Leveling and repairing concrete can seem intimidating, but I promise it’s a totally doable DIY! Especially with self leveling concrete products!!

Phase 2 of our renovation has begun! It feels like a dream, I can’t believe it’s actually happening!! If you are new and need a refresher here are the deets in 5 bullet points.

• 4 years ago we bought a 100 yr old Mercantile store to turn into our dream house.
• Phase 1 of the project was most of the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen. We completed that and moved in in 2018
• Phase 2 is the best part of the building, it has original adobe brick walls, and a rough sawn cedar roof.
• Phase 2 is our living room, master bedroom, and plant loft.
• It’s FINALLY HAPPENING!!
  

In this post I’m going to share how we repaired and leveled our concrete slab, tips to live by, and a whole lot of encouragement. Leveling concrete is one of the easiest projects that you can tackle. If you can lift a heavy bucket, pull the trigger of a drill, and spill things, YOU CAN DO THIS PROJECT!!

And if you are resourceful like us, you can even have Home Depot deliver all of the heavy bags! Did you know that you can have Home Depot deliver? Not ship, but someone from your actual store? We opted to pay the $79 delivery fee to save ourselves 4 trips back and forth hauling all of the heavy concrete bags. It was SO worth it!! I ordered directly on the Home Depot app and had it delivered 2 days later!!

First things first, do you have the Home Depot app on your phone!? It is such a game changer especially if you need to locate product or build a shopping list (like you will for this project!!) All you have to do is type in what you’re looking for and it will give you an exact location in the store! It’s a dream for those random supplies that could logically be in 3 different locations.

Prep Work

Let me start by assuring you that chances are your concrete is in significantly better condition that ours.

Prepping concrete for repair has just 3 parts

Remove any bond breakers.

Quick tip! You can tell if something is a bond breaker by spraying it with water! If it absorbs into the substrate then you are good! If it sits on the surface it has to go!

These are things like paint and adhesives. A bond breaker does exactly what it sounds like, it makes it so that the repair/leveling can’t bond with the old concrete. If you don’t have any bond breakers, skip to part 2! We were not so lucky. The Merc had 100 years worth of paint, carpet glue, and linoleum adhesive. We ended up grinding the entire floor down to bare concrete. 

Remove any loose/lifted spots. 

What happens if you don’t remove bond breakers? When repair jobs are done and not properly prepped, the new concrete can’t properly bond and it creates a whole world of trouble. We had large sections of patch jobs that had become detached that needed to be cleared out. You can tell where the concrete had failed by walking on it with heels, bouncing a golf ball, or snaking a chain over it and listening for a change in pitch. Pull out that bad stuff! It’s ultra satisfying and comes out very easily.

Sweep + Vacuum + Sweep + Vacuum.

This one is pretty self explanatory right? Get all of the dust and debris out of your life!

Once your prep work is done, it’s time to move on to the actual repairs!

Repairing Concrete

Have you ever repaired concrete? I think a lot of us would answer that with a nope. Most of our DIY prowess is in the paint/build space right? Concrete work isn’t something that comes up a ton and can be super intimidating. If you hear nothing else in this post, hear this. You can absolutely master concrete repair, there is almost no learning curve, especially if you follow these basic steps. 

The product we’re using is Rapid Set Cement All. It’s the best all around mortar and will work for almost any project. It can be feathered to a smooth transition, and to 4″ thick. It’s perfect for patch jobs, crack repair, concrete projects (like countertops or planters!) and is only $20/bag!

Step 1: Wet the substrate.

It’s of critical importance to wet the old concrete before you start putting new concrete down for 2 reasons, if you don’t the old concrete will suck the moisture out of the new and it will dry too fast. And second, Rapid Set Cement All is designed to chase the water into the old concrete creating a strong bond. Watch out for puddling, that is too much water.

Step 2: Mix the Cement All

Cement All is easily mixed to peanut butter consistency. Add water to a 5 gallon bucket first (to prevent dry clumps getting stuck in the corners!) and add Cement All. Mix until you get the right consistency, adding more water, or Cement All as needed.

Step 3: Lay it Down

Using a flat trowel, put some of the Cement All into the hole and smooth it starting from the inside and pulling out.

Step 4: Feathering the edges

One of the most incredible things about Cement All is the ability to feather it to almost nothing. Let it set enough sothe whole mass doesn’t move, and using a sponge trowel gently pull it out over the top of the old concrete. This is also a great time to smooth out any imperfections and slightly rough up the surface so it has more grip for what will be going on top of it.

Step 5: Water Curing

As the Cement All starts to lighten and cure, keep an eye on it. You want it to cure over a period of time, not instantly. If you notice it turning white within the first 30-45 minutes, spray it lightly with water. You may have to do this a few times! You can tell that it’s starting to cure when you hold your hand just above the surface and feel warmth coming off of it!

That’s it!! Once the Cement All is cured you are ready to move on!!

How to Use Self Leveling Concrete

I would be lying if I said that we haven’t tried self leveling concrete before. We did, and it wasn’t good. When we were repairing the concrete in Phase 1, there was a huge section that had settled and because we were young and naive (and didn’t know that Cement All would have been perfect for repairing it!), we tried using self leveling concrete to repair it. The problem? It was like Land of the Lost underneath the slab. We went through 5+ bags and if it had been repaired correctly it would’ve been about 1. And then we found out about bond breaker prep the hard way. Like after we had put everything down. 

But guess what? When we used Rapid Set Concrete Leveler, we had exactly ZERO issues. It’s clear that the struggle with round one was in the prepping. Follow the steps in the prepping section of this post to get your floors ready for primer!

Step 1: Prime

Instead of wetting the concrete like we did using Cement All, when we’re using Concrete Leveler, there is a special primer that goes down first. Dump it onto the floor and spread it with a soft bristled brush (deck brushes work super well!)

The primer needs to stay wet for at least 20 minutes, so if it starts to dry before that, just put down another layer. Keep it as even as possible and work out any areas that are puddling.

After your 20 minutes have passed, you can let the primer cure. It needs to dry to a non-tacky finish. If it’s still tacky, it needs more time. Dry primer will be a little darker than the concrete, but not look wet.

