen and mud room. Unfortunately, in our situation, builder grade materials meant cheap ceramic was used. We are pretty careful and do try to avoid dropping things on the ceramic (obviously no one wants to drop anything on ceramic floor!) but we have noticed over time little chips have been appearing. You might ask how we noticed these chips...well they look like dirt spots. Since my floors tend to be dirty on most occasions, these spots were very noticeable.

Since I am in no position to tear out all the flooring, let alone the damaged tiles, I needed to find a solution to combat my ever growing ceramic tile chip population. What did I come up with? Porcelain chip repair paint!!! In Canada we have a product called Porc-A-Fix. 

I am not sure if you all have it in the US, but I know Rustoleum makes a very similar product. What is it is a really small bottle of paint (similar to nail polish) that is used to touch up appliances, sinks and bathtubs. It comes in a variety of colors, so chance are you can find the one that is pretty close to your floor color. At under $5 per bottle, it was worth it for me to give it a try.

My floor color varies between cream, taupe, beige so I was went with the bone color. I tested the color on a spare tile I had in the garage that the builder left behind and since my floor has a variance in color, I really was able to hide the repaired chips very well.

It was very easy to do since the paint comes with a little mini brush in the bottle. Simply paint it over the chip and let it dry. This paint tends to have a gloss to it, so I applied it a bit at a time to avoid a really shiny spot. I also ran a fine grit sandpaper over the painted spot when the paint dried to scuff it a bit to cut down the sheen.

Here is my after:

To be honest I don’t even see them anymore when I am standing. If I get down on the floor or look very closely I can see the spots. Keep in mind that you might not get an absolute perfect match, but in my opinion, if you get pretty close to your floor color, it is far better than a light tile with large black spot on it.

Here is the before and after again. Before:

After:

Much better! The best part is this is permanent and will withstand my infrequent washings :)

Do any of you have chipped ceramic tile? How have you addressed this problem?

DIY Sugar Scrub - Easy Gifts on a Budget (Part 2)

As I mentioned in the last post, I am working towards making 80% of all my Christmas gifts this year. I am well on my way and enjoying every second of it!

Here is my list of spa related items I making (and sharing with you):

• Lavender bath salt ($2) DONE
• Lavender sugar scrub ($2.50)
• Lavender scented wickless candle pucks ($0.50) 
• Spa towel ($7)
• Lavender scented Catalytic Lamp oil (you know like Lampe Berget oil) ($2.50)
• Lavender linen water ($1.50)
• Lavender reed diffuser (Not done yet do I don't have an approximate cost)

To continue with the spa basket gift idea, I made a wonderful Lavender scented sugar scrub. It was a little more work (took maybe 1 minute more) and cost a smidge more than the bath salts, but this stuff is amazing! I have always purchased the sugar scrub from Bath and Body Works but have you looked at the ingredients on those things? It has more chemicals in it than I am happy to admit I put on my body. So for all of you looking for a great DIY frugal gift or for those of you avoiding artificial bath and body products, this will be a great post for you!

Materials:

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 10-20 drops essential oil (or however many you feel gives you a nice scent) I used Lavender Essential Oil but you can use any essential oil scent you like
• Dried lavender liberated from your mother's garden ( this is completely optional)
• Jar with a tight fitting lid

Method:

Add the 3 cups of sugar into a mixing bowl. I used plain old white sugar but if you want to use coarse or brown sugar, both would work great too. 

Slowly add the 1 cup plus 2 tbsp of olive oil to the sugar. Carefully mix with a spoon until well blended. I used the cheapest olive oil I could find, so we got a light yellow ting to the scrub. If you prefer a more neutral color you can spend more and get a coconut oil or a lighter colored olive oil. I was being frugal and decided to go this way. Some people add a drop of food coloring but to be honest with you I wouldn't do it. I see how food coloring stains my counters and hands when I use it so why add it to something you are putting on your body. Your call though.

Slowly add the essential oils. I used approximately 20 drops but my olive oil had a stronger smell. So start with 10 drops and see if you like the scent. If you want a stronger smell, add a few more drops of essential oil at a time.

Since I am doing a lavender themed spa basket, I added some dried lavender petals/flowers to the mix.

 

I then transferred the mixture to a tight sealing container.

NOTE: If you would like your mix to be a little coarser for tougher skin or the men in your life, you can add some Epson salt. However, if you want it a little softer for more sensitive skin, you can add a bit more oil. 

To decorate the container, I added a band of brown paper secured with double sided tape.

I made a label with a paper punch I had, added a few sprigs of lavender and tied it all together with some raffia.

It was really that simple! Since I made extra for myself, I have been using this for the past week and my hands and legs have never felt so nice. My mother in law was over when I made my last batch, so I gave her some and she has been using it on her face. Not sure I am willing to try that but she loves it!

