/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.505404]

Behold, my shitty sink.
Yes, mint walls and orange formica.

I've been repainting the whole apartment a nice white, and my kitchen is the last area. My landlord reimburses me for any materials, within reason. A couple questions though:

[1] I plan on replacing the formica with a less awful color. Any ideas?
[2] That sealant around the sink -- what is it? What is the proper tool to dig that up so I can replace it?
[3] The sink handles turn the wrong way: lefty-tighty. It drives me insane. I'll probably replace the faucet, but until then, how can I fix this?

Thanks.

[Anonymous No.505405]

From the rest of the place. The white is quite nice.

[Anonymous No.505409]

>>505405

[Anonymous No.505410]

>>505409

[Anonymous No.505416]

1) Formica? You mean the countertop?
2) Its silicone caulking. I recommend bathroom clear silicone. It matches whatever its on and doesn't draw attention to itself.
3) Move the hot faucet to the cold hole in the sink and vice versa. Swap the piping, and the handle tops.

[Anonymous No.505420]

>>505416
-yes, the countertop
-thanks!
-that's not the issue -- BOTH handles turn clockwise to open and ccw to close. I want to know if i can flip that

[Anonymous No.505423]

>>505420

If youre gonna redo the entire countertop, redo the sink as well. Corian is nice but expensive. Even if you go with new laminate, get a new sink. It will look 100x better.

Also you can remove the existing silicone with a putty knife and razor blade scraper.

[Anonymous No.505484]

Turn off the water
Remove the knob
Remove the large cap nut on top
pull the valve assembly straight up and out of the faucet.
turn valve assembly 180 degrees and reinsert (it's keyed to fit 2 ways)
Reassemble everything, turn water back on.
Voila!

[Anonymous No.505485]

>>505410
>Dat cable management

I hope you vacuum often breh,

As for your questions:
[1]you shoud replace the top for solid hardwood, ikea has solid beech tops ready to go, just need
to cut to size and fit (it's not that hard)

[2]Silicone sealant is easily removed with a stanley or bird's beak knife, clean the surface
with denatured alcohol and use new, mould resistant sealant; might as well do your
bathroom and shower while you're at it if needed.

[3]You need new taps that are threaded with right hand threads, go buy some

Looks like you need to get to the hardware store bud, best of luck!

[Anonymous No.505489]

>>505485
>>3]You need new taps that are threaded with right hand threads, go buy some

You're fulla shit. Those are Delta faucets, they're reversible.

[Anonymous No.505493]

>>505489
who gives a fuck? the old ones look like shit anyway.

replace that shit

[Anonymous No.505495]

>>505493
im definitely replacing them, i just want to fix it in the meantime

[Anonymous No.505496]

http://m.lowes.com/Kitchen/Kitchen-Countertops/_/N-1z0z38n/pl laminated countertops, easy as hell to install, especially if it's a straight run. Cheap and durable. They'll have caulking in matching colors right next to it.

[Anonymous No.505511]

An MDF countertop with a dark green marble spackle paint (sanded flat of course) would look nice if you repaint the kitchen white. If not, a nice bright hard wood such as maple or pine (stay away from oak, it's too soft) would give a simple but nice look/feel. Also, a backsplash behind the sink going up about 2 feet from the countertop would look fantastic. If the hard wood countertop price is an issue with the landlord, just convince him that it will raise the value of the apartment and he can charge the next guy a lot more for rent :)

[Anonymous No.505513]

>>505484
This is correct. You'll also want to change the knobs and hoses so your cold is still right, and hot left.

[Anonymous No.505514]

>>505511
Also, double sinks are where it`s at.

[Anonymous No.505519]

>>505484
LORD HALLELUJAH, IT WORKED. THANK YOU.
>>505513
wasn't necessary.

my sink is now slightly less awful.

[Anonymous No.505537]

Butcherblock counter tops are nice and reasonably priced. I don't know if it would match your kitchen style though.

[Anonymous No.505552]

>>505496
I wish man, unfortunately my counters are a bit non-standard.

[Anonymous No.505553]

>>505496
>>505552
as you can see, laminate is really my only option.

>>505537
that's stuff for my dream kitchen; this is just my college apartment, i only want it to not hurt my eyes.

aren't those splattered grease stains all over the mint-green wall just lovely?

[Anonymous No.505556]

>>505553
aaand stripped.

>>505511
wood is a no-go, my place is overrun with wood as it is.

[Anonymous No.505560]

>>505556

>>505485
>cable management
the single positive thing about having a sloped ceiling is that it makes cable management quite a non issue. but yeah I get some dust bunnies back there.

[Anonymous No.505562]

2) Looks like plain old caulk, a putty knife or scraper
3) If those valves have washers in them, then you are out of luck, that's just the way they turn. But if they have cartridges in them, then you just need to pick up the outer knob (after unscrewing the screw in the middle of it), turn it a half turn and put it back on and then they'll turn on/off the opposite direction.

