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We got the call to remodel a fireplace, hearth and full wrap mantle. Unique in many ways, this full wrap fireplace mantle would have a pair of arched recessed panels in the center below the crown top sitting above the columns on both sides of the fire box.
No exotic wood species here though, my clients wanted it painted white. So we built her out of 3/4″ MDF [multi-density-fiberboard] with some various El & El moldings to create something extraordinary!
Any above average painter can fau out this resin flex molding too, so even all the real wood lovers can enjoy a radius molding appearance without the extra shop tools and mind bending , wood bending tasks. Whatever the type of molding you are using, IE., baseboards, casings or even a 5 1/2″ crown molding , then the flex mold can bend – curve or wrap around to meet up with any other common or custom molding your using.
MDF full wrap mantle with Flex Moulding
Underneath the arch , a piece of flat stock was implemented to return and butt into the face of the travertine stone that was used on the wall and hearth areas of this fire place.
This resin pour custom flex mold is highly pliable and very much paintable or stained. Acts like wood when cutting – nailing – sanding or glueing , for any DIY ‘er thats ready to make a difference!My-diy.net
Flexible flat stock to aide in the return
Why call the guy? When YOU can DIY!!
This approach to creating counter space is growing daily and will give identical appearance as some of the other more expensive counter top options. Using concrete on top of cabinetry or even a pass through shelve, can certainly change the look in any room or office. Outside of the concrete color or veining techniques, the mixing and pouring is essentially identical.
Here in this concrete counter form image with reinforced steel or rebar, 
we have used 4″ lag screws to anchor the #3 rebar, staggered every 24″O.C. The counter or shelve here is formed to 2″ in depth and 12″ wide with the length being 10′ long between the two end points of the adjacent walls. Because it sits atop a 2×4 framed wall, it will cantilever 2″ to the kitchen area and roughly 6″ pass the other side of the same wall into the living room. 
The image to the left here shows the importance of protecting the wood framing beneath with flashing paper to act as a moisture barrier and future dry-rotting adherent. The small spacers under our #3 rebar allows the new aggregate pour to completely surround the reinforcement steel for optimum strength.
- plywood or melamine, plus screws to build the mold
- bagged countertop mix (or “scratch” mix below)
- dyes or pigment if you’re coloring your counter-top
- grinder / polisher with water feed (can be rented)
- diamond polishing discs of various grit
- Tupperware or similar sandwich containers to make concrete samples
- concrete mixer- concrete vibrating tool (can be rented)- dusts masks
- eye protection- ear protection
That’s why it’s a good idea to make sample pours first so that you can get an idea what you’re working with and how small variations in the concrete mix can make a difference.
Many people start with a premixed concrete countertop mix. They are specially formulated to be flowable and high strength with plasticizer that makes it flow well even at a low water / cement ratio.
A low water / cement ratio is important for a good result that resists cracking. The Quikrete mix has high enough flow that the need for mechanical vibration is minimized, and it’s made for minimal shrinkage.
Alternately, you could start with regular bagged concrete mix that is rated for a hardness of 5,000 psi or greater, available @ Home Depot or most of your home improvement centers.
Here is a counter top mix you can make “from scratch” that’s enough to make a small test block and that can be scaled up by weight.
You can use a kitchen or postal scale to weigh out the sample measurements. It is recommended that you use white sand and white cement to maximize your color options:
Product / Weight in Grams
Portland Cement 210g
Sand 625g
Nycon G nylon fiber 1g
Metakaolin 30g
Fritz-Pak FR1 Water Reducer 5g
Water 80-90g
If you’re using Quickrete Countertop Mix or Sackrete 5000, or some other pre-mixed countertop mix, start with about 875 grams of dry mix and about 85 grams of water to make a sample.
Whether you’re using a bag concrete mix or my “scratch” concrete countertop recipe, use the smallest amount of water necessary to craft a mix that you can work with.
Of course, you can only estimate how it’s going to look once it’s cured, but again, you have to start somewhere.
Write down how many grams of colorant you use in every batch so you’ll have a basis for guessing how much more or less you need in subsequent samples and so you’ll also know about how much you’ll need for the final product once you get the color you want.