Have any of you ever made your own sugar scrub? Have you tried it on your face?

What do you think? Anyone else thinking of making a spa gift package now that you have one place to get easy and frugal methods of making them?

Have a great week!
Stephanie

DIY Lavender Bath Salt - Easy Gifts on a Budget

So I am officially into my Christmas countdown! I realize most of you are getting ready for Thanksgiving, but I have been working on reaching my goal of an 80% homemade Christmas for some time.

I apologize for the minimal posts lately, but I have been trying to get most of my gifts finished before I start posting.

I have decided for all the women I give gifts for, I was going to create a spa themed basket. I plan to make the following for each person:

• Lavender bath salt ($2)
• Lavender sugar scrub ($2.50)
• Spa towel ($7)
• Lavender scented Catalytic Lamp oil (you know like Lampe Berget oil) ($2.50)
• Lavender linen water ($1.50)
• Lavender reed diffuser (Not done yet do I don't have an approximate cost)

I have made almost all of these items and provided the approximate costs to create them. Obviously you can make them for less or more depending on the products you buy. If you reuse jars you have on hand, you will save $1 on all the costs. It adds up!

I plan to purchase a few accessories (i.e. cozy socks, sponges, etc) to add to all the baskets.

I will start by sharing the easiest gift to make, Lavender Bath Salts. This smells amazing! I have always used Epson Salts for my bath but never thought that it was this easy to make them scented. I will never buy full price bath salts again!

Materials:

• 1 1/8 cup Epson Salt
• 24 drops of Lavender Essential Oils (you can use any essential oil scent you like)
• Dried lavender liberated from your mother's garden (Shhh don't tell her)
• Container that seals tight

This is the essential oil that I used and loved!

Method:

Start by adding 1 1/8 cup of Epson salt to a bowl. If you are wondering why my salt looks like more than 1 1/8 cup, it is because I quadrupled the recipe.

Add 24 drops of essential oil to the Epson Salt

Stir, stir, stir. Once the oil was mixed into the Epson Salt, I added a handful of dried lavender flowers. You don't have to do this, I just thought it was a nice touch.

Transfer the scented salt to your container. I thought it was funny that for the first container I actually used a funnel. You can easily just spoon it into the container without having to use a funnel.

 Seal the containers and decorate them as you like.

I used a strip of brown paper, raffia and a few lavender sprigs to dress my containers up.

Using double sided tape, I stuck the brown paper to the container.

Wrapped some raffia around it. It would also look nice with some Christmas ribbon or twine.

 I added a tag identifying what was in the jar and a little extra lavender and I was finished.

I figure this probably cost $2 total to make. I think the most expensive item for this was the container which I got at the Dollar Store for $1. The huge jug of Epson salt was $7 at Costco and the large bottle Lavender oil was $20 but I have used next to nothing from either of them so I think I used probably $0.50 of these materials.

I will share the Lavender Sugar Scrub very soon.

Remember, you can use any scent you like. I have done this with orange (my favorite scent) and also have a great recipe for all those athletes out there. I will share the runner's scrub and soak soon.

Wouldn't this make an amazing gift for everyone attending a wedding? The hall would smell great and you have a reasonably priced but beautiful gift for everyone. You could easily make hundreds of these in an afternoon!

What do you think? Anyone else working towards making almost all their Christmas gifts this year?

Enjoy!
Stephanie

Out Damned Spot! Out I Say! Best way to clean grout

If you are like me, you have Pinned a hundred different cleaning recipes and techniques, but never got around to trying them. So I will for you. I am going to do a series of posts comparing conventional cleaning methods with some of those I found on Pinterest and in the blogging world. If there is one you are curious about, send it to me and I will see if I can do it.  What do you think? Will any of you be interested in seeing if the frugal, DIY method actually works? I am curious.

I have to say at the beginning, I am truly embarrassed to show you some of the pictures that I have taken for this post. I would prefer to hide them in a folder on my computer and not share them, but I think each and every one of you out there who has tile and grout in their house will appreciate this. So I will share my dirty little secret...my kitchen tile grout.

I am by no means a clean-a-holic, but I do try to keep my home generally clean. Would I eat of my floors? Absolutely not. But I never thought they were as dirty as they were until I moved my island. We had a large family gathering (my daughter's first communion- I will share more on that after I do a few of these posts) so I thought I would turn our island sideways to use as a buffet in our kitchen. Well, when I did that I found out what color our grout was suppose to be.

Do you see the clear line where the island sat? How disgusting. I clean my floor often with one of those amazing Bissell steam mops (I do love it) and although I knew that it didn't clean my grout line well, I had no idea it was this bad!