Step 2: Set Up

Concrete Leveler has a working window of 30 minutes, meaning after 30 minutes you don’t want to mess with it. So when you’re leveling a large space, set up is key!  We had clean buckets of water ready and waiting, bags opened, and a game plan. I would say from experience that this is a 2 person job. It would be really hard to level a space the size of ours on your own.

Step 3: Mix

Concrete Leveler gets 5 quarts of water/50 lb bag. Measure the water into the bucket first and add the dry material semi-slowly (this prevents splashing) while running the drill. Mix it completely!

Step 4: Pour

Starting at the lowest point in the floor, pour out your mixed Concrete Leveler. Each subsequent bucket gets poured around the outer 1/3 of the wet concrete.

You’re basically laying it in concentric circles that overlap.

Repeat until the whole area is filled!

You don’t have to worry about water curing Concrete Leveler the way you do with Cement All, just let it dry! You can walk on it in 5-ish hours, it reaches a full cure in 24!

Concrete Leveler makes everything flooring related easier. Your flooring will look better (and you won’t have to worry about stress cracking!) It’s going to be a huge game changer in the Merc!

Here’s a quick shopping list if you are doing concrete work!

Rapid Set Cement All

Rapid Set Concrete Leveler

Drill

Leveling Primer

Bucket Scoop

Mixing Paddle

Rubber Float

Trowel

Deck Brush

The post Everything You Need to Know About Leveling and Repairing Concrete Floors appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Oh man I sure hope you guys are following Vintage Revivals on Instagram! If not, you are totally missing out! We started Phase 2 of the Merc reno!! If you are new, or need a refresher (it’s been a few years!) let me bring you up to speed.

The Merc is a 100 yr old mercantile store that is our home! It was such a serendipitous find (you can read about it here!)

When we bought the Merc, we had to split the renovation of the building into 2 parts. Phase 1 is more functional small spaces like bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. It was the original store side of the Merc and looked like this when we bought it.

A patchwork of little additions, and just as many finishes on the walls. Concrete block, lathe and plaster, sheetrock.

You can see all of the posts about Phase 1 here!

Phase 2 is the open living/dining space, and master suite. It was originally built as a garage for Southern Utah produce company and aside from what was the office (now our kitchen) it is a giant open space with original adobe brick walls, and a rough sawn cedar roof.

The plan was to get Phase 1 done, move in and start on Phase 2 right away.

But alas here we are almost 3 years after completing Phase 1 and moving in and finally getting things moving! Which brings me to today’s post. We have a major design element that needs to be decided on and I would love your help!

This is the current exterior elevation that we are going to be talking about!

See the wall with the mural? That is the west side of the Merc. It’s going to have all of the original windows opened up and we have to decide on a dormer style for the loft.

The Original Pitched Dormer Design:

In Phase 2 there is an area above the mater bath/closet that we are turning into a loft. The intent behind it was to use up some of the vast vertical space and add square footage. Originally, we were going to take out part of the roof, and put in a giant pitched dormer with window at the end of it.

At the beginning of this week, we met with the framers and talked through what that would look like. I joke that nothing in the design of the Merc is safe or permanent. It’s always up for discussion. And what a discussion we had!

The issue (but not a deal breaker type issue) was the it was going to take a lot of work to add the dormer. Totally doable work, but a lot of it. As we were throwing ideas around, the contractor suggested changing the design from a pitched dormer to a shed dormer. This would give us more functional space on the interior, and it would be a lot easier to build out.

I was totally down! Dustin the greatest designer/general contractor in the world updated the plans and yesterday we met with our structural engineer again to make sure things were going to work. We talked through a lot of specs and ideas for fortifying the roof with this new design.

And then things took a turn for the modern.

Have you ever seen the show Grand Designs on Netflix? It’s filmed in Britain and follows people as they renovate and build their dream homes. It’s a must watch if you’ve never seen it! So many of the designs use old existing structures and then they add these crazy inspired modern additions. This is page straight out of Grand Designs. Dustin specializes in modern architecture and started sketching as we were talking.

My favorite phrase in design (and in life!) is “What if” which is how we ended up with 2 different design options. I am DYING to know what one you prefer! Let’s talk through both!

New Option #1: Shed Dormer

Here is the uncolored rendering!

Here’s what I don’t like:

Once I put it in photoshop and added the colors I surprisingly liked it a lot less. It looks farmhouse-y and isn’t really adding a lot to the design. It feels safe (which can be a good thing, or a bad thing.) 

Here’s what I like:

It matches the historic vibe of the Merc. It’s seamless and inoffensive. 

It’s got a massive increase in functionality over the pitched dormer. The interior loft space now has a head height of 8′ sloping down to 6.5′ at the window.

New Option #2: Box Dormer

Here’s what I don’t like:

When Dustin sent over the uncolored version I didnt love it. It felt too huge and thick and was the only thing that you saw when you looked at the elevation. 

After a little time in photoshop and adding color though, I super love it! I think the original rendering made it stand out too much, but having it match the black of the roof pulls it back just enough.

Here’s what I like:

The flat elevated ceiling is a game changer for the height of the loft. Originally with the pitched dormer the head height wasnt ideal. If you’ve ever been in a space with deeply pitched ceilings you know what I mean.  With the shed dormer, the head height is improved, but with the box dormer, we have taken a fun addition that wasn’t super functional, and turned it into an actual room with 9′ ceilings! It can be absolutely anything now!

The design totally changes the whole side of this building. It is impactful and makes you have an opinion about it. I love forced opinions about design. It stands out, but in a cool way, not in an obnoxious attention seeking way.

Up to this point, we’ve restored the Merc pretty accurately, even uncovering the original brick and sign. Adding this feels like we’re putting our stamp on it.

Here are both options together, scroll back and forth and take them in!

What do you think?! Tell me everything!!

The post Help Me Pick a Roof Style! appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

This project is sponsored by The Home Depot

This may come as no surprise, but do you know what one of the realities of living in an old Mercantile store is? People still thinking it’s a store! Hahaha!!

Ok, now hear me out, I GET IT. It’s an unusual situation and I have zero hard feelings about it. But over the last 3 years I’ve struggled to find a way to make it clear that our parking lot isnt a public parking lot, and that our property isn’t a photographer’s dream free-for-all. Every one I’ve ever spoken with has stated the obvious “Put up a sign” but I needed to find a way to make it not aggressive, not ugly, and still super clear. So I’ve wrestled with it. Finally I figured out the right solution.

