lauraWaHi's Profile

i dont think you will be able to paint over the vinyl tile you have, perhaps if you stripped it down to the subfloor you could use benjamin moore floor paint..

skimstone is designed to be used on concrete floors, as are those paints for garage floors.

i would suggest a trip to home depot, there are a number of flexible vinyl flooring options,
such as the wood look ones were already suggested by a previous poster. it is pretty cheap, and easy to diy.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/Search?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&keyword=traffic%20master%20allure&Ns=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1&selectedCatgry=SEARCH+ALL

i think it looks great.

tearing down a partition wall to make the space function as a workplace is relatively inexpensive to do, and easy to replace when they sell.

removing a bathroom would definitely be costly and would hurt the resale value. also the bathroom has no window, so could not be counted as a bedroom when time comes to resell.

It's good that you have a system that works for you, but I wonder about the safety of having your primary means of egress lined with things that could so easily trip you, or your guests, if you had to evacuate in an emergency.

i have the bissel steam mop too, i think i bought it about 8 years ago and it still works great. i have used mine on hardwood floors for about 4 years and there has been no observable damage. before that i used it on laminate floors in my old apartment, again with no problems. the steam evaporates very quickly, so the floors never really get wet the way the do when you use a regular mop.

I had the same stroller dilemma when my daughter was born.

I opted for a baby bjorn baby carrier for the first few months, then when my daughter was nine months old we got a maclaren volo. I don't have a car, so I rely on public transport. For me the maclaren is a lifesaver, it folds up to an incredibly small size and has a sturdy shoulder strap. The weight difference between the volo and some of the other maclarens was only a few pounds, bit I find that what I am laden down with groceries and holding my daughter I am so glad I got the volo. As an added bonus, because it folds up so small, it fits in a tiny space (5" x 10" x 45") under a cabinet in our hallway, so it is not wasting any closet space. I really did think I would need another stroller for long walks, but our daughter is completely happy and comfortable in her volo, she takes long naps in it too.

my daughter is just past two and I still love our stroller, it still looks great too. When/if we have another child I intend to use the baby carrier to volo route again.

the casalino jr's are nice too, i have a set of 4 from the eighties and they still look great. i heard about the reissues a year ago, but i have yet to track down a retailer.

these are called finger cots, they are used in professional kitchens to cover a bandaged finger, to prevent band aids and associated grossness from coming off when preparing food. no one likes a used band aid in their salad.

i can understand a finger cot manufacturer trying to find another market for their product, but this is just beyond wierd.

my granny had one of these. i remember them being very common in the UK in the 70's and 80's.
it was great for a little old lady who could not bend down to rummage in base cabinets, nor reach overhead to pull things off an overhead pot rack.

i love it, does not look cluttered at all. this is how small space living should be done.
i think it is such a great idea to put all the storage in one place, instead of trying to fit stuff into every nook and cranny.

perhaps you would consider skim coating the walls, replacing the baseboards and only stripping the windows and door frames? you can hire the tools for the baseboards at home depot and get it done in a weekend. it is also pretty easy to do the skim coat yourself, you will just be sanding more bumps than the professionals have to. if your building was built before 1960 you can be just about certain that there is lead paint in there, but there are some strippers that can safely remove lead. never ever use a heat gun though, the fumes can be lethal.

here is a lead paint removal how to:
http://www.ronhazelton.com/howto/lead_paint_removal.htm

and a product that will strip lead paint:
http://www.paintremoval.com/paintremover.htm

i skim coated and stripped paint like this in my apartment, and my personal safety measures were:
remove everything from the room being worked on. put down a layer of resin paper, followed by a layer of plastic, followed by a layer of damp newspaper (it attracts dust)
keep a water bottle and spray the paper periodically.
seal off all doorways with two layers of plastic.
wear paper overalls when working in the room, and shower immediately after leaving it.
wear a respirator rated for lead.
clean up carefully and double bag all garbage.
discard any tool that was used in the paint removal.