Debbie Travis' Facelift - Episodes

After

What this house needed was a breath of springtime. To open up the space we removed the wall between the living and dining rooms and then added a small partition wall to separate the kitchen. Dark wallpaper was stripped off and the walls were brightened with the tang of lemony yellow paint. The plan for the floors was white throughout to keep the space flowing, so the hardwood under the old carpet was painted and vinyl tile laid in the kitchen. It was time for a new stove and refrigerator, but all the cabinets needed was a coat of tangerine paint to keep pace. White couches and a sexy shag carpet, as well as a sleek white epoxy kitchen table top and funky chandelier finished the transformation. This young loft style proved to be a hit with everyone, including granny. And for Felipe and Elsy, it was the icing on the wedding cake.

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Window Bench

The bench, which is built in under the window, adds needed extra seating in a stylish manner. It is designed to float above the floor as there is a heating vent beneath--a cozy place to curl up on cold winter days. The pillow covers for the banquet and the airy curtains were made by Noeline Lapierre.

Kitchen Cabinets

When you want an instant style change, paint is the most versatile and inexpensive decorating tool there is. These old painted wood cabinets were cleaned and given a light sanding. The old paint was oil-based and so we primed with Para Paints high adhesion primer before applying two coats of the brilliant tangerine latex. What a difference!

Carpet

The retro look of shag is back and we found this white shag carpet at Caban.

Floors

We removed the old carpet and underpad, sanded and cleaned the hardwood, and filled in the nail holes with wood filler. The floors were then given two coats of Para's Silver Wing P-2024-4. Always allow four or five days for the paint to cure before moving furniture back.

Kitchen Shelves

When extra storage solutions are needed, floating shelves from Rona give an uncluttered, open and contemporary look to the kitchen dнor.

Supporting Wall

Before removing any wall, it is vital that you check to see if it is a supporting wall. Make a mistake here, and the bedroom will end up in the living room. If it is a supporting wall, as ours was, you must reinforce the ceiling until a permanent supporting beam is in place. I advise you use the expertise of a professional contractor or structural engineer.

Table

We performed a real Facelift on an ordinary arborite kitchen table and gave it an icy smooth finish. The top was lightly sanded, then cleaned with acetone, primed with BIN primer and then painted with two coats of white latex paint. Instead of varnishing for protection, we applied a two step epoxy coating, which is self-leveling and equals about 50 coats of varnish. The table legs were spray painted with white chrome paint. Always wear a mask, goggles and gloves when applying the epoxy and chrome spray paint as they are both toxic.

Tiles

The hard-wearing self-stick vinyl tiles in the kitchen are from Rona.

Vestibule Door

This was a flat-faced hollow core door. We cut a series of window openings and inserted plexiglass into the spaces. To get the height of the squares we divided the height of the door by 11 (five holes and six squares on either side of the holes.) Draw the squares and cut them out with an X-acto knife and metal ruler. Fill the hollow edges with strips of pine. Apply 1/4-inch molding strips to one side of door opening as stops. Caulk with silicone, insert plexiglass, caulk again and install stops on the other side of the door. Install molding on the outside edges to hide any imperfections in the cut.

Walls

There are different methods for removing wallpaper. For big jobs, it is easiest to rent a steamer. Otherwise, score the paper with the corner of a metal spatula, apply either hot water or a purchased paper removal gel to the walls with a sponge, allow time to penetrate the paper and then scrap off. Wash any glue and paper residue from the walls. Fill and sand any holes and then prime. We also had new drywall and plaster, which needs a coat of high quality all-purpose primer to seal before painting. The walls were painted with Para Paints Twilight Sun P939-4 EGGSHELL.