If you want a darker concrete countertop – all the way to a dark charcoal gray – start with Home Depot’s Quickrete Countertop Mix, which is darker than the scratch recipe above, and add charcoal colorant.
Start with one bottle per bag of concrete countertop mix when mixing the final countertop.
Of course you can still experiment with the colorant in your sample slabs.
After you’ve poured your sample, allowed it to set and removed it, ask yourself what’s right and what’s wrong about it. Color will likely be the thing that determines what you should try next.
In fact, you should keep all of your samples so you can try out your concrete polishing and sealing techniques on them. Once you have your sample smoothed to the finish you want, you can seal it, according to the directions or you can seal it with beeswax (which may not be the best at standing up to what the average kitchen countertop endures) or even pure tung oil (like what is used on wood). It depends on the final look you want.
In this competitive real estate market, sellers need to take all possible measure to attract a buyer’s interest. When a homebuyer enters a seller’s home, they need to be able to say “I can see myself here” within the first minute. First impressions are the most important, and in a buyer’s market, even little details count for a lot.
Most of the time, homebuyers want to find versatile spaces, after all, there’s little chance the buyer will view a space the same as a seller. It’s important to have neutral colors on the walls and furniture, avoid clutter, and also focus on what elements of each space buyers look at first; counters, cabinets, fireplaces, home appliances, and floors sell homes. So before you start giving tours, consider doing a little DIY home repair to get everything in peak condition.
Can you believe my client actually paid for this for this fascia board/ termite repairs, removal and replacement, 2-1/2 years ago, in California during a drought period. We also will point out that 1×6 fascia board was not pre-primed before install and fastened by the drip edge metal roof flashing by the face nails through the bottom half of the drip edge flashing. Forcing it tight against and not letting it perform it’s designed task.
Extremely important is the fact that the moisture has to fall free from the roof and away from the face of the fascia board. This allows the costly repairs of real estate construction work, more time [6-10 years] between home improvement repairs.
Tools required: nail puller / small prybar / tin snips / electric reciprocating saw [sawzall] / straight claw hammer / primer / paint brush etc. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME and REAP the REWARDS of HOME OWNERSHIP!
Remodeling the bathroom can seem like a chore best left to the professionals. However, simple bathroom renovations are not all that difficult even for the person who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge of interior design. Doing a bathroom remodel is an excellent method to entice potential homebuyers for people trying to sell their home, and also having an updated bathroom is nice for personal use. To get started with a bathroom remodel, first address tiling and cabinetry. For people who don’t have a cabinet unit housing their sink, there’s no need to address the cabinetry obviously. But for those who do have cabinets, ripping out and installing cabinets is quite simple, but the plumbing can be a little tricky and it’s advised to hire a professional to hook it up. In terms of tiling, it’s a tedious process, but for people with patience and a keen eye, tiling is simple.
Cabinetry and tiling are the main aspects of a bathroom remodel, but don’t be shy about repainting or installing new lighting fixtures. Skylights, while quite expensive, also make excellent additions to a bathroom.
Super deal of the century has the Multi Max factory-reconditioned Dremel 6300-02LR 120 volt oscillating kit at over half price, this beauty comes with all the extras. Including blades and sanding disc’s plus the carrying case at under $70 US. In my professional opinion I could not have given a more valuable gift to my crew than this super duty bad to the bone electric tool for almost any detail cutting on the job site, every diy’er or pro has got to have one of these. Amazon got this one nailed for sure.
In the diy home repairs category of termite facia board replacement, it’s cutting away a small section of a 1×6 fascia board and replacing it. The main key here is to achieve this without it appearing as if you were ever even there. Lets miter cut this with a Fein multi master saw. A handsaw will work but the Fein saw can get it done quickly and very clean.
We always advise to back prime all ends of any cuts before installation of the new replacement fascia piece. This will thoroughly protect and avoid further exposure to the elements of weather and any raw wood scents for the termites. Also noted here that the miter cuts long point should be placed with the new piece setting over the existing diy home repairs fascia board.