When you are looking at the space, you can see that the grass on the other side of the sidewalk extends pretty far into the parking lot.

The idea of visually closing that gap with a fence felt like it was making the parking lot less expansive and inviting. It also gives me somewhere noticeable to put a sign and lighting! Oh and plants, always plants.

This is where the privacy fence planter bed came to life!

I am BEYOND obsessed with the black steel fence panels that are frequently in stock at Home Depot, you can check to see if your local store has them here! We used them at the Granary to fence off that portion of the property, for the loft in our playhouse, and we’ve even hacked them into modern trellis planters for our climbing plants. Naturally they were the obvious choice for this project. They are modern, classic, simple, and absolutely perfect for any style of house. Not many things are as versatile as these fence panels, they are like a perfect black t-shirt that goes with everything!! If you are on the fence (pun intended) about the right fence for your property, this is my eternal recommendation!

So let’s get into this project!! I have this whole thing saved in a highlight reel on Instagram if you want to check that out! Part 1 and Part 2

Cutting and Removing Pavement

You’ll need:

Chalk line
Concrete Saw
Pick Axe

First thing was to remove the pavement in the planter area. Guys, I dont know why Court is still married to me. It was SO HOT the week we were working on this project (110+) and yet, he goes along with the hair-brained ideas. Man, he’s the best!!

Tool Rental

For this project, we used a handful of unusual tools that arent something most people need to have on hand. If you are lucky enough to live by a Home Depot that has tool rental, you can find anything there, including a concrete saw and Auger (aka the post digger) 

We started out by marking with a chalk line (and later a piece of tape because the chalkline washed away! ) The size was based on the planter beds at the Granary, I wanted the lamp post to have the same spacing as the ones at the Granary. 

After the chalkline was marked, Court scored the perimeter with the concrete saw (this makes it so much easier to make deep cuts because you dont have to worry about chalk/tape washing away!)

Once the perimeter was cut, Court cut a smaller grid into the pavement so we could easily (they were still super heavy!!) remove small sections. Think chocolate bar style. Always use water when you are cutting concrete, it keeps the dust away and makes it so that your saw blade lasts longer!

Installing Edgers

You’ll need:

Edgers (these are the ones we used!)
Concrete Saw

The next step was installing our edgers. We used the same ones we put in at the Granary last summer, they are Pavestone Rumblestone Edgers in Cafe. You can see the whole paver install process here!

When you are installing edgers (or pavers!) an important part of the job is to make sure that the dirt is compacted. Luckily for us the dirt was almost as hard as the concrete! We decided to place the edgers before digging it out and replacing it with soil.

Installing the Fence

You’ll need:

Fence Panel
Brackets
Post
Post Digger/ Auger
Level
Fast Setting Concrete

A project like this is perfect for Home Depot’s buy online pick up in store program (they even have curbside delivery at select stores!!) Mostly because there was no guesswork (you guys know sometimes we head to Home Depot with a general idea and work out the details there) Our supply list for this project was cut and dry, so I ordered everything we needed on the Home Depot app and they brought it to our truck!!

Installing the fence panels came with a few design dilemmas. The sidewalk slopes down, away from the Merc. That means that I had to decide if I wanted the fence panels level across the top, or if I wanted them to be even spaced from the bottom of the sidewalk and match the slope. I have really strong feelings that things should always be level at the top and that the bottom doesnt matter near as much. If you look at the picture below, you can see how the gap grows from about 3″ at the building to just over 10″ at the end of the fence. 

We started by measuring where the brackets needed to be installed on the side of the building. The brackets are sold in packs of 4, one for each corner of the fence. We measured and used the post digger to dig a hole where the fence post needed to be installed, but because the ground slope, we needed to temporarily install the fence panel so that we could level it and set the post to the correct depth.

We used extra pavers to support and level the panel (otherwise I would’ve been holding it the whole time! No thank you!!) The magnetic level we used was a game changer!

Before setting your post make sure that it is both straight and plumb! Once the post was in the right spot, we set it with Fast Setting concrete (it’s the one in the red bag!)

The next panel was installed the same way, with the brackets being hung on the new post and extra pavers leveling the panel before the second post was installed.

Installing the Lamp Post

You’ll need:

3″ Lamp Post
Globe Light + Base
PhotoCell (optional)
Electrical Wire
Wire Stripper
Auger/Post Digger
Fast Setting Concrete

Next mini project was to install our lamp post. I LOVE them so so much. There is something about having the same lighting on both sides of the Merc that just make my heart feel like we’re actually making progress! With a marathon renovation, sometimes it’s the little things that make you feel like you’re inching toward a completed goal

Because we dont have any electricity on the exterior of the building, we decided to piggyback an interior outlet and install a new exterior one. Is it ideal? Nope. Are we going to dig up our parking lot for one wire? Also no.

The actual installation of the lamp post was pretty straightforward. We used the post digger to dig a hole for the post. Once the height was set we used a 1/2″ drill bit to drill a hole about 6″ lower than the top of the soil.

Then we pulled the whole thing out to easily feed the wire through.

It runs the length of the post and out the top where it is wired to the lamp base.

Once everything was wired and ready to go, we cemented the lamp post in place. RapidSet concrete is SO EASY TO USE. All you do is pour the dry mix into the hole and add the recommended water on top of it. No mixing, no stirring, just pouring and waiting!

Planting the Garden Bed

When the panels were installed it was time to dig out all of that compacted dirt. We saturated the entire space and dug out a 18″ deep section where the plants would be going.

We filled it with top soil and added some Vigoro planter soil mix to enrich the new soil more. Then we covered it with weed barrier to keep the weeds out and the moisture in the soil as much as we can! It’s hot out there after all!

And now look at it!

And just for the most amount of fun, here is a true before and after! This is what the Merc looked like when we started our renovation 3 years ago!

Pretty freaking incredible.

I’ve put together an easy shopping list of all the goodies we used for this project! Did you know that you can buy any of these on the Home Depot app and they’ll bring them to your car?! Check with your local store to see if Curbside Delivery is available! 

