Now here I am, all these years later, looking to upgrade the style in my living room, and what do I decide to do? Buy some inexpensive, white furniture and add some paint. Somethings never change! Not only do I still like to save money any time I can, it’s usually easier for me to get the exact look I want by DIYing.

For my living room project, I chose six Billy Bookcases – the most basic of white laminate bookshelves. But to get the high-end, built-in look I wanted, I decided to paint the back panel of the bookshelves to match our dark gray wall color and to add Ikea Oxberg glass doors in front of the shelves.

Fortunately, this time around I’m a lot more knowledgeable, and I know how to paint Ikea laminate furniture the right way! Turns out it’s actually not hard at all as long as you don’t skip one very important step!

This post is sponsored by my friends at Rust-Oleum, whose products make almost all of my DIY projects look better! This post also contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

Always Prime Before Painting Laminate Furniture

The first thing you need to know is that, without proper preparation, paint won’t adhere to a laminate surface. Some paints will just bead up on the surface of the laminate. Other paints will go on with a splotchy, uneven finish and the first coat will begin peeling off as soon as you try to paint a second coat.

The good news is that painting over Ikea laminate furniture – or any laminate furniture – is as simple as a coat of right primer!

Choosing the Right Primer for Your Laminate Furniture Project

In order to choose the right primer for your furniture painting project, it’s important to also keep in the mind the kind of paint you’ll be applying over the primer.

Since I wanted the back panel of my bookshelves to match the wall color behind the furniture, I wanted to use the exact same latex paint that we used on the wall. Paired with the right primer, latex paint (which is water-based) is a great option for painting laminate furniture because it provides a durable, smooth finish.

Zinsser Primer for Laminate Furniture

When choosing primer for my laminate bookshelf project, I needed a primer that would stick to laminate and that would accept latex paint over it. I researched each of these three Zinsser primer options to determine which would be best for the job:

• Zinsser BIN Primer – This primer is shallac based and sticks to all surfaces – including laminate furniture – without sanding. This primer goes on in smooth, thin coats. It drys very quickly, and it works with any top coat, including water-based latex paint.
• Zinsser Bull’s Eye 1-2-3 Primer – This primer is great for lots of projects, and it is my first choice for most wall priming projects {as I talk about in this post}. However, like latex paint, 1-2-3 Primer is water-based, so it won’t adhere as well to laminate furniture without first sanding, and a longer cure time is also recommended when painting laminate.
• Zinsser Cover-Stain Primer – This is an oil-based primer. Oil-based primers provide great adhesion. I’ve always been taught that, as a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t paint latex over oil-based paint or primer. However, this Cover-Stain Primer accepts both oil-based and water-based topcoats.

After researching these three primer options, I narrowed it down to the BIN and Cover-Stain Primers for my bookshelves, since both would provide good adhesion to the laminate surface. Further research indicated that the oil-based Cover-Stain primer is much thicker and might require some light-sanding before painting the top coat in order to get a really smooth finish.

The Best Primer for Laminate Furniture

Since I’m all about making projects as simple as possible, the shellac-based BIN Primer was the winner for my project. It provided the best combination of good adhesion, quick dry-time, and the ability to paint latex over it with no sanding needed.

How to Paint Ikea Laminate Furniture in Two Easy Steps

Once you’ve picked the best primer for your project, painting Ikea laminate furniture is a simple two step process that can easily be completed in an afternoon!

SUPPLY LIST

• Zinsser BIN Primer
• Latex Paint (or other top coat paint)
• Paint Tray
• Paint Tray Liners
• 6″ Foam Rollers
• Mini Roller Frames
• Drop Cloth or Cardboard

STEP 1: How to Prime Laminate Furniture

For my bookshelf project, I used 1 quart of Zinsser BIN Primer to prime the back panel of 3 wide Ikea Billy Bookcases, 3 narrow Billy Bookcases, as well as 12 total Billy Bookcase height extension units.

We began by unboxing all of the bookshelves and separating the back panels from the other pieces. After unboxing and sorting the various pieces, we flattened several of the cardboard boxes to cover the floor and kitchen table instead of using a drop cloth.

Once we had all the back panels laid out, we were ready to start priming. We poured the Zinsser BIN Primer into a paint tray.

The BIN Primer is very thin. We found that using a foam roller gave us a very smooth, even coat while also minimizing splattering. With two of us working together, it took us about 25 minutes to prime all of the bookshelf sections.

