New Baby, New Carpet - A Stainmaster Solarmax Makeover

Our friend Janis was recently blessed with the birth of a baby boy who is only one month older than our son which means we've already got the perfect playmate. She lives down the street from us in a one-bedroom condo and shares her apartment with her dog Sake.

Janis keeps a very clean home but she knew that with the arrival of her little one she needed to make a few changes, one of which was new carpet. Her current carpet was relatively clean but was worn in the high-traffic areas and had accumulated dirt and hair from her dog that was difficult to remove. When shopping for new carpet, Janis wanted stain resistance and easy cleanup as well as a color choice that complimented her style.

We suggested she check out Lowe's which she already shops at and to look at the new Solarmax carpet from Stainmaster. It's got a lifetime warranty on stain and soil, 25 years on fade and 15 years on abrasive wear. A great warranty was a big plus as Janis didn't want to be concerned with hassle of replacing the carpet anytime soon and shopping at Lowe's she could pick out the carpet color and setup installation the same day.

Janis went with the white/beige style which complimented the honey colored wood floors that she had in her dining and living area. She setup the install and we followed along to take some photos of the process.

All furniture had to be removed and with a baby in tow Janis was in no condition to do that. Fortunately Lowe's install offers this service and they gently moved everything out to her balcony and promptly started tearing up the old carpet.

They quickly tacked down the carpet padding and within two hours they had finished carpeting the three rooms.

They gently put all the furniture back in place and cleared out all of the old padding and carpet.

The piece of mind that knowing her son could safely play on new clean floors that would also stand up to his inevitable spills was well worth the effort to upgrade her carpet.

Janis is extremely pleased with the way the carpet turned out and she couldn't say enough about how pleasant the installers were to work with. As any new mom knows, dealing with getting the house ready for baby can be stressful but Lowe's made it as easy as possible.

Disclosure: Lowe's works with online media such as myself to conduct product reviews. They do not tell us what to say about their products or how to say it. Lowe's fundamentally believes that people should be free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Lowe's policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

The Art of Hand Pinstriping a Classic Car

Last year after a lengthy search we acquired a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300D turbo diesel. We found the color combination we wanted with low miles and great interior.

Even though the car is a bold red, Laura felt it needed something a bit more so we opted to add a pink pinstripe. The pink doesn't always stand out but the difference when you look at the vehicle is like night and day but its one of those things that you might not put your finger on at first since it's so subtle.

To apply the pinstripe we discovered a guy who has been doing this by hand for 30 years. He works out of a small shop in LA and after we finally decided on color it took only 30 minutes and he was done. We couldn't have asked for a straighter line and he did this all by hand!

The pinstripe tapers at the ends which takes a lot of skill and one of his secrets is he used a piece of tape as a finger guide as he painted the car in one motion from end to end. It was beautiful to watch and we take pride in the fact that we had this hand done by an expert.

We love to honor and celebrate the work of craftsman so if you know of anyone who you feel deserves some praise let us know.

How to Install Stainless Steel Kitchen Countertops

Installing new countertops is an ambitious do-it-yourself project no matter what type of material you choose. These homeowners shared their journey to install stainless steel countertops which look great and are a huge upgrade to their previous formica.

They used plywood as a base and purchased the stainless steel from a local sheet metal dealer which saved them huge dollars. Total cost of the countertop was $400 (about $20 per sqft.) They called in a pro to help bend the metal but besides that they did all of the rest of the work themselves and ended up with a professional looking countertop that won't stain or rust and is durable enough to withstand hot pans and spills of all types.

Check out their full tutorial here.

Build a DIY Beer Case for those BYOB Parties

We've got the perfect woodworking project that you can build in time for your Super Bowl parties. A reader submitted this project and you know he arrives at BYOB parties in style with this DIY beer case he made.

It looks like some basic plywood and glue to pull this bad boy together. We hope to see the plans for this but it looks solid and could withstand a night of drinking.

We love the quote and the look of unfinished wood but you could really customize this case with some paint and I think it would make a great tailgating accessory with the right team name emblazoned on the side.