The post Privacy Fence Planter Bed Build appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

3 years ago I walked into the Merc and it was finally (and officially!) ours. My heavens did we have our work cut out for us. I thought that it would be a year max before we had Phase 1 completely finished (insert maniacal laughter here).

We renovated for a year before we moved in and then, once we were here I was exhausted and the powerful, statement making spaces that I dreamed of were a little hazy. For 2 years most of the spaces we simply lived in, no design, no statements, just a blank slate waiting for creativity to get going again.

I feel like I keep saying this because I want you to know that if you are in that in between place, YOU ARE JUST FINE!! Be patient with yourself and the inspiration will come!

Finally I have a reveal to share, and I am over the moon in love with how our laundry/mud room worked out!

The Renovation

This is the floor plan for the Merc, the highlighted area is the laundry space!

For fun, let’s remember what this space looked like when we bought it.

Be prepared, it’s unrecognizable!! The door in the bathroom was converted to the main laundry window.

And you can see the light shining through the door in the back right corner. Crazy right!? This area was actually split in 1/2 and the left half was turned into Ivie’s bathroom, while the right half created the laundry/mudroom!

This 

Demo and Framing

This was the first space that we demoed. There were 2 bathrooms that we removed and after 9 months of dreaming about ripping out the walls it was THE BEST FEELING!

The framer came and closed off the doorway, and built the new walls (can you see it coming together!?)

Oh and just for fun, this is what the outside looked like until the Andersen window was installed and the stucco was repaired! Learn all about our windows here!

The far right wall was one of the Merc Perks that we had to maneuver around. This whole area was an addition (maybe #4 or #5?) and was built out of concrete block. We had to work with the existing doorways and came up with a sort of zig zag hallway. While we were working on the plans I was super nervous about it feeling like a maze, but it’s great and not weird at all!

We were able to raise the doorway a little (you can see the steel beam at the top of it, the wood header was also moved up!) The light on the left side of the picture is coming through the window.

Can you see the space on the floor where they had to remove the concrete and run new pipes?

Drywall was magical!

Now It’s Time for Design

The cabinets were custom built by my friend Shawn at Aspen Mill. I wanted to do something special that had a nod to the age of the building and came up with the idea of a faux map cabinet/laundry sorter. It is one of my favorite parts of the Merc! You can see what the sorter looked like before the face was installed, there are 3 separate compartments and it pulls out like a giant drawer.

Lighting Tip:

I was SO excited for the lights. If you have it in the budget, a great way to make a statement with lighting is to install pendant lights where you would naturally put can lights. This space is long and narrow and recessed lighting was the obvious choice but instead I went with these modern pendant lights from Triple Seven Home.

And this is kind of where it stayed for the better part of 2 years! (Pssst. dont be mad but I photoshopped out the exposed water shut off valve in the picture below.) 

A blank slate that was fine and live-able, but not special. Ya know? Like, it’s good, but it’s not iconic.

Also, it had become COMPLETELY overrun with plants and I needed a better system for keeping the back of the house plants happy! I dont have a great shot of them, but picture this times 42.

Rainbow Tile

Fast forward to 2020. I came across the most incredible tile. I was looking for a great pattern (which Lili has a ton of!) But found these rainbow baguette tiles in the most perfect colors I couldnt even handle it. 

Instantly my creativity was sparked and using this tile in the laundry room was all I thought about!

Can I Actually Do This!?

I’m not going to lie, it’s a big statement and I got the pit sweats on a few occasions and almost talked myself out of it. But I had a long come to Jesus about it and remembered why I wanted the Merc in the first place, to be different! And white tile, white cabinets, black windows, and plants were not going to get me the “I cant believe I get to live here” feeling that makes the Merc so special. So rainbow tile it was!

You guys came in clutch helping me sort through all of the options and I settled on a campy earthy modern rainbow pattern that is EXACTLY the vibe I wanted.

As it so happens to go with projects, there were some slight bumps in the road. You’d think after 10 years I’d have it figured out, but nope, failure FOREVER!!!

Because of the unpredictable mix of tile colors in the boxes I not only had no idea what to expect, but there were some colors that I only had a handful of. This lead me to come up with a plan to add a 4th row of tile to half of the wall and an upper cabinet on the other half. 

Aannndddd Failure.

Granted I was still going to put a shelf along the top of the tile and inside the cabinet box, but I knew right away that this was NOT the right direction.

That’s one good thing about failing so often is that I know in my gut if it’s a good idea and bad execution or if it’s just a bad idea. This was the later. 

So off the cabinet came, and off the 4th row of tile came, and back to the drawing board. 

I needed something grittier. The oak cabinet was too middle of the road, in terms of color and design. The shelf needed to be dark, but not polished painted black like the door and window. It also needed to be lightweight visually. The tile is screaming for attention and the shelf needs to not compete at all. 

I called my friend Lee from Artisan Metal Design to see if he could weld a simple suspended shelf for me. Basically this table, flipped upside down and attached to the ceiling. He of course delivered and it looks incredible! Want to see?!

The arched magnetic wood memo board is such a perfect way to balance the design of the space and of course, bring in more plants!

How is that for a before and after!?

Thanks for following along with our renovation friend, it means the world to us!!

If you are new to the Merc series, you can relive it from the beginning here!

The post Rainbow Tile Laundry Room Renovation Reveal appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

YOU GUYS. This post has been literal years in the making!! I am dishing everything you could want to know about our DIY Raw Hardwood floors!!

When we decided to use straight from the lumber yard basic 3/4″ maple as flooring in the Merc it did a few things. 1. It gave us unlimited options for patterns (yay!!) 2. It unleashed a million opinions from concerned readers. 

I don’t think that it was so much the type of wood/technique we were using as it was the fact that we were leaving them COMPLETELY RAW.

If you’re new, you might have gasped. It’s cool, we’re used to it.

See I kind of have this weird thing that makes me ask why. Like, why are things are the way they are? For example, why do we pay $$$$ for perfectly distressed wood floors that look like they’ve been around for a hundred years and then make them indestructible?

In my mind, the magic of patina is the life that it bears witness of.

I get that this is a super unpopular opinion but it’s the exact reason that we decided to do completely raw floors in our house. I wanted to see what would happen if we just left them open to the elements of living. And that is exactly what we did.

So let’s get into it!

For those that are new, here is a 15 second recap of our renovation situation. Time me!

