Category: Home & Garden

I bought some resin white highback chairs for the patio a couple of years ago. Being under the sun and rain, the chairs have become very dirty. I tried scrubbing them with sponge and Ajax but the still looked dingy. The other day, I was ready to throw them away. I placed them on my curb and were up for grabs for anyone who may want them. My neighbor noticed them and knocked on my door. She told me that they are still good chairs and all I need is to clean them. I told her how I used some elbow grease and they were still dirty. She suggested using a pressure washer. She loaned me her personal washer for the day. What a difference that pressure washer made. The chairs looked so nice and new again and no elbow grease. I’m getting myself my own pressure washer!

I knew that staining the kitchen cabinets would be a huge undertaking, but since I was tired of staring at my old and faded kitchen cabinets, I decided to stop procrastinating. Luckily, I have some stain and brushes hidden away in the garage. Early in the morning, before my kids woke up, I decided to get all my materials. I got the stain, brush, sanding paper, and an old rag to wipe off any drips or mistakes quickly.

First, I removed the handles from the cabinets. Then, I wiped off the kitchen cabinets, lightly sanded the cabinet doors and frames, and wiped off the cabinets again. I used a brush to stain the cabinets. Using a brush is easier and a cleaner method.

The following day, after the cabinet stain had dried, I attached the handles.

The job was not easy but it sure feels good to see the finished product. I’m not a professional, so there are a few touch ups that I can do in my spare time.

Last month, I was staring at my kitchen cabinets and noticed that they are  starting to look old and faded. The wood behind the cabinet door handles were very worn out. At this dismal economic time and with our finances, getting new cabinets is out of the question. So, I kept staring at our kitchen cabinets and thinking of how I can give them more life.

I decided to take it upon myself and start staining our kitchen cabinets. I know that it will be a lot of work to do this undertaking all on my own. It is a very daunting project and that keeps me staring at our kitchen cabinets.

When we were selling our house, we tried to do most of the labor so that we can save money. My husband is very handy and can do a lot of little things around the house. He can change the lightbulbs, tighten the faucet nozzles, mow the lawn, and many more. Just kidding! He can really do much more than that. However, we have this nagging crack on our ceiling that he tried patching, painting, taping, then patching and painting again. But he just couldn’t fix that crack. 

My friend suggested that we try a professional painter or tradesman to fix our crack in the ceiling. We were stubborn and thought our fix was good enough. I’m not sure if any potential buyer notice the crack but we’ve forgotten about it and we moved on to our next project.

Two years ago, my husband and I decided to put up our home in California in the market so that we can move to the Big Island, Hawaii. My mom and my two sisters did not want us to move away and would rather that we stay close to them here in California. We are tired of the rat race and decided that we would like to start a new adventure in the Big Island.

My favorite show was HGTV’s “Design to Sell”. I watched it with much attention making sure I remember the tips on staging a home to sell. Fixing up a home to sell is not an easy endeavor. Aside from the usual home maintenance, I started looking at the small details that might influence a buyer. The show, “Design to Sell” helped me see the point of view of the buyer.