This primer dries very quickly, so later that same afternoon, we were ready to start painting.

STEP 2: How to Paint Laminate Furniture

After allowing the primer to dry, we were ready to start applying the first coat of paint to these Billy Bookcase sections. We used the leftover latex paint from painting the dark gray walls in our living room.

The latex paint went on very nicely, and we could immediately see that it was adhering well to the coat of BIN Primer. I always recommend applying two thin coats of paint, rather than one thick coat. This will give you the smoothest, most even finish.

Once again, with both of us working together, it took less than half an hour for us to paint each of the bookshelf sections dark gray. A few hours later, we applied our second coat of paint to complete the job. You can see that, thanks to the base coat of primer, the paint looks great!

Ikea Billy Bookcase Makeover

The following day, after allowing plenty of time for the latex paint to cure, we were ready to start assembling the Billy Bookcases. The painted back panels went in last.

With the bookshelves fully assembled, you can see how the dark back panels, combined with the glass doors, elevate the style of these inexpensive Ikea bookcases and give them a more built-in look wrapping the corner of our living room.

I had a lot of fun filling the shelves with our books and lots of souvenirs from our travels.

I really love the contrast of the dark gray against the white! Adding a little paint to the back of the shelves is a simple Ikea Billy Bookcase hack with a big impact! Now that you know how easy it is to paint Ikea laminate furniture with the right primer, would you give this look a try?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PAINTING LAMINATE FURNITURE

Q: Do you need to sand laminate furniture before painting?

A: You’ll find some people who recommend that you sand laminate furniture before painting. The idea of sanding to scuff up the surface to give it a little bit of grit for the paint to stick to, but this won’t yield the best results.

Laminate finishes are very thin, and you can easily sand through to the engineered wood below. If you do sand, you need to do so lightly by hand – don’t use an electric sander. And even if you do sand lightly, you’ll still use primer in order to ensure the paint will adhere properly.

Using the Zinsser BIN Primer that I recommend above, you can paint laminate furniture without sanding, saving you the extra time and effort! Don’t create more work for yourself!

Q: Is there any way to paint laminate furniture without sanding or priming?

A: Like most rules, there’s always an exception, so YES, you can paint laminate furniture without sanding or priming IF you use the right kind of paint. You can skip the primer if you are painting laminate furniture with chalk paint. I’ve had good luck using Rust-Oleum Chalked on several furniture projects, and it comes in about 25 color options and has an ultra matte finish.

I opted not to use chalk paint on my bookshelf project, because I wanted to use the exact same color paint as our walls. But if you’re interested in trying chalk paint for your laminate furniture project, see how I used Rust-Oleum Chalked to turn a laminate printer stand into a stylish bar cart with no sanding or priming. I’ve also got tips for painting an Ikea dresser with chalk paint.

Q: Can you stain laminate furniture?

A: It’s important to understand the difference between laminate furniture and wood veneer. Laminate is a man-made, plastic-like finish. Laminate can NOT be stained. Wood veneer furniture, on the other hand, has a thin layer of real wood that is bonded to a less expensive surface (like MDF of particle board).

Because wood veneer does have a layer of real wood, it can be sanded and stained. However the veneer is usually very thin – often an 1/8th inch or less – be very careful not to sand too aggressively, and always sand with the grain of the wood.

Q: I’m painting something different. How do I know if I need to use primer?

A: This is a great question, and one I get asked a lot. Primer can make your paint projects easier and provide better finished results. Primers make painting easier by promoting topcoat adhesion, providing better coverage, blocking stains, blocking odors, and more. I wrote a post titled When and Why to Prime Before Painting that should tell you everything you need to know.

The post How to Paint Laminate Furniture the Right Way appeared first on Blue i Style.

A DOUBLE DUTY NIGHTSTAND DESK

When we picked the furniture for our guest room years ago, rather than matching nightstands on each side of the bed, we opted instead for one nightstand and one small desk. I wanted our guests to have a comfortable place to write or set up their computer.

Instead of a chair, I chose a {surprisingly comfortable} bamboo stool in place of a chair because it can be easily tucked out of the way under the desk. I originally styled the desk with a small lamp, a few boxes filled with notepads, pens and pencils, and a couple of candles. Many guests have used this mini-desk over the years, but until recently, I had never used it myself.