3 years ago we bought a 100 yr old Mercantile store (the Merc as the locals call it) It was in complete disrepair and needed SO MUCH LOVE.

Like SO MUCH.

We spent almost a year renovating 1/2 of the 4200 sq/ft aka Phase 1 and moved in. That was almost 2 years ago (where has the time gone!?) I wanted to keep it as true to the time period as I could handle, so we did lots of traditional finishes and accents, with my signature out of the box style mixed in. We are starting the second half of the renovation in the next few months, and feeling VERY excited about it. You can get completely caught up from the beginning here.

Phew. Did I make it?

So back to the floors. It just felt really gross(?) to put in laminate or engineered flooring. There is something so special about an old building like the Merc, like the energy and life from all of those years are part of it. From the old brick to the un-level floors, to the original windows, everything showed signs of life in the most authentic way. I wanted to embrace it, ya know?

And because this is literally our job, I thought meh, if it’s a horrible idea it wont be that big of a deal to change them out.

Using The Right Kind of Wood

We ordered 3/4 solid maple boards from the lumber yard, had our awesome friend with a woodshop full of tools straighten them, cut them to a 6″ width and plane them nice and smooth. It was one of the best choices in the whole world to not take that on ourselves. 

The reason I chose to use maple is because we did a project similar to this 6 years ago with our vintage trailer The Nugget. The $80 floor DIY was one of my favorite projects of the whole renovation and it taught us a lot. Most importantly, not to use a soft wood like pine for a project like this. (For something that doesnt get as much use like a trailer pine is fine, but it has a tendency to splinter and dent easily, which can cause more splintering.) For a floor in your house that gets walked on every day, having hard wood is a big deal!

Maple is one of the hardest woods available. I love it’s soft warm color and light grain, if you’ve been kickin around Vintage Revivals for any length of time, you know this is truuuuue!

We used it on 4 floors in the Merc (3 bedrooms, and my office) each space has a different pattern and is like a special snowflake.

How are they doing?

I absolutely 100% no hesitation would do it again. I LOVE them.

They are exactly what I pictured when I dreamed this project up. We havent really taken any special liberties when it comes to the way we treat them. The spots that have really high traffic have a little bit of a sheen to them and there was an incident with black paint water that was spilled that needed to be sanded, but man I just cant get enough of them!

Do they look perfect?

Nope. There are spots where the grain in the wood changes direction and it tends to look grayer/dirtier there (maybe if we sanded them in those spots it would be different?) But I’m not mad in the least. It always makes me feel better to know that if we need to we can just sand the whole thing smooth and put a sealer on it, but for now I am feeling great about it.

Are Raw Wood Floors Right for Everyone?

That’s a no from me dawg. I LOVE ours, but I also dont stress about a lot of stuff. If you do, these arent the floors for you. They dont scratch or dent (even in places like my office where the chair is always in the same spot) but stuff can/will stain them.

Would We Ever Clear Coat/Seal Them?

Right now, I would say no. But if you want to do this DIY and seal them, I would recommend a product like Rubio Monocoat. It’s liquid so it will fill all of the gaps, as well as add protection to the surface.

How Do I Clean Raw Wood Floors?

I spot treat a lot, like if something is spilled, or a coloring project gets out of hand. I love using Magic Erasers, and a damp microfiber cloth. For spots that need some more TLC (like the spilled paint or something that doesnt come up with a spot treatment) we’ve been known to pull out the sander. 

Do They Splinter?

Maple is such a hard wood that we have had ZERO like literally zero splintering. Not one sliver. If you use a softer wood I bet that can happen easier, you might be pulling out the sander more frequently.

Have any other questions? Leave them below and I’ll update this post!

The post DIY Raw Hardwood Floors appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

When we decided to install the Pavestone Plank pavers at the Granary, I dove deep into picking the perfect pattern. 

One of the reasons that I chose to use the Plank pavers is because I am obsessed with the dimensions. Traditional pavers have a 1:2 dimension ratio, meaning they are twice as long as they are wide. But the plank pavers have a 1:3 ratio, which makes them elongated and a IMHO little more special.

There are 5 iconic ways to install rectangular pavers (or tile, or boards, or whatever rectangular material makes your heart sing) and we’re going to talk through all 5! I mean, you are basically living with this patio for the next 10-60 years, and you dont want to screw it up. (No pressure!)

1/3 Offset Paver Pattern

The 1/3 Offset pattern is made by offsetting each tile’s edge 1/3 of the way across the previous row. Basically if you divide a tile in 3rds, that is where the rows of edges should repeatedly hit. 

Straight Stacked Paver Pattern

A Straight Stacked or Straight Lay pattern is made by squarely lining the pavers up row by row. This will give your paver patio a modern vibe.

Herringbone Paver Pattern

Herringbone pavers are usually set at a 45 degree angle and individual pavers alternate the direction they are rotated. Herringbone pavers will give your space a timeless and fun vibe! You can read all about our herringbone paver patio here!

Basket Weave Paver Pattern

A Basket Weave pattern is made when pavers are laid net to each other to form a square. The following pavers are also laid in a square but in the opposite direction. The basket weave pattern pictured above is made out of 3 pavers, because of their 1:3 ratio. You can also make this pattern with 2 or more pavers, just keep in mind that they’ll have to have an even ratio to make a square! This style will give you a cool mid-century vibe, especially if you are using more than 2 pavers per square!

Running Bond Paver Pattern

You see this pattern all over Pinterest, think subway tile! When something is laid in a running bond it means that the center of each tile is lined up with the edge of the tile above and below it. It’s a little less busy that the 1/3 Step and will give you a traditional courtyard feel. This was my second favorite for the Granary!

I’m dying to know, which one do you love the most!? If you use any of these patterns at your house make sure to share pictures, I can’t wait to see it!

The post 5 Iconic Paver Patterns You Can DIY appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Before we dive too deep into the how to, let’s have a quick recap shall we?! We’ve got so much going on around here that its easy to feel confused about where, and how, and why. (Feel free to skip ahead if you’re well versed in the Merc saga!)

