Marble fiasco?
4 years ago
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- 4 years ago
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Advice wanted from Marmoleum owners
Comments (25)We had Marmoleum in our old house (had it professionally installed). It was sheet, a pale yellow ("Butter" I think) with a red 1" border followed by a dark yellow 3" border. I loved the look- so great in our 1940s kitchen. But it scratched and gouged very easily. In the beginning I was really stressed about it. Was constantly on my hands and knees trying to clean the scratches with a toothbrush (when the dirt was removed from the pale yellow the scratches were much less visible). We had that floor for 12 years before moving and it was pretty scratched up. It was two adults, a dog, and two cats, but the scratches seemed to mostly be near the sink and silverware drawer, from dropping things periodically. I don't mind the gentle scratches it's the deep slices and gouges that look so bad. In our new house we are in need of a new kitchen floor and I love the Marmoleum look so much but am hesitant because of our experience, which does not seem abnormal from what I read here. I was hoping a darker color ("Salsa"?!) might not chow scratches as much, but it sounds like that will not solve the problem. Does anyone know of another product that is tougher but has the gorgeous look of Marmoleum and the natural materials?...See MoreWhat is a 'Normal' Level of Problems?
Comments (15)Sayde, that sounds about right to me. We're DIY-ing a major house renovation, and my list of problems is long. I won't bother to type them all here (I don't think I could even remember everything) but here are the highlights: - Most recent: Our kitchen cabinets, installed in fall 2009, have a major defect: the corners of all end runs (4x on the island) were designed with 2 sides recessed toekick, per the cabinet rep/KD's advice. Those corners are sagging/warping/bowing and the corners are dropping, which is jeopardising the marble countertop... it's now torquing and I'm afraid it will crack. This is especially frustrating because the kitchen isn't even officially finished yet (but was mere weeks away when we discovered this.) Luckily, the cabinet company is going to fix it. -Thermador range hood blower was so ridiculously loud we would never have turned it on. Had to buy additional remote blower and insulated ducting and install in the attic. - Master bathroom wall tile (translucent white glass) installed with too-grey thinset so it looks blue. That completely changed the carefully designed color palette. - Master bathroom marble mosaic shower floor showed wet spots after a couple weeks of use. Had to be torn out and rebuilt. - Master bath floor tile grout BADLY stained before ANY use, by neutral all-natural cleanser when cleaning construction dirt off tiles. (Still not rectified.) - Master bathroom vanity sconces (expensive ones from Restoration Hardware ) are incredibly dim. I have to take my makeup to my daughter's bathroom to apply in better light. - Daughter's bath reno: brand new tub suffered quarter-sized chip when a wrench was dropped on it while installing shower valve trim. - I templated for the marble vanity top before sheetrock was installed, and assumed the wall corner would be square. Not even close. So we had to do MAJOR surgery to both the vanity and the wall to install the vanity, as well as totally change the tile installation to cover the huge gaps. - Kitchen range problems fixed under warranty. - One of the few things we did not DIY was the rough framing of an exterior wall with multiple window/door installations. Almost ALL of the windows/doors were SO badly installed that they leak cold air badly in wintertime. They are racked in weird ways, no where near plumb/square/level. - Dovetail drawers for pantry ordered 1/4" too wide (my fault). We're out of money so cannot re-order. DH will have to build them himself if we want drawers :( That's probably about 1/4 of the total list of problems, disappointments, badly designed or built products, etc. So.... I think your list sounds about right. And that you're rectifying things in a much more conscientious manner than most contractors would. My guess is that on big projects with GCs there are lots of issues like this that the owners never hear about, or never notice. Hang in there.... You'll get through it! And it'll be beautiful in the end. Stacey...See MoreMore Help Needed (PICS)
Comments (68)Well, I was out and about today looking at various lamp and shade options, and I ended up exchanging the burlap shades for a slightly smaller version of the same. It's about an inch and a half narrower than the one I had, and also about an inch shorter. Now the shade fits within the width of the mirror. The lamps are just over 25" tall (not tiny, but not extra large either), and from what I've seen out there, if I go much taller, the shades generally are wider too, which is a visual issue. I wasn't able to find a tall narrow shade for these lamps. I definitely think they look better now with the smaller shades. If I find something better, I'm still open to changing. I tried out the Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on a piece of cardboard, and I think it's going to work, as it matches the mirrors very well. The great thing about chalk paint is that it can be painted over anything. It won't be any problem at all to paint over the blue within the recessed areas and details. I bought some small brushes for that purpose. abundant - So glad you like the mirrors. I really like them, and I have made up my mind that I don't want to paint them a different color, i.e. blue to match the tables, as I had really envisioned them creamy white. I want to keep them above the bedside tables because I wanted them placed behind the lamps and if placed