Tag Archives: kitchen cabinets

Episode 220: Nagging Laundry Room Projects, 8 Key Design Elements for Kitchens, Budget-Friendly Ways to Update Your Kitchen

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SEGMENT 1: Nagging Laundry Room Projects

We talk about these things often, but that’s because they’re important AND easy to forget about! So today we cover a couple laundry room maintenance tasks that you should be accomplishing.

SEGMENTS 2 & 3: Eight Details to Consider in Your Next Kitchen Update

We chat with Interior Designer, Lauren Figueroa, about eight design details you may want to consider if you’re looking at a kitchen update. Check out her blog post below:

SEGMENT 4: Budget-Friendly Ways to Update Your Kitchen

Not everyone is in a spot right now where a full kitchen update is possible. (I’m not!!) And so, for those of us in that situation, we thought we’d talk about the tremendous difference a simple kitchen cabinet repaint can make in your home!

EP179: Kitchen Remodel Mistakes to Avoid

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SEGMENT 1: Paint Tips from a Pro

Painting professional Paul Van Heest sits down with us to talk about products and some tips and tricks to getting great results on every project. 

SEGMENT 2: Kitchen Remodel Mistakes to Avoid!

When you tackle a kitchen remodel, there’s a lot on the line! The expenses add up quickly and the last thing you want to do is make a few common mistakes that will mar your end results. Today we talk about a few mistakes you’ll want to be sure to avoid.

SEGMENTS 3 & 4: DIYing with Mike and Lisa Klenk

We meet a lot of people in the course of our work. And every now and then, we talk to someone in the middle of a project that blows us away. This is one of those times!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night (Morning)

Saturday Morning

Saturday Morning

Saturday Morning

Saturday Morning

Gonna listen to the RepcoLite

Radio Show

On Saturday morning, Saturday morning

Gonna listen to the wisdom

As it starts to flow

On Saturday morning, Saturday morning

I-I-I just can’t wait

Dan and Betsy are at the plate . . . 

At the RepcoLite Home Improvement

Radio show

I gotta go

Saturday Morning

Saturday Morning

Gonna crank it up, listen up

Learn it all, have a ball,

Saturday morning,

Saturday morning

It’s just a Saturday morning

It’s just a Saturday morning

It’s just a Saturday morning

It’s just a Saturday morning

(Rinse and Repeat)

 

 

EP177: Goodbye Soap Scum, So Long Hard Water Stains!

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SEGMENT 1: DIY Cabinet Door Drying Rack

0:00 – 5:55 

I don’t get into it too deeply on the show today, but check out the link below for a cool DIY Cabinet Door Drying Rack. Easy to build. Inexpensive. AND a huge space saver!

SEGMENT 2: Cleaning the Room of Despair

5:55 –  19:00

I DETEST the kids’ bathroom in my home. It’s a place of despair. No matter how hard I try to keep it clean or try to convince them to keep it clean, it just gets messy fast. Add to that a hard water problem in my home, and the “yuck” can build up even more quickly!

That’s why I was so excited to discover CLR Brilliant Bath and CLR Multi-Purpose Cleaners. They took care of the soap scum, the mineral deposits, and the hard water stains better than anything I’ve tried before! And they’re really inexpensive….

SEGMENT 3: Betsy Update

19:01 –  31:02

Betsy’s been out of the studio for nearly 2 1/2 months, but she’s back today! In this segment we get an update on her recovery.

SEGMENT 4: The Right Color

31:03 –  39:29

Even though she’s been out of the studio for a while, that doesn’t mean Betsy’s been off the job! Even from her recovery time on the couch, she found herself helping customers find the right colors for their home. And it turns out to be a great example of some of the ways to cut through some clutter and find the right color in your own situation!

EP54 – April 14, 2018: Home Repair Services, Solving Paint Problems with the Right Info, and Thomas Jefferson: Interior Designer

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Today we interview Joel Ruiter from Home Repair Services in Grand Rapids. It’s a remarkably non-profit organization who’s mission is to help homeowners of all income brackets maintain and improve their homes! We’ll also be talking with RepcoLite’s president, Dan Altena, regarding a paint question that came in on our Facebook page. And finally, we’ll wrap up with a little decorating segment built around our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson!

Listen here:

Show notes for episode 054:

Joel Ruiter, the Executive Director of Home Repair Services, stops by to talk about just one of the many programs they offer: the Remodeling Together program. It's an incredibly unique (and almost too-good-to-be-true) program that helps homeowners install brand new kitchen cabinets and counters in their home for as little as $1300! If you're in Kent county, you NEED to check out this segment!

And just to give you a taste of what they can help you do, here are a couple of before and after shots of regular folks who updated their kitchens:

Sometimes a paint problem is straightforward. The answer is clear. However, there are other times when a wide variety of causes could be at the root of the issue!

When that's the case, we need as much information as possible to help you find a resolution. Today, we're joined in the studio by Dan Altena, president of RepcoLite Paints, to discuss just what information you should bring with you to the paint store whenever a frustrating problem arises!

Spring is apparently never coming. And so we decided to talk about the perfect color to add some warmth and energy to your walls! Interestingly enough, Thomas Jefferson looms large in this talk about yellow!

