Monthly Archives: August 2013

Low Cost Kitchen Island-Weekend DIY project

If you’ve always wanted a small kitchen island with an area for breakfast, there’s an easy way to accomplish that which won’t cost a great deal. Using some used cabinets or even new ones if you prefer, and a few brackets as well as some and will give you just what you’re looking for.

Two cabinets, about thirty inches tall which are set at either end of the counter top with the backs facing inward and the cabinet doors facing outward may–depending on whether you buy them new or used, cost as little as 50 to 75 dollars. They may be as fancy or as cost effective as you’d like them to be.

Add to that a piece of counter top that is approximately 3 feet long and 24 to 28 inches wide. Getting remnant counter top will save you a lot of money on the cost of building your island.

Set the cabinets back to back and then spread them out enough to give you the length of counter that you’d like to have. If you want just a work island that is small and not very long, you’ll just butt the two cabinet backs against each other. If you’d like it a little longer, you’ll leave space between them.

Why I Picked Carpet Tile for the Game Room

carpet tile

You might ask about a perfect way to cover a game room floor. Most families are like mine with a limited budget for home improvement. The game room takes priority because the kids and guests enjoy gathering in this comfortable spot. I knew right away I would be doing some serious research time before making my decision. The results led to choosing carpet tile for several reasons. Because of all the foot traffic the game room gets, in addition to moving furniture from one spot to another, quality is as necessary as style.

Great Designs

One of the first things I looked for was a floor covering that would provide the design I had in mind. After all, the game room is a warm, inviting area. I certainly didn’t want something delicate in appearance, like white plush. I did find some rolled carpet with patterns, but not what I wanted. Tile and linoleum aren’t suitable on cold days. A friend suggested looking at carpet tiles, which are easy to install and offer incredible variety.

Fantastic Choices

I admit I was expecting to see a bunch of bland 12 x 12 inch squares and flat topping. Instead, I found out the carpet tiles also come in pile carpeting, designs, a bunch of different shapes and colors, and affix to the floor in a variety of ways. Imagine my surprise to see so much variety and style! What a delight to find the size and pattern I was looking for in a self-stick form. The reason? Installation was a cinch!

Simple to Care For

Guests, as well as the kids, try to be careful and not spill food and drinks or track in dirt. Well, I can honestly say I am quite easygoing about the game room floor as long as they try. Unlike the living room rolled carpet with its tedious cleaning, I just have to lift up the dirty tiles, clean them and put them back after they dry. One hint I’m glad to have heeded was ordering extra tiles in case a replacement was needed. So far it’s not been required, but I’m prepared in the event it does.