Archive for the ‘Bathroom Remodeling’ Category

Bar Countertop Ideas for Your Home

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

One of the things that home owners typically think of when they are investing their money in home remodeling projects is how to make their homes more conducive to entertaining. Think about it for a minute: holidays, dinners with friends, family gatherings, birthday parties, all of these things are popular happenings in a home. And of course you want to be prepared to play host or hostess to your family and friends. There are a lot of different things that can really turn your home into the ultimate party plaza, and one of those things is a bar countertop. Ideas for bars and bar countertops are everywhere in design books and can be integrated into your kitchen, family room, or even your basement.

Bar Countertop Ideas

Think about your last party of the last holiday your family celebrated at your house. Did everyone have to intrude on your kitchen space to get drinks and snacks? Did you have to continually shoo your friends from near the oven so you could put in or take out food? Were they constantly getting in the fridge and moving things around to find a beer or a bottle of wine? It’s difficult enough as it is hosting a party or gathering; why not make it easier on yourself by installing a bar countertop? Ideas for bars in the home are prevalent everywhere, and you can easily get help at your local home improvement store.

Think about where you want to put your bar countertop. Ideas for bars can be incorporated into almost any room, but the most popular choices are the kitchen, the family room and the basement. You will want to consider where you do most of your entertaining and what would be convenient for you before committing to any of these bar countertop ideas. If you don’t want your bar in the kitchen, but you have plenty of room in the basement where you have the TV, put it there.

Bar countertop ideas also include choosing what type of countertop and cabinetry you want to use. If you are installing the bar in the kitchen, the best option is to match the bar countertop ideas to your existing kitchen counters and cabinets. If you are building it in the family room, use your existing color scheme in the bar countertop ideas. Basement bars are typically more like pubs, with lighted signs and pub glasses.

Making Concrete Countertop Upgrades

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Many more homeowners are making concrete countertop upgrades to their kitchens for a number of reasons.  Not only is this material highly flexible and adaptable to your needs, but the concrete is also tough enough to withstand even the heaviest of use – without looking dull or scratched. If your kitchen is the center of the action in your home, you might want to look into making concrete countertop upgrades.

Making Concrete Countertop

To be honest, the hardest part of making concrete countertop upgrades is that actual formation of the countertop.  Since you will have to create a mold, pour in the concrete, allow to dry, and then remove from the mold, that part of the process may be something you simply skip and leave to the professionals.  To move to the ‘fun’ steps, call around to see who sells pre-made concrete pieces for countertops or who might be able to pour one that meets your exact specifications.

Once you have the actual countertop piece in hand, you need to remove the existing countertop piece.  Some of these have been screwed into place, so removing the screws is the first step, but for others, they may have been nailed or even glued into position.  Using a crowbar and a heavy duty hammer should help you get the existing countertop off of the island or the countertop foundation.

You will then need help for the last stage of making concrete countertop upgrades – lifting the piece into place.  When you are placing the concrete onto the existing counter, make sure to remove any items from the exposed cabinets to avoid getting anything dirty in the process.  Then, place the concrete in place and move until it is perfectly lined up.  Some like to add an epoxy substance on the countertop foundation to help keep the top piece in place, but with the overall weight of the countertop, this may not be necessary.