When we bought the Merc it had some extremely funky property issues. Things like an incredibly intrusive easement, to the simple reality that the building itself was the property line (yayyyyyy). It almost made it so that we didnt buy it, but me being the eternal optimist knew in my heart of hearts that it was going to all work out. So 18 months ago we made an offer to our neighbor and bought a portion of his property, which included the historic Santa Clara Tithing Granary. Learn all about that here!

The Granary is a small building that we’re going to be turning into a studio airbnb. We’ve still got so much to do to it (electricity! plumbing!) but our game plan is to great this great space where people can come and stay. Earlier this year we turned the back patio into an outdoor seating/dining area and this paver project tackled the front. So we feel like progress is happening!

This is where we started:

Check out the loads of uneven and mismatched pavers, lots of overgrown bushes (which I still loved, we saved almost all of them!) and a big space that wasnt super functional. Our plan was to replace the paver area and reconfigure the garden bed a little, but for the most part, to leave the sidewalk and giant raised planter the way they were.

Hahaha, that was such a cute joke. (Also for reference, the wall with the mural is the west wall of the Merc that we’ll be tacking in Phase 2)

After we took out the pavers and bushes along the Merc (they needed to come out for Phase 2 anyways, so we decided to do it all at once.)it was immediately apparent that we had a bigger issue on our hands.

A much much bigger issue. Dammmmmit.

The slope in the ground was graded so that water ran into both the Merc and the Granary.

Every time it rained, every time the plants were watered, every time anything with any sort of moisture was triggered, away it went, into the foundations, OUR foundations! If you remember from Phase 1, water is Court’s mortal enemy. Water is the absolute worst for buildings and especially historic irreplaceable buildings. There was no way that we could ignore the reality that this was going to only get worse if we didnt address it.

Luckily we’ve got a great friend that is an excavation ninja. (If you’re local to southern Utah, call Kelsey Enterprises and ask for Tanner!) He came over at the drop of a hat and assessed the issue (worse than we thought!) and got to work helping us remedy it. Which meant, all of that sidewalk that we were going to keep needed to go, and our weekend project turned into a much larger undertaking.

(There was a lot of cement removal.)

And a lot of dirt moved around.

It took a few days, but after Tanner the hero was done, everything was graded properly with drains installed.  And we could sleep easy knowing there wasn’t going to be a giant sink hole under the Merc that would swallow us all whole.

It also meant we were FINALLY ready to install our pavers, which is the real reason you all are here, so let’s get into it!!

The pavers that we chose are Pavestone Rumblestone Plank in Cafe. Pavestone has got so many great options, it was hard to choose!! I wanted something that was traditional, but still looked special. And I LOVED that we could order them from homedepot.com with their free shipping and magic orange love that they infuse into everything.

The pictures that I’ll share are very true to color, but if you are in southern Utah, feel free to come peek over our fence and see them in real life. Pavers are a big investment and if I can help you guys in any way, I’m happy to!

A few of my favorite features:

1. Typical rectangular pavers have dimensions that are twice as long as they are wide. The Plank pavers are 3 times longer than they are wide, so they give off a totally different vibe. 
2. Plank pavers are twice as thick as standard pavers, which means you can use them in really intense applications, like driveways! (which we will be doing eventually)
3. They have the perfect tumbled stone look. They arent overly distressed, they just look aged.
4. The Cafe color is money. It’s a great neutral rock, it isnt too red (which is the default in southern Utah) and it isnt a cool grey. It’s a dream neutral and if I’m ever elected President, it will be the official paver color of the United States. Ironically though, it reminds me of the stone we saw all over France. So maybe I should run for President of the world?!
5. The pavers are the same finish the entire way around. There isnt a “face” all sides are equally important and ready to be the star. This was a huge bonus when it came to off cuts and waste (I’ll get into it more later in the post!)

There are a few different ways to lay pavers that are this shape (basket weave, running bond, herringbone)

TIP: Check out this post to see 5 of the options I tried out!

I knew immediately that herringbone was the direction that I wanted to go. It is more work, and can cause more waste, but come on, how could I not! Speaking of waste, I’ve only ever done herringbone in tile that has one face and there was a lot of waste from off cuts. So imagine my surprise that when I learned that most of our paver off cuts could be flipped upside down and used again! HECK YES!! Way less waste than I planned for!

Paver Base Panels

Something that we did to buck traditional paver laying was to use Paver Base Panels. Typically when you are laying pavers, you dig out 5-7″ of dirt and back fill it with compacted road base. This prevents the pavers from shifting and becoming uneven. 

As you can imagine it’s an incredibly physical process, and we had one huge hurdle- the 100 yr old sycamore tree in the corner of our yard. We couldnt dig down 7″ because of the roots. So I did what any responsdible adult in 2019 would do, I started googling.

I found a product on homedepot.com called Paver Base Panels that had killer reviews and was wildly innovative.  Get this, instead of digging a 5-7″ hole the size of our yard and filling it with LITERAL tons of road base (special sand that compacts hard) you replace it with these lightweight dense foam panels. Seems like we’re being Punk’d right!? Unfortunately the joke is on everyone who is still doing it the traditional way. These things are incredible!!

Installing our pavers was mentally easy, and physically exhausting. We figured out a great system though, Court carried the stacks of pavers over to me, and I laid them all in place.

There were a few nights that our awesome neighbors came to help and it went so much faster. They also brought their tractor so Court reverted back to being a 7 year old.

Be crazy diligent about keeping your lines straight. One paver that is askew will shift the entire pattern, and the pavers are so heavy that it can be really hard to correct.

One thing that I loved about installing them over the paver base panels was that they are reposition-able (not so much if you use the traditional method!) I got into a really good rhythm of forcefully sliding them into place. It tightened everything around them and prevented gapping. Using a rubber mallet also works if want to try that!

To finish off the patio, we used Pavestone Rumblestone Edgers and OH MY GOSH WHAT A DIFFERENCE THEY MADE! If I’m being totally honest, by the time we got around to installing the edgers I was seriously over the heavy physical labor. You know that moment in a project when you’re ready to take every short cut imaginable just to be finished? Yep. That’s where I was. I debated on even installing them because I’m a flawed human being and I wanted to take a nap.

But guys. The edgers are a MUST HAVE. I mean, just look at them!

Ok are you guys ready to see how the pavers look!? I know that this is sort of the equivalent of sharing an open room with no furniture in it, but I just really want you to get the full paver experience, ya know!?