So, off to the internet I went and found a four grout cleaning methods people raved about. Here are the four different techniques I tested:

• Dawn dish soap and peroxide -recipe below ($1 for soap and $2 peroxide- but probably costs pennies for the amount you need)
• Magic eraser ($1 per eraser)
• Baking soda and water/lemon juice (Pennies if you have it on hand)
• Zep grout cleaner (Home Depot $6)

 

 

Dawn Dish soap and Peroxide

Recipe and Method:
1 part Dawn dish soap (I used the pot scrub type)
2 parts peroxide

Mix the two ingredients in a container or spray bottle and apply directly to the grout. Leave for a few minutes and scrub with a brush.

I found the Dawn dish soap and peroxide combination, AKA miracle cleaning solution, did a very good job! It did not take much scrubbing or time to see the results, but I found the clean up after to be a little sudsy. I used a toothbrush to apply to the grout but I think a ketchup squeeze bottle might work a little better. For a general, every day cleaning of your grout, I highly recommend this method!

 Magic Eraser

 Method:
Dampen your magic eraser and run along the grout line.

Although this method works well for a small spot, it chews through your magic eraser really quickly. I would not recommend this method for cleaning an entire room because you would need so many magic erasers. It does leave little particles of the magic eraser along the grout line that are annoying. I recommend this technique for spot cleaning.

Baking Soda and Lemon Juice

Method:
Dampen grout line with lemon juice and sprinkle baking soda. Leave until dry and scrub with damp brush.

 

To be honest with you, I do not recommend this method for two reasons: firstly, it did not work nearly as well as any of the other methods and secondly, it was a horrible mess to clean up. Granted I was a little heavy handed when I sprinkled the baking soda but I was only doing a small area and I was cursing trying to get the grit off the floor. So trust me, don't try this at home.

Zep grout cleaner and whitener

Method:
Apply solution to grout line (it has a little spout to help apply to the line). Leave for 3 minutes and gently brush grout line. Wipe clean. 

I loved this Home Depot product and the results it produced! I don't love that fact it is a chemical and you need to wear gloves when using it BUT if your grout is as bad as mine...this is the product for you!

The dirt literally just flakes off the grout with hardly any scrubbing. It is fast and has dramatic results.

Here is the order I recommend the four products:

1. Zep cleaner (heavy duty clean needed)
2. Dawn dish soap and peroxide (every day clean)
3. Magic Eraser
4. Baking Soda and lemon juice

Once I get all my grout cleaned with the Zep product, I will reseal it and then use the dish soap/peroxide method to clean in the future. I think the Zep is a little too harsh for every day cleaning but it is needed now to get my grout back to its original state.

Here are some before and after photos (as I hang my head in shame at the before photos):

 But look at this after! I have done this entire area with the Zep cleaner. AMAZING!!!!

I hated my kitchen tiles because they were a dirty white color (not white and not cream), but when I cleaned the grout and it was lightened, my tiles now look more of a creamy taupe. I am soooo happy with the results.

So what do you think? Have you had great results with a grout cleaner? Do you have any tricks to clean something in your house? Please share!

Up next in Out Damned Spot! Out I say- removing permanent marker from a white board. All of use with kids have experienced this problem at least once.

Have a great Sunday.
Stephanie

Framing a builder grade mirror that is not between two walls

I promised quite a while ago that I would give directions on how to frame a builder grade mirror that is not tight between 2 walls (like my first post here).

My daughter's bathroom has a mirror on a long wall and we needed to find a way to conceal the mirror when looking at it from the side (since the frame sits on top of the mirror).

In my master ensuite bathroom our mirror is fitted tight between two walls, so we adhered the frame directly onto the mirror.

We used the generally the same materials and mostly the same method to create this frame. For detailed instructions on how we made this mirror frame, please refer to this original post.

I am only going to show you how this frame differs from the original post.

This frame was much more difficult for my husband to create. We could not just create a frame with straight cuts and not have to worry about how the molding was finished on the sides. Since the frame is adhered to the mirror, we had to determine a way to hide the mirror when looking at it from the side and we also had to finish the crown molding and flat trims (making it into a 90 degree corner) so that it was finish nicely.

We used a smaller crown molding for the top because the bathroom light was tighter to the top of the mirror and we did not think we had room for a large, detailed piece of molding.

In order to hide the side of the mirror, we measured the depth of the mirror and purchased a thin piece of molding that was the exact depth of the mirror. We painted it to match the frame, cut 2 pieces to be the exact height of the mirror and secured them onto the wall on both sides of the mirror.

Using the same techinique as we did in the first post, we created the rest of the frame.

Once the frame was secured, we used some filler (like DAP or caulking) to fill in the seams between all the pieces used to create the frame. This gave the frame a nice finished look. It made the frame look like 1 piece and not a bunch of little pieces stuck together.

The hardest part by far was getting the angles for the crown molding and flat trim. If you search online you can get the exact cutting angles needed to achieve a perfect corner. Remember though, the caulking can hide errors :) ...this we know first hand.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!
Stephanie