DIY Wood Barn Door

official movie room header

DIY Wood Barn Door

Welcome to the step-by-step basement remodel! Beginning with the barn door, I guess? Why not start somewhere random, right in the middle? The barn door was the first thing we wanted to build. For no particular reason. I’m glad we did because it informed some of our other choices, like paint color. For a small space or a movie room like this, it makes a lot of sense to build a barn door for privacy, space efficiency, and to block sound and light. It was actually incredibly easy to build this sliding barn door and took Joe only a few hours, including the torching job below.

 

 

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DIY Mirror Frame

DIY mirror frame header image

DIY Easy Mirror Frame Project

 

This project, as easy as it is, has been in the works for a really long time. Before we even renovated our basement bathroom, I was working on ideas to give our upstairs bathroom a facelift. Here’s one easy project that you can do in a day to upgrade just about any mirror using unlikely supplies.

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DIY Rustic Bathroom Shelves

diy rustic shelves

DIY Rustic Industrial Shelves

I have to confess. This is my favorite part of the entire bathroom. (If you missed any of the bathroom remodel that we did this past winter, you can recap right over here.) I knew I wanted some really chunky wood shelves for the little nook above the toilet, but Joe surprised me with something better than I could have imagined.

cutting bathroom shelves

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Bathroom Remodel: Knockdown and Niches

DIY shower niches inset

Niches get Stitches

First things first. We had in mind that we’d like some shelves in the shower, right? Not any after-the-fact shelves, but real built-ins. There are a few ways to get recessed, inset shelves installed from the get go. Let’s explore the options.

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Shower Pan Part 2: Lining and Final Pour

pouring a shower pan

 

Insane in the Membrane

The shower “membrane”, that is. After your shower pre-slope is fully dried— you waited 48 hours, right?— you can place the shower liner in and do your final pour of shower mix (sand and cement mixture). Then it’s smooth sailing. Honestly, don’t skip the pre-slope! Without it, your water will sit and mold will grow below your shower’s surface. Ewww, nobody’s got time for that.

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Pouring a Shower Pan

pouring a shower slope

Pre-Slope

All we do is work work work work work. Thanks Top 40 radio for that one. We’ve been listening to the same 40 songs all spring break due to limited music options. But, back to the task at hand.

This video is lengthier, so feel free to breeze through it at your own pace. The pre-slope is a one night project, but it’s important to give it plenty of time to dry (48 hours to be safe) before advancing to the rest of the shower pan. We’ll walk you through the steps.

 

 

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Bathroom Remodel | Shower Drain

Shower Drain Bathroom remodel

 

The Drain Game

We knew moving the shower drain would be difficult, but this was one of our biggest challenges. Usually when people move a drain, they only move it a few inches. We needed to move it a few feet. It’s time to crack through some concrete!

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Guest Bathroom: From Popcorn to Knockdown

knocking out popcorn

Popcorn vs Knockdown

Are you like Joe and hate popcorn ceiling with a passion? It never bothered me much, until I realized how many alternatives are out there! Joe has always wanted to try doing a knockdown ceiling treatment, so we decided to pick a sample room and try our hand. Since Steve’s bathroom is basically unoccupied now, we figured it was the perfect small space for a test run!

The Supplies

You’ll need to buy a few things before attempting this yourself.

how to DIY knockdown ceiling supplies

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Door Progress 2

doors, floors and hardware stores

Building Up to the Build Out

Alright, so we’ve built a door, now what? This project is still on the ground, so what do ya say we get this thing up in the air where it belongs? But, we can’t hang this up quite yet. We added some finishing touches as well as attached the hardware to the door. Start here to get all the step-by-step instructions. And here for the finished product.

Steve and Joe had just finished sawing off the extras where we left off:

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Holiday Gifts: Coasters

winter survival kit

The kit

If you’re a Secret Santa who got a little behind this year (like me) have no fear. Sometimes it’s better to do a post-Christmas gift exchange, when the deals are hot and the stress is lifted. That’s what I do with my girlfriends anyway. “Happy New Year! Here’s your present.”

I call these Granny gifts, because they’re a combination of fun little things and handmade crafts. And usually some silly or weird inside jokes. It’s always one of my favorite projects.

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