Now that is a fun before and after!

HUGE thank you to Home Depot and Pavestone for partnering with us on this project!

The post Herringbone Paver Patio at The Granary! appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Hey hey!! Oh my gosh, can we have a heart to heart? Ok good.

You know when you start a project only to find out that it needs WAY more attention/work/money/time/marriage favors than you originally thought!? That is what we’re going through right now!!

We’ve partnered with our favorite store in all the land The Home Depot and Pavestone on an outdoor paver project. I mean, we have SO MANY AREAS that need so much work, it was the perfect overhaul.

This is what the space looked like just a few weeks ago before everything turned green. The old pavers were a hodge podge. Uneven and mismatched. (The Merc is the building with the mural on it)

The plan was to install new pavers in the front of the Granary. (The Granary is the property next to the Merc that we bought a year ago that we are turning into an Airbnb.)

We just finished the back patio renovation a few weeks ago and were excited and anxious to dive into the front space and turn it into a secret garden.

Get all the details and backstory on the Granary here!

The plan was to replace the old pavers with new ones and call it a day. Well, if that was the case this post wouldnt be in existence right?! We moved out all of the old uneven pavers and as we were really looking at everything we were hit with the cold hard truth that all of the grading was done wrong.

Both the Merc and the Granary have water coming into them because instead of being graded away from the buildings, the dirt was graded toward them. Which means that the ground slants to the buildings and water runs that direction.

This is one of those things that just cannot be ignored. Water is the mortal enemy of every building ever, especially old ones and we needed to address it. 

We had our friend (and drainage expert) Tanner and come over and look at the space. It was just as we’d thought. Serious issues. Everything needed to be fixed. Which meant that the concrete needed to come out, the plants needed to come out, and the whole space needed to be re-graded.

So that is where we are, what I thought was a weekend project has turned into a whole excavation situation. 

This would qualify as a #mercperk right?!

Make sure that you are following my Instastories so that you dont miss the play by play!

Granary

Buh-Bye Easement!! Meet Phase 3 of The Merc Reno, The Granary!!

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The Purchase of the Granary, How It All Shook Out & What We'd Like To Do With It

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Patio Overhaul Reveal!!

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The post When Things Get Significantly Worse Before They Get Better appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Man it’s been a whirlwind week! Nay, it’s been a whirlwind year. If you’ve been around for a while and followed the Merc renovation closely, you might remember that this time last year we bought the property next door. The Granary. You can read all about why and how and who and what right here! The long and short of it is that the portion of the property that we bought was seating areas for a cafe. Lots of little patios and spaces with gorgeous plants all around them.

Our plan for the Granary itself is to turn it into an Airbnb (hopefully sooner than later!) so for a year I’ve been dying to get my hands dirty and change up the space to something with less lattice and more style.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when my favorite furniture company in all the land Article reached out about shooting some of their new outdoor furniture at the Merc. I was all for it, but as I looked around at the sad brown lattice filled yard it was just not.going.to.work. Perfect excuse to get the patio all overhauled in time for spring and give us a place to enjoy the warmer weather! If you’ve been following along on our Instagram Stories you know how exciting this all has been- if you missed them, you can get caught up in our highlight reel! So much work and so many decisions but I feel great about how it all shook out!

Just as a refresher, this is where we started-the likes of which can be summed up in 4 words.

Brown. Lattice. Corrugated Tin. Blech.

About 10 months ago I went on a lattice rampage and ripped out most of what was blocking the light, and that is the way it stayed until this week.

We started by ripping EVERYTHING out and making the space infinitely more functional by temporarily covering the stairway (we’re not planning on using the space and FOR SURE will use the floor space it created more than the cellar.)

The DIY faux concrete planters help define the space and the wire trellis and Jasmine will look incredible once they have a chance to grow in a little! (Tutorials for the planter and trellis are coming!!) but let’s get on with why you all are really here, the patio reveal!!

Isn’t this the most dreamy space in the whole world?! I can’t even believe that I live here! To make your future summer patio an even more relaxing place to be, Article went ahead and curated 3 distinct styles for their 2019 line. Everything goes together seamlessly – and you can’t go wrong with mixing and matching within one of these styles. Amongst the three, I’m the lucky one that scored Boho Patio (is there a more perfect fit!?). See the other styles Garden Scandi, and Industrial Pop and tell me which one is your fave!! And if you’re still not quite sure which style is best for you, Article even created a quiz to help you narrow down your style. Because they’re amazing like that.

Before we get this patio party started I feel like I need to bear my testimony about Article furniture and the incredible quality that it has. It can be really stressful dropping loads of cash on anything, especially large purchases like furniture. Every single piece of Article furniture that I have had my hands on has exceeded my expectations. The quality is bordering on perfection. One thing that I’ve noticed is that they clearly understand that their pieces will be shipped and assembled and they are SO THOUGHTFUL with how easily things go together. They include extra hardware, and make assembly cake. And their customer service is so good. My Mother In Law bought a sofa from them a few months ago and a section of the back leather was discolored. They overnighted her some leather conditioner to see if it would clear up the discoloration (it did) but were also ready to have a new couch shipped and the old one picked up if it didn’t.

Guys. If you are on the fence about an Article purchase, take the leap! It’s a happy place with gorgeous furniture over here!!

Ok let’s talk about the patio! Let’s have a heart to heart about patio furniture. Even the coolest people in the world resort to living room group mentality when it comes to outdoor furnishings. Guys, just because you can buy complete sets of exactly the same furniture, does not mean that you should! You want everything to go, but you don’t want it to be so perfectly matched that there is no room for self expression! Try mixing up the finishes and wood tones. Use an unexpected rug or pillow color. Do something to make it your own!

The part of our patio that I am the most excited about is the huuuuuge 10 person Tavola dining table. Because we haven’t finished the Merc yet, we literally have no table! Everything happens at our kitchen counter – which is fine when it’s just us, but any sort of family party or social situation is out the door when there is no where to sit.

The legs of the table are heavy duty aluminum, and the top is teak. It is so solid and heavy. Looking at the pictures you can gather as much, but holy cow was I unprepared for just how solid it was. Article always surprises me with their quality.

