1970 home renovation Archives | Page 4 of 17

1970 home renovation

We purchased a 1970 brick ranch house in Washington County, Maryland in September of 2022. This wasn’t the home I envisioned us purchasing, but we thought it was a little gem that needed the kind of updating we were eager to do. We have had the privilege of meeting some of the children of the original homeowners, who built this Better Homes & Garden floor plan as their dream home. Follow along as we make updates to the home, big and small, while retaining the original charm and best features of the home.

1970 home renovation

how to remove carpet glue from concrete | part 2

I have had a lot of long, drawn-out projects in my DIY career, but I think removing the carpet glue from the concrete floor in the basement might take the cake. I haven’t been working on it consistently or faithfully. Instead, I will push now and then to make more progress but then I get tired of it and work on more enjoyable things. My mom is a great motivator when it comes to completing tedious projects I’m sick of, so she encouraged me to buy a second wallpaper steamer (which can also be used for the remaining wallpaper in the house that needs to be removed) and is helping me complete this project. Jeff and Calvin have both helped, but my mom is very determined and will be the best partner in this endeavor. In part one of this riveting carpet glue saga, I shared all the products and

February 26, 2025 12 Comments

1970 home renovation

kitchen backsplash update

Since our kitchen renovation almost two years ago, the question I often receive is about our backsplash. Or lack of a backsplash to be more specific. If you followed along during the kitchen renovation, you know I was taking my time with each decision. (You can read more about that HERE.) I only made a decision when it needed to be made and let the rest of the decisions wait. I already had to make a hundred big and little decisions and definitely experienced the decision fatigue that’s common with home renovations. The backsplash would be installed after the counter and cabinets were in place, so I could wait to select the tile after the kitchen was essentially finished. And, that’s what I did. Right now, my walls are plasterboard with Sherwin William’s premium interior latex paint, Emerals, in a matte finish. I have found the paint to be every

February 4, 2025 52 Comments

1970 home renovation

2025 home project wish list

I was amused as I was putting together my wish-list projects for this post because I know my eyes are bigger than my stomach when it comes to my home project ambitions. I always overestimate my energy and underestimate the time and money it will take to complete a project. I don’t know if I’ll ever learn my lesson in this area because I am an optimist. I did leave some of the more expensive projects off the list, like new windows and bathroom renovations because it’s doubtful those will be a financial priority this year, but we’ll see. Here are my hopes for 2025… Paint the trim and doors along the back of the house and paint and install the shutters. I planned on doing this last year when the weather was warm and we just never got around to it. I even have the paint and the shutters

January 28, 2025 11 Comments

1970 home renovation

2024 home project recap

If you’ve ever lived in a house that needs some work, even if it’s just customizing it to suit your tastes, you know it’s important to stop now and then and appreciate how much you’ve done. It’s easy to focus on projects still hanging out on the to-do list and lose sight of all of the ones that are crossed off. So, around the end of one year or the beginning of the next, I like to reflect in a blog post. You can find 2023 HERE and 2022 HERE. So, I had an ambitious amount of projects on my list for this year and many of them didn’t get done. We’re in a season of life where we need to buy cars for teenagers, pay for their car insurance (yikes), and pay for college classes. New windows and bathroom renovations got bumped down the list. But, we still got

January 21, 2025 11 Comments

1970 home renovation

when the wrong order is the right order

I started working on the dining room mural when there were still nail holes in the walls that needed to be patched. I was doing so well with taking each step of the makeover in its proper turn. I painted the ceiling first, installed the molding, caulked the seams, and painted the trim and wainscoting. After doing it all in the right order, I was ready to get to the fun part and wasn’t going to let spackling slow me down. I can always fill them in later (which I did.) I had to laugh at myself when the holes in my freshly painted mural became bothersome and I filled them in, sanded, and had to touch up the paint before the mural was even a week old. I could’ve saved some time by doing things in the right order. Instead of fretting over a small detail that won’t make

November 19, 2024 23 Comments

1970 home renovation

woodblock scenic wallpaper

As I’ve shared the process of working on the dining room landscape mural, several people have commented on the “paint-by-number” look. (Not in a negative way, but pointing out the departure in style from my oil paintings.) I thought I would share more details about this look’s inspiration and how I landed on it. While the look is similar to paint-by-number in that each color is assigned to a specific place and not blended into other colors, my muse is older than that mid-century trend. I found my inspiration from a French company specializing in woodblock scenic wallpaper for over 200 years – Zuber. A few years ago, I purchased the book Zuber: Two Centuries of Panoramic Wallpaper and I pulled it out as I was planning this hand-painted mural. Zuber wallpapers are made by hand by applying a specified paint color to a wood block and then pressing it

November 18, 2024 27 Comments

1970 home renovation

dining room landscape mural | diving in

I had the palette selected for the dining room mural. I’ve painted murals before including a landscape mural in my previous dining room. I had inspiration pictures, sketches, and a vision. Now that the ceiling has a fresh coat, and the wainscoting is installed, primed, and painted, nothing is preventing me from starting the mural except me and I have honestly been a bit of an impediment. This might be counter to what you’d expect from someone who has painted a lot of things, but I’m not going into this project with a massive amount of confidence. I’m going into it knowing that if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay. I can put a coat of primer over it and go in a new direction. But, I want to do this mural, so I need to start. Aside from dragging my own feet, two things were holding me up. One

November 6, 2024 24 Comments

1970 home renovation

basement floor progress | 1970 home renovation

A part of me felt like sharing the process of this basement makeover here on the blog wouldn’t be very fulfilling. With other rooms in the house, there is going to be a transformation with well-lit photos at the end of the journey. With zero natural light in this space, a drop ceiling, and cold fluorescent lighting, this makeover isn’t going to end in an Instagram-worthy photo shoot. But, I know that many people who live in older homes in the US states where basements are the norm are dealing with a similar situation. Basements in the 1970s and 80s were typically unfinished or, if they were finished, they were places for the Christmas decorations, the washer, dryer, and chest freezer, ping-pong tables, workout equipment, a playroom for the kids, and a hangout for the teenagers. I remember rollerskating in my friend’s basement in the early 1990s because it was

October 28, 2024 18 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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