Yellow Inspired By Thomas Jefferson

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EP40 – January 6, 2018: 15-Minute Regimen, Gel Stain Cabinet Fix, Winter Pet Safety, and Dan’s Bathroom Re-do

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This week we cover a number of interesting topics. One of which is a concept that Dan thinks is brilliant: a 15-minute home improvement regimen! Yes, it sounds a little goofy, but you will be amazed at the amount of work you can accomplish by just spending 15 minutes a night working on it. It’s painless, quick, almost fun. And if you do it a few nights in a row, you’ll be blown away by how much work you crank out! On top of that, we spend some time talking about what we need to do as pet owners to keep our furry friends safe during these cold winter days!

Listen here:

Show notes for episode 040:

Things pile up over time when we don't stay on top of them. Weight is a perfect example. Let it go for a little while and before you know it, some unwanted pounds have found a new home around our middle!

Well, the same thing happens in our home. Little projects add up and before you know it, we've got tons of jobs to do and no idea where to begin!

Rather than jump into a crash-course of home improvement projects, why not instead create a manageable schedule that will help you easily and relatively painlessly take off those "extra pounds"? That's what we talk about today!

Looking to refresh your kitchen cabinets without completely stripping them down and starting over? If you're dealing with a few scratches or some worn areas, we might have a fix for you that will save you tons of time!

Here are a few photos submitted by a customer who gave the project a try!

The weather has been frigidly cold and while we all bundle up with layers and layers, we don't always think about our pets! Sure, they're covered in fur, but they can still get hypothermia and they can still suffer in weather like this. But just moving them into the garage may not be the answer. In this segment we talk about a number of different precautions we should all be talking to keep our furry friends safe and warm!

In this segment, we break down a bathroom re-do Dan just recently undertook. We talk about the materials used and the lessons learned! And hopefully provide everyone listening with the information and encouragement to step outside of their comfort zone and jump into a project!

EP35 – December 2, 2017: Kitchen Trends that Last, Head Lice 101, The Perfect Workshop, Dealing with Ice Dams!

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Kitchen renovations are expensive. But if they’re done right, they’re worth it. Just make sure you do it right! Today we talk about some kitchen trends that always work! We also dig into the creepy, crawly topic of head lice. Sure, we didn’t want to talk about the, but if you’ve got school-age children, there’s a good chance you’ll be dealing with the stress of head lice in a classroom. When that happens, it’s good to know what you’re up against and how to protect your family! That and more on this episode!

Listen here:

Show notes for episode 035:

A kitchen update or renovation is expensive. However, if we do it right, the benefits will outweigh the costs. And if we do it right, we could even recoup nearly 70% of our investment if we'd sell. But...we've got to do it right! And with all the choices and decisions to make, it's easy to make a mistake along the way.

One of the most common mistakes people make in a kitchen is to get drawn into trends and fads--items and colors and styles that are new, unique, interesting...but which have limited staying power over the years!

On this segment, we talk about some tried and true kitchen trends that will never go out of style! Choose these items, these colors, these styles, and you won't be looking back 2 years from now wondering what you were thinking!

Well, this is a topic guaranteed to have you scratching your head. As unappealing as they are, head lice are worth talking about.

On this segment, we bust some common "Lice Myths" and then move on to provide you with a handful of preventative measures--little things you can do to keep your kids lice-free this school year!

Years ago Dan painted the dirty concrete floor of an old basement room. What started as a simple job turned into a full room repaint and resulted in a workroom anyone could be proud of! And, best of all, the new room also brought about a surprising effect: Dan spent a lot more time there, working on projects, learning how to do new things, getting more done. All because the room was enjoyable.

No matter how much work you do with tools, every home needs a good workshop. And the good news is that a great workshop is EASY to create. You just need the right paint and the right stain on the right surfaces!

So, in this segment, we talk about the products you'll need to make the perfect workshop in your own home!

Benjamin Moore's Scuff-X is Magic!

Every winter, ice dams become a problem for many homeowners. In this episode, we talk about why they form and then give you a couple ways to deal with them: solve them, or fix them as they arise. Both approaches have their place depending upon your situation.

Now, there were a lot of things we said we'd link to in these notes. Here it all is:

Insulation

We mentioned a chart to determine the R-Value of the insulation in your attic. We've got it below along with a couple of articles that are worth checking out.
  • Fiberglass (blown): 2.2 – 2.9
  • Fiberglass (batts): 2.9 – 3.8
  • Cellulose (blown): 3.1 – 3.8
  • Rock Wool (loose): 2.2 – 3.3
  • Foam (sprayed): 3.6 – 8.2
Just measure the depth of your insulation, determine the material and the multiplier, and do the math! And here's an article highlighting how much insulation you should have.

Avalanche Roof Rakes

I've used a lot of different roof rakes as a homeowner and this is EASILY my favorite. You push the "rake" up the roof and it rolls on wheels, cutting the snow. Huge pieces then fall off your roof, sliding down the big plastic chute!

Sure, it takes some getting used to and yes, it's still work...but it's significantly better than any other rake I've ever used. And it's easier on the roof at that!

And below, in all it's glory, is the video Betsy referenced in the show.

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