over the dresser, they'd have a whole different look. I've thought about all the options, and the best seems to be painting in some details on the bedside tables to tie them in with the mirrors more visually. I won't have to redo them. The chalk paint will coat right over, so that's a bonus. While marble tops would probably look great too, it's an extra cost, and I could use those funds on a chair, artwork, or other pieces. I priced new rods, glass ball finials, rings, and a connector for the corner windows through Country Curtains. With the shipping, it would total around $300. Again, I could just purchase new rings, keep the rods I have, and raise the curtains higher. I don't think I can justify spending that much, as you said, on a small change. I'll see if I can remove the existing finials in the corner so I can move the curtains closer together there. I really like the idea of a light, sheer linen under the draperies. If you have any sources, please share. That might require that I change the rods to doubles at some point. I purchased some ORB Rustoleum paint today so that I can spray the lamp harps as well as the bedside table pulls. I was thinking of keeping the glass knobs though. What do you think? I was also considering purchasing similar knobs for the dresser. I will find some burlap for use behind the caged doors. I would like a bookcase someplace in the room if it fits. Right now, DH and I have all kinds of books that are presently stored in the bedside tables. The stencil idea is interesting. I can envision it in a very faint , almost translucent shade. The walls are textured, so wallpaper isn't an easy option. I'd welcome sources for console options. For the plants, are you thinking of a floor plant in a large pot by the dresser and a tabletop one by the console? I love plants. I'm just not sure what to put them in or what type to get. I'm open to the blue turndown on the duvet, although the existing fabric is very nice. I may sew some decorative pillows in the blue and place them in front of the standard shams to offset the existing cream color. Jeana - I'm so glad you've taken an interest in my project. Thanks for all of your thoughts and ideas. They have helped immensely. I really like the chair and fabric you linked to, and I could easily paint the wood trim using the Old White chalk paint. I like the print too. I'll need to do some measuring to see where the furniture could be placed. A chair would be so nice someplace in the room. valinsv - Those are the very same chalk paint colors I have. The only difference is that in the furniture pictured, they lightened the blue with some of the white. My son is pretty handy, so he may be able to make/weld me some sort of connector thing for my existing rods. I saw a new bergere chair today, and it was beautiful, not the right color though. I'll have some fun scarfing around. I enjoy the process of making choices, but not being stuck in analysis paralysis. I think I'll see if I can get a sample of the fabric for the Home Decorator chair posted by InteriorStylist. As for raising the lamps higher, I think I would run into problems finding something that is both bright enough and that has a narrow enough shade. The current lamps take 100W bulbs, which is pretty bright. I'm still open on the lamps and shades. The smaller burlap is definitely an improvement. I am so touched by all the responses on this thread, and each and every post has been helpful in considering the options. The folks here can't be beat, that's for sure. I knew I could count on you all! I'll post more pictures, if you can stand them, after I add some details to the nightstands and raise the draperies. Thanks!!!...See MoreBy request: My soapstone fissure/crack (photos)
Comments (25)According to all the major soapstone suppliers I called about this (I did a lot of research!), soapstone is so heavy it either needs no epoxy to hold it at all, or just something as simple as silicone. HOWEVER, my fabricator, who was not knowledgeable about soapstone, used a PERMANENT, rock hard drying epoxy. Francy what you wrote above reminded me of some research I did for a seam in my granite that had cracked. I posted a question on the stoneadvice forum, asking what the best solution would be for the seam. The responses indicated that polyester should be used rather than epoxy in my particular instance. The reasoning: earthquakes. Yes, I live in the Bay Area too. Here's probably way too much information, but it's relevant to the fact that your fabricator used epoxy to attach the soapstone to your cabinets. My fabricator repaired the cracked seam with polyester. Now, IF THERE WAS NO MOVEMENT EXPECTED, I think the proper solution to the problem would be to remove all the polyester, and re-seam with epoxy. But Antonio is correct in stating that if you did so, and the stone experienced movement (due to an earthquake, for instance)--the stone would indeed crack. The seam would hold, but the stone would crack elsewhere, probably within an inch or so of the seam. (We've done numerous lab tests to prove this). So you're faced with a conundrum--take a chance that there will be no movement and the seam will look good, but the stone may crack if there is movement; or use the "fuse theory"--just like a fuse blows in an electric circuit before there is more damage elsewhere, you can look at the polyester as being a fuse--if there is movement, the "fuse" (the seam) will break, but the stone will still be ok. Then you'd just have to re-seam. (posted by Mike Beckmann from Bonstone Materials Corp.) I hope this post doesn't add more stress to your life - if so I apologize. Best case scenario is that other people can learn from our experiences. Here is a link that might be useful: Stone Advice forum...See More- 4 years ago
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