How to Create a Home Office in a Small Space: Nightstand Desk Bedroom Office Ideas

I’m so thankful for the ability to work from home and for the flexibility it gives me to balance my business and family life… but sometimes that balancing act results in things getting a bit mixed up. I really needed a solution to prevent my blog and client paperwork from getting mixed in with all of our family mail and papers, and to keep my business deadlines separate from our family calendar. And I really needed to get my butt off the couch so that I could get my work done more efficiently in the limited hours I have to myself.

Since guests only visit once in a while, I realized there was no reason I couldn’t claim the desk in the guest room as my own the rest of the time. I partnered with my friends at The Container Store to create a super stylish and functional command center for my business, complete with ample space for all my files, notebooks, office supplies, and even a dry erase calendar. Best of all, it looks stylish enough that when guests visit, they won’t feel like they are staying in an office!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you purchase something I recommend, you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

This little desk only has one small, shallow drawer, so I needed to add more storage on the desktop while still leaving enough room for my laptop and work. I found a great stacking system that allowed me to get a drawer, letter trays, and a desk organizer all in less than one square foot of space. And if I need more space in the future, I can easily add more drawers or letter trays to this stack.

Currently, I’m using the drawer for all of my business tax receipts, but, in the future, I may get the drawer dividers that are made for this drawer if I decide to use it for other supplies. The letter trays I used for files, planners, and notebooks.

The desk organizer, which sits securely on top of the letter trays, holds my most frequently used office supplies, including my favorite pens, highlighter, scissors, thank you notes, and washi tape, which I use for sealing envelopes and creating tabs on notebook pages.

A pretty, acrylic and gold tape dispenser does double duty as a bookend that keeps my blog and client binders in place. And I’m using a pretty blue and white porcelain bowl as a non-traditional business card holder.

I have to pause for a moment to gush about how much I love these mini three-ring binders that I use for my blog business and client projects! I use the lined paper inserts for notes and the graph paper inserts to sketch out organizing and design plans. The size is perfect for tossing in my purse when I’m headed to a meeting or a conference, and there are tons of other options to customize these binders with dividers, calendar pages, index tabs, address book pages, pockets, to do lists, and more!

I used damage-free picture hanging strips to hang a dry erase calendar on the wall above the desk. I primarily use an online calendar system to keep track of all the things, but I like having this visual calendar hanging above my desk where I can see a quick overview of my editorial calendar and client meetings at a glance. The calendar is also magnetic, so I can hang up notes or business cards as reminders of things that need follow-up.

I still want to create my dream craft room and home office in the spare bedroom in our basement, but that’s not in the budget right now. In the meantime, this mini-desk is such an improvement! My business papers are now organized rather than mixed in with our family paperwork in the kitchen, and I’m much more productive at the desk than sitting on the couch!

I’ve often heard that you should avoid creating a home office in your bedroom because it doesn’t allow you to separate your work from your rest and relaxation, but I also know that not everyone has the luxury of extra space and a dedicated home office. Whether you need to create a functional work space in your bedroom or in a guest room, like I did, I hope that these home office ideas for small spaces are helpful!

ORGANIZE YOUR OWN SMALL SPACE HOME OFFICE

Below are links to all the products I used to organize my files, notebooks, and office supplies in a small space. I love that these components are stackable, so you can add more drawers or more letter trays to fit your specific needs. The drawers and letter trays also come in both landscape and portrait configurations, so you can change the orientation to best fit your desktop space.

HOME OFFICE DESKS FOR SMALL SPACES

The post Home Office Ideas for Small Spaces appeared first on Blue i Style.

I’m so smitten with the gorgeous set of blue and white porcelain bowls that I picked up {here are some similar ones you might like}. They fit perfectly in the triangles and they are just the right size for containing all the small things I need, like my earbuds and fit bit. These bowls are also a great place for me to put my earrings and wedding ring while I’m working out.

In the other triangles I have my wrist/ankle weights, some rolled up white hand towels, fitness balls, and a blue lotus and cherry blossom scented candle in a cute blue and white jar {here are similar blue and white candles}.

The punched pattern in my metal hamper gives it soft and feminine look, but don’t be fooled – this thing is heavy duty. It’s really heavy and sturdy {way heavier than it looks}! This makes it perfect for storing my weighted body bars, but if you use hamper that’s not quite as heavy duty, be sure to lean your body bars or weights into a corner.

