apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Thanks for the DW feedback. OC, I'm buying and that thing is pure genius but yikes - if I had that kind of $$ I'd be thinking about ripping out my cabinets and putting in a regular DW. I can't see spending more than $200 on a DW, and I see a lot of these countertop models on ebay for about that.

But... been thinking about it, and we (2 adults and 1 messy kid) currently run a full load every 2 days or MORE. So I'm thinking a compact would be in almost constant use. Which would probably be impractical in terms of counter space and sink usage. So I think I'm going to go with a full size portable, which will be a big eyesore disrupting the flow of my kitchen.

Ideas for making it pretty??

I bought a room darkening shade to replace the horrendous prison blinds that came with my rental apartment. It's cheap and white and made of vinyl, and I was thinking about painting a freehand design on it and embellishing the bottom with trim of some sort. I asked the peeps at Home Depot for their advice about what kind of paint would be appropriate for this purpose and they felt that anything I use will eventually crack and split with frequent use of the shade. Does anyone else have any thoughts about this? Plain white vinyl is going to be a bummer.

Is anyone familiar with the Charles and Ray Eames popular "Chair and Ottoman"? I have one that has some sort of signature branded in the leather, right where your ower back would lean against, and I can't find out anything about it through searching on the internet. I can't really make out the signature. Can anyone help?

@rachelbeth: You mean the wide one with black leather cushions? My mother has one but there's no signature on it. Maybe this is a new innovation.

Now I have a question, does anyone here have any recommendations for a web site where one can research an apartment/landlord? I'm renting a place for the first time in a while and I'd like to find out if my landlord has a good reputation.

Thanks for any advice!

Persephone: Try artists acrylic paint - its basically a plastic and dries to a flexible film - it is mixed using water and washes out of brushes easily but is waterproof once dry

Persephone -- I was thinking fabric paint should work, as it's meant to be flexible. It's an acrylic somewhat like what Violetsrose mentions, but supposedly formulated to be a little more obedient on fabric.

Jim N., try this site! I found my building on here and there seemed to be reviews of a lot of the buildings in my city (Portland).
http://www.apartmentreviews.net/
You could also try googling your landlord's name or the name of your building.

And I have a question: Does anyone know when the next color contest is going to happen? Is it every fall? I want to enter and I'm just wondering how long I have to get everything in my apartment perfect.

Hey DIYers of Apartment Therapy-

I'm curious if anyone would recommend painting ceramic tiles. My friend has a powder room that has that hideous 1970's yellow-green wall 2" square tile. Instead of tearing it down and replacing it, he's considering painting the tiles a more neutral color. Has anyone had success in doing this kind of project? Personally, I think he should rip the whole thing out and just install new tiles. But my friend thinks his way is faster, cheaper, and less headache.

Christine,
Has your friend considered getting his tiles glazed? I've not heard good things about painting tiles, but glazing is a cheaper alternative to ripping tiles out. We used Miracle Method here in DC and are happy with their work.

Persephone, how about picking out a fabric you love and gluing it to the shade using spray adhesive?

Persephone--

Right, I was just about to say what Anne (Chicago) said, except I was thinking you could do whatever design it was that you had in mind to paint, like applique but without the stitching.

Oooh - love the fabric idea. That's very clever. Thanks, everyone!

Hello,

With all the discussion about FLOR at Target, I've looked into it thinking I could fashion a nice area rug for cheap-ish to cover my ugly grey carpet. Their website says not to put FLOR over carpet under any circumstances. Has anyone tried this? I would think it wouldn't be that much different than any area rug.

Jessica,

I would not put FLOR carpet tiles over carpet. I have some (which I like), but as it is, they're a little difficult to make stay nice and tight together on a wood floor (I don't have mine wall-to-wall, which would probably make them slip around less). The sticky parts on the backs would not stick well to carpet - also, I think it would be very easy to trip on them if they were over something squishy.

Hope that helps.

Has anyone here ever had one of those compact countertop dishwashers?

After living with a (full size) dishwasher for the last year, I am completely addicted and can't imagine life without one. Especially at the rate my child goes through dishes. But I'm about to move into a small house with no dishwasher and no convenient place to put a portable one. I'm considering one of those compact dealies, but really not sure it would be worth it...


I'm also very curious about the tile question. Said kitchen is hideous jade green - I plan to paint the cabinets and countertop and replace the vinyl tile (with, unfortunately, equally cheap vinyl tile, but at least in a less offensive color). But I'm wondering what I can do VERY CHEAPLY about the tile backsplash?

mi.jo, instead of a countertop model, maybe you should consider an in-sink dishwasher. if your kitchen is small to begin with, don't reduce your countertop space by saddling it with a dishwasher. check out this one by Kitchenaid.

http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=briva++in-sink+dishwasher&cat=967&prod=625

Are you buying or renting the small house? if renting, I wouldn't bother with the kitchenaid...

mi.jo --


I had a small dishwasher and was very happy with it. They are small though, good for diskes and cups but when washing a pan not much else fits. It was also much noisier than the full sized ones. Washing was perfect; drying okay but not perfect. It was a european Bosch by the way - using salt, detergent and rinsing fluid - no idea how that relates to US dishwashers. Do the small US machines also use the hot water line?

Hi Christine.

I do not recommend painting your tile. My bathtub enclosure is tiled and has been painted over.

Now it is flaking and yucky. But maybe they used the wrong type of paint.

I would ask someone at a place like Home Depot

RE: PAINTING TILE: Never works out all that great in a bathroom, but it still might be an improvement over the color you described. Painting a tile countertop can work out OK. I've done both but the bathroom paint over never looked too hot. IT did, however, look better than the teal and magenta that was in there before.

becky

Cat 1; LCW 0.

cat explored a week-old Walnut LCW chair, and left these gouges.

[IMG]http://i14.tinypic.com/2w2m1pj.jpg[/IMG]

with absolutely zero experience in dealing with such things, is this a touchup I can DIY, or should this be brought for professional refinishing and repair?

mi.jo,

We had a Danby countertop dishwasher. It worked okay but not great. It rusted out and leaked everywhere within 12 to 18 months. It took up a lot of space and was too tall (just by a tiny bit) to fit under our upper cabinets. We were happy to have it at first but not happy enough to replace it when it kicked the bucket.

Thanks for everyone's comments with regards to painting the bathroom tiles. I'm going to see if there's anyone in NYC that is affordable for glazing tiles. I don't think Miracle Method is available around here....

Dave in TO-

Oh, that's nothing! That's like the first ding in your new car--gut wrenching, but best to get it over with. I bet the Tibetan Almond Stick would take care of that in no time. And whenever you start feeling annoyed over it, try to think of me and my pristine 1920s cherry linen press. My kitten climbed to the top, then, not wanting to jump 7 feet down, dug in her claws and skiied straight down the front.

Re: compact dishwasher--I have an 18" portable by Danby, who also makes countertop models. It works fine but the spokes are placed quite close together, so I can't fit in too many dishes on occasion. My landlady's Miele is the same way, so maybe it's just a dishwasher thing. It is noticeably louder than other dishwashers, but not intolerable.