Thanks, Hank's Oyster Bar

We tried out a new restaurant on Sunday in the neighborhood -- Hank's Oyster Bar at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue (replacing Ba Bay -- maybe if they had served Bahn Mis for dinner service they would have made it!).

As Hurricane Sandy hadn't arrived yet, it was still a pleasant day to walk for brunch.  I loved the design and style of the restaurant.

To start, I had to try the Grappling Grape (gin, concord grapes, citrus), to restore my faith in grape juice after my unfortunate run-in with Grapples earlier this summer.  I am happy to report this tasted tart and refreshing.

As I don't like oysters or other fish, I stuck with the crab cake eggs benedict.

All in all, a great addition to the neighborhood.  Good food, good service.

Porch Project: Final Reveal!

I am relieved to report the porch stencil project is finally finished!  Just in the nick of time as Hurricane Sandy bears down on DC.

All in all, I love it!  I especially love the way the stair stencilwork adds a pop of color and interest to the front of the house.  

Here are my thoughts and tips to those interested in painting your porch/patio/steps:

1. Do this project in the summer, or early fall/late spring.  I ran into time constraints with colder temperatures and waning daylight.  Also, we were hit with a lot of fall rain which hindered my progress. 
2. Buy your stencil brushes from the stencil company!  They are hard to find in stores... and buy extra since they tend to fall apart/get stray 'whiskers' after prolonged use. 
3. Consider your paint colors carefully.  While I love the colors used in the stencils themselves, I wish I had used a base layer that better matched the house instead of the bright white.  Maybe a light tan? 
4. Consider the quality of the surface of concrete... I don't think I would have done anything differently, but it's worth considering applying a new surface of concrete or doing a better job patching holes and cracks in the surface.  From afar, the quality isn't terribly affected, but the paint doesn't mask the holes and other concrete issues.  
5. For those with low attention spans or limited time, consider doing a 'rug' design stencil on the main floor -- this will eliminate having to cover the small/odd shapes of the obstructions in the border of the layout (railings, columns, etc.).  Also, consider doing a solid color stencil.  While less vibrant, this will enable you to use a roller for application, drastically speeding up the process.  I should note that I'm quite happy with my choice to buy the professional, larger size stencil template. 

Good luck!

Porch Project: Here comes the hotstepper

After sealing the main porch, I tackled the stairs.  This was fortunately an easier process and took just 2 days (two hours after work Friday, 5 hours on Saturday).

I stenciled a couple of Moroccan star patterns on each step, with a simple accent in between.  This was fairly easy, only made difficult because of the degradation of my paintbrushes.  Here's a tip for you -- buy a lot of higher quality stencil brushes in various diameters at the start of the project.

On the risers, I alternated two border patterns.  I kept the same color scheme as the porch floor, but added in a royal blue to complement the front door.  This was leftover from painting our cornhole set (Go Nats!).  

I decided to only use sealer on the risers because of how slippery it made the surface of the porch.  I don't need some trick-or-treater slipping and suing us!

Next up, it all comes together!

Porch Project: Protective Paint

The final phase of the stenciling project was to apply a few coats of protective clear coat.  I'm hoping this will help keep the paint from fading or flaking (especially since I used exterior and interior paints, instead of all porch paint!).

I had a tough time finding clear coat that wasn't high-gloss. I didn't want our porch to be all shiny!  And I worried about the slip-factor.

Finally, I found Behr Low-Lustre sealer for concrete.  It pours out milky but dries clear.

It was a pretty easy task to apply the first coat.  I used a small roller for the corner areas. I switched to a larger roller for the main part of the floor but found it left the sealer a little gloopy/bubbly, so I finished with the small roller to get a smooth finish.

I used the extension handle and was done in no time!



Now I just have to add a few more coats (more = better protection?).

Porch Project: Stencil Patchwork

After finishing the main area of the porch stencil painting, I was left with a few remaining white spaces in the edges by the house, the railings and the columns. I wasn't looking forward to this part because it required bending or cutting the stencil pattern, or possibly even free-hand painting.

Turns out it was not too bad. I did the largest areas first, then methodically cut off pieces of the stencil to fit against the barriers.  By the end of the night, I was left with a pile of about 30 stencil pieces. I powered through the project on a nice evening after work and finished it off. Whew, no more stencil painting!  At least on this part...

Inspiration from the Renovator's House Tour

I took a break from the stencil painting project over the weekend and went on the Renovator's House Tour in Capitol Hill.  This is a yearly event where you can tour 12 renovated homes -- and take a sneak peek into the lives of your neighbors!

Here are some pictures I took for inspiration on potential projects for our house:

1.  For the backyard, I would love to add a planter box, or better yet, a stone walled landscaping feature!

At the very least, vines or greenery on the fence.

2.  I loved this air intake cover -- I never would have thought to do this!  Adds a neat vintage flair.

3.  The basement.  We have ideas of exposing a brick wall... and I definitely want to refinish the ceiling.  We are nervous about the condition of the brick in the basement interior wall because we've heard that is where the lowest quality bricks are used.  Nice to know we could paint it white for a nice finished look if needed. 

4.  Finally, would love to add an exposed brick arch doorway like this!

Doors to the past

Bare walls no more!

We finally decided on some art in the bedroom.  I love these shutter doors from Oman -- the carved wood and painted tiles add a neat dimension to the shutters.

Eventually we might get a 3rd or 4th shutter to balance and fill the space better.