SHOP THE STYLE OF THIS SMALL SPACE WORKOUT ROOM

Some of the items I used in our space are no longer available from World Market, but I have found similar replacements for each.

The post Stylish Home Gym Ideas for Small Spaces appeared first on Blue i Style.

I wasn’t trying to remove the white melamine finish, but I needed to rough it up enough that the surface would easily accept the adhesive we planned to use to affix the vinyl planks.

We then cut the strips to the right lengths to fit the edges of the melamaine board.

This time the bend and snap method worked perfectly…

We used our brad nailer to attach the thin strips of vinyl plank to the edges of the melamine board {front and sides only, not the back since it would be against the wall}. We used one brad nail about every six inches, but they are virtually invisible against the dark color of the vinyl.

Once we had a small mark at the top and bottom of each plank, we lined up a straight edge ruler between the marks and used it to score across the full plank.

But for use on my countertop, I didn’t want these rubber strips protruding on the exposed edges, so we used our utility knife to trim it off on the planks that would align with the front and edges of the countertop board. By sitting the planks on top of a couple of pieces of cardboard, we were able to press deep enough with the utility knife for a nice, smooth cut.

We then took the vinyl plank out to the garage, clamped it to our workbench, and used a hand saw to cut along the two short sides of the notch.

We then used the utility knife to score along the long edge of the notch, removed the tape, and used the “bend and snap” method to remove the notched section.

I just love the way our faux countertop looks, and you’d never know that it was nothing more than a white melamine board covered in vinyl planks! This solution looks so similar to the WilsonArt Noir Timber laminate counter that I had my heart set on, but for a fraction of the price!

The WilsonArt counter would have cost us more than $600 for this small space, and our DIY version came in just under $100 (and that includes the cost of the white melamine board that we already owned).

This dark wood-look countertop not only adds function to our small laundry space, it also makes it look so much more like the finished laundry room I had been dreaming of!

By extending the counter all the way to the wall on the left side of the washer and at the back of the washer and dryer, we gained extra usable space for canisters of detergent and a cute basket for collecting lint!

My collapsible laundry baskets also fit nicely in the little nook to the left of the washer below the counter.

Now I can fold laundry on top of the washer and dryer without worrying about clothes and socks falling behind the machines!

Our DIY countertop turned out better than I could have hoped! It’s been a year and a half since we first created it {sorry for the delay on the tutorial} and it’s holding up great!

This simple DIY wood plank countertop is perfect for our laundry closet, but it would also be a good way to create a desktop or work surface in an office, craft room, or kid’s room!

The post DIY Wood Plank Laundry Room Countertop appeared first on Blue i Style.

Measuring Tape

INSTALLING {AND REPOSITIONING} SELF-ADHESIVE WALLPAPER PANELS:

Then I used the end of a skinny paint brush to fully press the paper into the holes to opening them up completely.

I picked the paintbrush to open up the holes because the end was just the right size, but you could use anything that fit. By identify and marking the hole locations as I went, it made it super quick and easy to rehang the shelves once the closet was fully wallpapered.

THAT’S IT…EASY & DONE!


When the last piece of wallpaper was up, I stood back to admire my work, and breathed a sigh of relief that the process was so much easier than I had expected. Now that I’ve used temporary, removable wallpaper once, I’m eager to try it again in another space!

The Tempaper textured brick white wallpaper makes such a big impact, but I’m happy to know that when we decide to update the space again someday in the future, it won’t be a major headache to remove, and it’s not going to cause any damage to our walls!

The wallpaper has been up for almost four months now, and its still looking great and holding strong. I’ll certainly report back if anything changes over time!

The post How to Install Temporary, Removable Wallpaper appeared first on Blue i Style.

Our backyard patio is situated between our kitchen and our detached garage, so I always envisioned lights strung back and forth between the house and the garage.

 

COMMERCIAL GRADE VS. STANDARD GRADE STRING LIGHTS

 

As I mentioned, we knew from the start that we wanted to use commercial grade light strands with guide wires, rather than the less inexpensive strings of lights available at most stores. One of the reasons for this is because we could custom order the exact length of lights we needed, but the other, more important reason is because commercial grade lights are better suited for permanent outdoor installation.

 

So what is the difference between standard grade and commercial grade string lights? It’s a common misconception that the difference is the type of light bulbs, but actually the distinction is in the wire and the sockets. According to PartyLights.com, commercial grade light strands are made from heavy duty wire with weather-proof sockets that seal around the bulb to keep water out. In additional to giving a more professional look, commercial grade string lights are recommended for permanent installations intended to be left up year-round and are suitable for hard-wiring.