I paired it with the Svelti chairs (yes, the are made to hold up outdoors!!) and I could not be more happy about it! These chairs will work in pretty much any space – indoor and outdoor and are super inexpensive (under $100 for a pair!). Who wants to come over for Sunday dinner?!

The couch that I used is the Arca sofa in Vintage Brown. The wood is the same worn warm finish that is on the Tavola and is so pretty paired with the ultra dark charcoal fabric. The seat is firm but comfortable, exactly what you’d expect from a high quality outdoor sofa.

The lounge chairs are new to Article this year and they are EVERYTHING. They are the Aeri loungers and so comfortable!! The angle of the seat and the thick cushion is perfect for laying back and lounging. The woven wicker is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s natural matte wicker but is flexible and smooth, almost leather like. This is not your mother’s wicker folks. The fabric matches the Arca sofa, but the mix of materials gives it a cool boho vibe.

I mixed up the wood finishes by using the Urba coffee table, it’s a natural lighter teak table and sits low to the ground.

The Belez Olive Green leather pillows (while admittedly not outdoor) are also from Article and so buttery soft.

And because I know that so many of you will ask, the rug is from Home Depot but has been discontinued!! SAD!

Our modern white globe lights are from a local consignment shop and add a modern exclamation point to the whole space, don’t you think?!

Stay tuned for all of the tutorials and thank you for following along on this whirlwind makeover!! And don’t forget to check out Article’s all new outdoor furniture collection which just dropped this week.

I know there are so many amazing pieces it can get overwhelming. So if you need even more inspiration on how to style their amazing new outdoor furniture head to Ave Styles and No Whey Lady today to see their take on Garden Scandi and Industrial Pop.

1. Arca Sofa in Vintage Brown
2. Svelti Chair 
3. Aeri Lounge Chair
4. White Globe Light
5. Toba End Table
6. Urba Coffee Table
7. Tavola Table

The post Patio Overhaul Reveal!! appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

TODAY IS A BIG DAY. We’ve partnered with Sherwin-Williams® and finally finished (like totally finished) one of the rooms in the Merc! Guys, meet my teenage daughters bathroom + closet!

When we bought the Merc, this space was on our weird and frustrating Merc perks list. The wall that separates the bedroom from the bathroom was one of those “this is not moving and you’re going to have to work around it” situations.

When I was designing this space for my daughter Ivie, I wanted it to be perfectly teenager. Lots of light surfaces, eclectic design, and rocking my favorite statement wall.

I was originally going to paint the whole room pink but decided against it. The color white that I used is THE BEST WHITE PAINT COLOR IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! It’s a custom mix at Sherwin-Williams called Mandi White, you can get the formula here!

There is this half truth floating around that in rooms like a bathroom that get heavy use and moisture that you need to use a higher sheen finish (like semi-gloss) for cleanability. In my opinion that’s false- if you use the right kind of paint. Sherwin-Williams Emerald Matte finish is my go to for every space in my house. It’s the perfect mix of style and durability!

DIY Paint By Numbers Wall Mural

As I was scouring my brain for something to do on the wall, I came across an image by one of my favorite IG artists Colleen. It hit me like a ton of bricks what if I had her design a paint by numbers wall mural!! She is amazing, you should definitely go and follow her!

Globe Light | Memo Light

After a quick message and a few hours, I had in my hand the perfect piece of semi-permanent art for Ivie’s bathroom.

I took Colleen’s drawing to my local Sherwin-Williams store and color matched 13 (!) colors (I was there for a while, it’s a good thing they have free hot chocolate.)

The colors I ended up with were:

• Sheraton Sage SW 0014
• Eminent Bronze SW 6412
• Sassy Green SW 6416
• Baby Bok Choy SW 9037
• Dusted Olive SW 9028
• Rock Garden SW 6195
• Clary Sage SW 6178
• Privilege Green SW 6193
• Thunderous SW 6201
• Pewter Green SW 6208
• Riverway SW 6222
• Jubilee SW 6248
• Intimate White SW 6322
• Gossamer Veil SW 9165
• Mandi White (formula here)
• Pink Shadow SW 0070

Supplies You’ll Need:

• Paint! I used Emerald Interior in a Matte finish because of its rockstar durablility, you can read all about why I love Emerald paint here!
• Small paint brushes
• Painters tape
• Pencil
• Projector or freehand creativity (or both!)

Prep

Thoroughly wash your walls down with a good degreaser. This is the last chance you’ll have before you start painting! Place painters tape along the edge of your baseboard to protect it from paint drips and brush marks!

Tracing Your Mural

I started by projecting the design onto the wall and tracing it with a pencil. Because of the nature of the design, I wasn’t too careful about getting it exact, but I did make sure that the sides were level. The projector we used is a portable one that we use for outdoor movie nights, I just connected it to my laptop with the image! So easy!

If you don’t have a projector, don’t worry! This design is very free flowing and could definitely be drawn freehand!

Paint Every Other Section

I labeled each paint section with a number and made sure that each can of paint was also labeled. Don’t skip this part most colors will need 2 coats of paint and if stuff gets mixed up then it will cause extra work and probably a few swear words.

Start by painting every other section. The reason you are doing this is so that you can have time for the paint to dry before you paint an adjoining color. If you don’t wait, your colors can easily smear together.

Go Slow!

As easy as it is to rush through a project like this, take it slow! It will save you a ton of time on touch-ups.

Not too shabby for 2 hours of work!

Are you ready to see the rest of the bathroom makeover?!

This is a verrrry dramatic before and after.

This is what the bathroom looked like when we bought the Merc. Of course it wasnt a bathroom then, and a whole section of wall had to come out, but pinky promise this is the same space!

This is after the reno and before the decorating!

And this is what it looks like now!

Mirror | Vanity Lights | The Healer’s Hand Print

Prints 1 2 3 | Towel Bar

There isn’t a door separating the bathroom from the bedroom, and because of the layout the closet is also visible at all times. Normal closet rods just weren’t going to do so we built a custom birch plywood one.

There is a ton of storage and the shelves and rods are interchangeable!

It’s the perfect bathroom for a 15-year-old! Heck, it’s the perfect bathroom for a 35 year old!

Huge thank you to Sherwin-Williams for partnering with me on this fun room makeover! We’re officially 2 rooms down and 12 to go in the Merc!

Yay? Lol!

Get all the details and sources here!!

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