[Anonymous No.505564]

How's this for a laminate? Figure it'd mix great with white walls and the wood trim

[Anonymous No.505567]

Kitchen Designer here. If landlord won't spring for new benchtops then the 2 easy choices to renovate an old top is 2 pack epoxy (now available as a specific benchtop kit which includes paint specles to make it look good) or tile. Tile is cheap, easy, hard wearing and low maintenance especially if you seal the grout tp prevent dirt or grease ingress.

[Anonymous No.505605]

Sink is stainless. almost bulletproof.
Replace plumbing fixtures and the sink itself will buff right up with fine steel wool.
Brillo pads are good for this.
For fixtures, I suggest either delta or price pfister. either will cost around $70 and come with a lifetime warranty.

[Anonymous No.505608]

>>505567
you're speaking a little too jargony for me -- what do you mean by using 2 pack epoxy?

like, do you want me to coat the countertop with it?

tiling is beyond my experience/effort-willingness range. As you can see here >>505552 >>505553, laminate sheets are my best option.

Pic is to scale. Thoughts?

[Anonymous No.505618]

>>505608
search Google for "epoxy bar top" or "pour-on epoxy". I wanted to do this myself, so I made a test project. I built a shitty table out of some scrap wood and poured a coat over the top with epoxy. (funny that the epoxy cost more than the table). I used a brush in the drippings to put a fine coat on the rest of it, too.

You get a REALLY think, resilient surface out of it. I never got around to doing my counter top. It was going to be a self-constructed lab bench all around the outside of a room, but I wound up using it as my office/study/music room instead.

[Anonymous No.505625]

>>505618
ohhhhh, cool, i like that.

But this countertop is just shitty particleboard, and believe me, this apartment is OVERWHELMED with woodgrain already. I'd prefer something else.

[Anonymous No.505676]

>>505608
forgot to show this third counter

the sink is behind that wall, beneath the staircase up to the loft

[Anonymous No.505680]

it's possible to separately replace this drain, right?

[Anonymous No.505694]

>>505680
Yes, you can replace those. They screw out of the sink.

[Anonymous No.505700]

>>505680
When you get the replacement drain get one with thumb screws to hold it in place. They're like a dollar more expensive. I had a bitch of a time with a regular one and the special wrench for that shit is crap. It took me minutes to get the thumbscrew one in nice and snug and you don't have to deal with the thing trying to spin. Easiest way to remove the old one is probably busting the retaining nut. Couldn't get mine out, used my biggest drill bit and drilled myself a nice big hole in the nut collar thing that held it in and snapped it off easily with a screwdriver.

[Anonymous No.506417]

>>505556
and after

[Anonymous No.506421]

before

[Anonymous No.506424]

>>506423
finished

[Anonymous No.506423]

>>506421
first coat

[Anonymous No.506425]

>>506424
i should probably put something under the back of the fridge...

[Anonymous No.506453]

>>506424
Looks good! Does all the wood trim drive you crazy? Have you given any thought to painting the cabinets?

>>505676
Also, what's going on with this wall? Is that entirely unfinished (doesn't that make the room really dark)?

Looks like you're making some really nice improvements, if only all landlords were so lucky.

[Anonymous No.506460]

>>506453
This whole "2nd floor" used to be an attic; it was renovated by some drunk guy, resulting in some wonky angles. Yes, the amount of wood trim drives me insane, especially since it's just shitty particleboard. But it's deceptively huge, and I've got the entire place to myself for $500/mo

>>505410
this area is directly behind where this pic is from

[Anonymous No.506471]

>>506460
however wonky it is, it's quite cozy

[Anonymous No.506474]

>>506471

[Anonymous No.506969]

queston: when i pulled up the laminate here >>505556, i didn't inject acetone or anything, it just came right off -- except for a couple spots where it pulled up some thin strips of the shitty particleboard countertop.

can I just smooth those spots over with a basic wood filler, since the new laminate will need a perfectly flat surface?

[Anonymous No.506972]

question: when i pulled up the laminate here >>505556, i didn't inject acetone or anything, it just came right off -- except for a couple spots where it pulled up some thin strips of the shitty particleboard countertop.

can I just smooth those spots over with a basic wood filler, since the new laminate will need a perfectly flat surface?

[Anonymous No.506982]

>>506471
That seems to be a nice bed, anon. Is it genuine real wood, or cardboard ikea crap ?

>>506972
That should work.

[Anonymous No.506985]

>>506982
wood! it's nice.

headed to the store to pick out laminates now.

[Anonymous No.507042]

>>505700
Question: I got this exact drain, per your recommendation. BUT: Do i specifically need to use "plumber's putty" to install it into the sink, or will the clear silicone sealant I'm putting around the edge of the basin be alright? How do the two sealants differ?

[Zombi No.507060]

Silicone will work but the next time this needs to come out it will be a pain peeling it all apart. Plumbers putty give a good easy to work with seal that is easier to clean up as well.