 

By comparison, standard grade string lights can also be suitable for outdoor installation, but they typically do not last as long as commercial grade light strands, especially in locations with inclement weather. They are less expensive up front, but require replacement much more frequently if left up year round. Standard grade string lights are more appropriate for events and less permanent applications.

 

 

PLANNING FOR & PURCHASING PATIO STRING LIGHTS

 

Several years ago, during the construction of the patio, we also had an outlet installed in the underside of the garage eave {above the light by the garage man door} in anticipation of adding string lights some day. Commercial grade string lights can be plugged in or hard wired, but by having the forethought to add this outlet years ago, it made our string light installation such a quick and easy job! The outlet is controlled by a light switch in the garage, allowing us to the turn the lights on and off without ever having to unplug them.

 

I honestly think that figuring out the layout for the lights and determining the lengths, wattage and socket spacing was harder than the actual installation of the lights. However, I fully admit that is probably a biased perspective because since I was in charge of the measuring and planning, but I didn’t have to do any of the work of installing the lights.

Nonetheless, planning is obviously an important step, so let me show you the plan we came up with. As we went along, I learned that there is a lot more to it than just measuring for the length of your string lights, and it can get pretty confusing, so I’ll try to sum up all of the things you need to consider before purchasing your string lights.

 

Because of the placement of our outlet in the garage eave, we actually used two separate strands of lights {as represented by the red and blue in the diagram below}. Each strand plugs in to the outlet on the garage eave, and then zig zags back and forth between the garage and the house. We measured the length of the garage, including the overhang of the roof line. Taking into account the location of the electrical outlet, we determined that 5.25 feet between points would allow us to have five evenly spaced connection points, as illustrated in the diagram below. {The gray in the diagram represents where the roof line extends beyond the garage building.}

We then identified four corresponding connection points on the house side of the patio – each evenly spaced between the connection points on the garage. Knowing the distance between the garage and the house, and given the 5.25 foot distance between connection points, we were able to calculate the length of each zig {or is it a zag?} at 230 inches. Who ever said you’d never need the Pythagorean Theorem in real life?!

 

Once we calculated the length of light strands we needed, we started doing research on commercial grade string light pricing. We settled on purchasing a bulk reel from PartyLights.com because they not only had the best price, but had also been recommended to us by a friend. {This post is not sponsored by Party Lights, I am just sharing our experience.}

 

Since we were custom ordering the lights, in addition to knowing the length of light strands we needed {as determined by the diagram above}, we also had to decide on the distance between the sockets and the style and wattage of bulbs. These decisions are important not only for aesthetic purposes, but also because each strand of lights has a maximum run wattage {which is listed in the specs for each light strand}.

 

In order to ensure that you stay within the maximum run wattage, you have to take into consideration the total length of the strand you need, the wattage of bulbs you want to use, and the distance between the sockets. In other words, the higher the wattage of bulb and the closer the sockets are placed, the shorter the strand must be; whereas with lower wattage bulbs and sockets spaced further apart, you can have a longer strand and still be with in the maximum run wattage. Installing two stands of lights was not only convenient due to the location of our outlet {as shown in the diagram above}, but also allowed us to avoid exceeding the max wattage of either strand.

 

Taking all of these things in to account, we settled on 11-watt “sign bulbs” and a socket spacing of 24 inches. This is the exact reel of lights that we ordered, and these are the exact bulbs. If you’re doing the math, you might notice that this reel was much longer than we needed. This is because we were splitting it with my parents who were also installing string lights at their house; however, we could have ordered just the length we needed.

 

Note that the reel we purchased DID NOT come with plugs. Since we were not hard wiring our lights, we had to add plugs to the ends of the strings, which we purchased at our local hardware store.

 

 

 

HOW TO INSTALL COMMERCIAL GRADE PATIO STRING LIGHTS WITH GUIDE WIRES

 

The commercial grade lights we purchased are suitable for permanent installation, either affixed to a structure {such as a pergola} or hung with a guide wire. Since we were stringing our lights back and forth between our house and our garage, we used a guide wire.

