What are your favorite less known tips to make your rehab pop?

Question

What are your favorite lesser known tricks to get a flip to have that wow factor? for cheap of course!

On my last project I had got a deal on some cheap travertine for about $1.69/square foot. After installation I had someone come out and polish the floors, resulting in the stone having a high gloss. That cost me .75 cents a square foot. Looked gorgeouse and made my cheap travertine look fare more expensive than it was. It was a slightly higher end flip.

Anyone care to share some fun tricks?

David Robertson · Answer

Installing tile over an old and outdated fireplace is a cheap and easy improvement that can really improve the look and feel of your fireplace and living area...

Only about $200 in material & 2-3 hours of work...

Account Closed · Answer

@Katie Neason Hi Katie, I used a Sherwin-Williams Porch & Deck enamel (2 coats) followed by 2 applications of 'clear-coat'.  Your results may depend on the wood used for your treads and the amount of traffic the stairs will get. It may not be the best option for all situations but for this particular stair, it seemed right!. Good luck!

Account Closed · Answer

@Alex Applebee I did some black & white stairs recently.  It turned out very nicely, didn't cost much and was fun to do!

Account Closed · Answer

One thing I do repeatedly is to mix ceramic tile that mimics marble with real marble. It really makes the whole thing look all marble if done right and saves a ton of money. Here I used ceramic on the walls, real marble mosiac pattern on top and on the floor, and real marble cap pieces/trim. It didn't cost much at all and buyers loved it. I'd use all real marble in a pricier home, of course, but in mid range or lower this works well.

I am also a fan of salvaged material and Craigslist. I've gotten so many amazing pieces at fantastic prices that really add a high end/polished look that I never could have otherwise afforded.

For those of you with duplexes/triplexes/fourplexes and those always sad back stairs that are in bad shape and would be a lot of work to replace/refinish (this also applies to creepy basement stairs)  I like to paint a runner on them. It's easy and looks nice and clean. Add a fun color for a bit of an pop to turn the drab back staircase into something crisp.

So many more. Just a few I keep returning to. 😃

-M

Steve Babiak · Answer

In some older construction (1930 and older IIRC but could be in newer too), the subfloor material is often yellow heart pine - a rather sturdy pine wood. These can be refinished and look great. If you tried to buy that wood today, it would cost quite a bit.

Characteristics:

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/What_is_hear...

Pictures:

http://www.longleaflumber.com/reclaimed-heart-pine...

Of course, quarter sawn looks most refined - but you can see the beauty in all the variations

Katie Neason · Answer

Account Closed did you have to use a special paint or application for painting the treads?  I am building 3 story townhouse and am planing on painting the treads, but I am nervous about it.

Christopher B. · Answer

I wondered! They taught you well because that tile work looks good, excellent job. I used to teach those classes myself. I learned a ton about tile working there which is good and bad because I'm considered a tile snob now haha. They've got good tile, down this way they're considered more expensive though. I don't think the tile market in my city is as big as in other places. You'd be surprised how many times people would ask me to explain the difference between ceramic and natural stone.

Christopher B. · Answer

Tile looks good, very creative. What was the inspiration for that design? I ask because I used to work at The Tile Shop and we had a display set-up exactly like that.

Account Closed · Answer

@Christopher B. Haha, small world! I bought all of my tile from The Tile Shop when I was in MN. The neighboring store had mosaic marble for $35/sq ft and The Tile Shop had better selection for about $10-14/sq ft. Plus they'd give me 20% off for contractor's discount. Great store. I wish we had one here. There is a pretty poor selection of tile, etc here in San Diego. I find I get better selection and pricing driving up to Orange County, which is a major pain. The Tile Shop made me a tile snob, too! And I didn't even work there! You must be an excellent tiler after working there. I have yet to trust myself with prepping the floor for tiling, but have become one with the wet saw. Ha.

Many homes here tile the living areas and then carpet the bathrooms! What is going on? It makes me crazy! I'm also getting used to engineered hardwood flooring. Many of the homes here are newer and built on concrete so real wood floors are not an option. I miss those 2 1/4 planks of the real deal. Speaking of tile, have you ever seen engineered wood "tiles" or pieces designed in a chevron pattern? I would love to install that in the home I'm working on but I haven't found anything like that. It would be cool to have chevron or herringbone pieces that click together like planks of engineered wood.

Account Closed · Answer

@Christopher B. : That's where I got this tile! And the inspiration! The Tile Shop in Plymouth, MN. I miss that place.  Nice tile, good prices. Plus they taught me how to tile. They had free seminars every weekend. I would have never thought to use "fake" marble but it actually works well when blended with the real deal. Many thanks to The Tile Shop!

What are your favorite less known tips to make your rehab pop?

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