 

Full disclosure – I had no part in the actual installation of these lights. A family friend, who had experience installing commercial string lights, helped Scott do the job. They did the work while I was out of town at a conference last summer. As a result, I only have one or two photos of the process that Scott sent to show me sneak peeks along the way, but I think that the photos of the completed installation, together with their explanations, will tell you everything you need to know.

 

 

Materials Needed:

 

• Commercial Grade String Lights from PartyLights.com {discussed above}
• 1/16″ Wire Rope
• 1/16″ Wire Rope Clamps
• Eye to Eye Turnbuckle
• Screw Hooks
• Zip Ties
• Outdoor rated plugs

Since a picture is worth a thousand words…

 

 

Using the document I created showing the layout of the lights, the guys installed 5 screw hooks in the eave of the garage – one right by the outlet, and each other 5.25 feet apart. Then they installed four screw hooks in a small overhang on the house side.

 

 

They then placed eye to eye turnbuckles on each screw hook, and ran a length of wire rope between each turnbuckle {spanning the distance from house to garage}, and then secured each guide wire with a wire clamp. Once the wire rope was strung between the house and garage, the guys were able to adjust the screws in the turnbuckle to control the amount of swag in each guide wire {screwing the eye hooks further into the turnbuckle pulls the guide wire more taut}.

 

 

The screw hooks at each far end of the garage have just one eye to eye turnbuckle {because this is where the string lights end}. All of the other screw hook has two turnbuckles on it, so the guys zip tied the two turnbuckles together to secure the position of the each guide wire.

 

 

 

Once all of the guide wires were in place, the guys began attaching the light strands to the guide wires using zip ties at the location of each socket, as well as between each socket.

 

 

 

Here’s what the completed string light installation looks like on the house side of our back patio:

 

 

And here’s what it looks like where a strand ends and is capped off near the corner of the garage:

 

 

 

 

PATIO STRING LIGHTS HUNG IN A ZIGZAG PATTERN

 

The lights look great hanging above the patio during the day…

 

 

 

…but, of course, it’s when the sun goes down that the string lights become the stars of the show! I love watching the way the glow of the light changes after after the sun has set as the sky becomes deeper and deeper shades of blue.

 

 

 

 

We swapped out the regular light switch inside the garage for a dimmer switch, allowing us to control the amount of light that we get from the string lights at night. When not dimmed, the lights make the backyard quite bright {but not too bright} – perfect for entertaining or letting the kids play at night. But for a quieter backyard dinner, or when relaxing on the outdoor couch, we enjoy being able to dim the lights a bit for more ambiance.

 

 

HOW TO ADD A DIMMER TO PATIO STING LIGHTS

 

If you decide you want to use a dimmer, just make sure that you buy a dimmer that can handle the wattage load of your lights. Most dimmer switches can only handle 600 watts of power, which was insufficient for the wattage and number of bulbs we had. We burned out a regular dimmer before realizing this, and then replaced it with a 1000-watt dimmer. If your strand rates at higher than 1,000 watts, you may be unable to use a dimmer with your string lights, because we were told that no one makes dimmer rated for wattage above 1,000 {though you should confirm this for yourself}.

 

 

 

HOW ARE THE STRING LIGHTS HOLDING UP?

 

The string lights have been up in the backyard for just over a year now, and I only wish we had installed them sooner! They are such a stylish addition to our yard, and make it easier to enjoy our patio at night.

 

The guide wires and lights held up great through the Colorado winter, including a couple of major snow storms. However, earlier this summer we had a massive thunderstorm that produced very large hail, and after the storm passed we went outside to find that about 20 or so of our bulbs had been shattered by the hail. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see that the glass is gone on just about every other bulb.

 

 

I didn’t notice the broken bulbs at first, until I started finding glass on the ground. Fortunately, the kids had not yet been back outside. We already had extra bulbs on hand, so replacing them wasn’t an issue, but cleaning up all the tiny shards of thin glass was quite a job! Not only was there glass all over the cement pavers, we also found glass all over our table, chairs and couch, in the ground cover, and in the grass. So a word of warning – after a hail storm, be sure to check for any broken bulbs before letting kids run around in the backyard!

 

 

 

Hopefully I explained the installation process clearly enough to get you on the right track, but don’t hesitate to leave me a message or email me if you have further questions!

 

 

UPDATES:

• Late Summer 2015:The backyard renovation is complete! Come see how we made our yard feel twice as big!
• Summer 2016: Backyard Tour – Creating a Colorful Outdoor Living Room

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