Remodeling lessons: Starbucks should have sponsored this project

Perhaps it was a sign of the times that many of the materials I selected had colors in the coffee palette. Upstairs, the walls were painted with what looked like a smooth cappuccino; actually, the color was Nomadic Desert from Sherwin Williams. Sherwin Williams offers Duration Home brand low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint and Harmony brand no-VOC paint at price points that are closing in on conventional paints. For more, check out the Sherwin Williams GreenSure Initiative.

The stain I used on the front door was “Java” and the new kitchen and bath cabinetry was finished in “Latte.” The very effective two-part acrylic concrete paint I used on the floor of the new basement laundry room was - what else - "Mocha" and then there was that caramel streak in the granite.

On more than one occasion I told my barista friends at Starbucks that they should be sponsoring my project. After all, I was willing to put up a banner or wear a Starbucks T. Truth be told, I was really hoping for a Starbucks cap to wear while playing volleyball. Apparently it just wasn’t in the ad budget, notwithstanding the fact that part of my morning ritual was to consume a grande Casi Cielo, Fincas de Chiapas or other Central American brew to get fired up for the day’s construction. Casi Cielo is my favorite coffee. I'm planning a trip to Guatemala to verify that the coffee, the product of four farms near Antigua, is genuinely fair-trade and sustainably grown, as claimed.

If not Starbucks, Home Depot?

I made a similar pitch to my new friends at Home Depot with similar results. The folks at HD were incredibly helpful, particularly those in the flooring department at the Midvale Home Depot. Among other things, they vallidated a lot of my design decisions. Toward the end of the project, my friend RV gifted me with a new cap that was emblazened "Home Depot Pro" - he had spotted the cap at a thrift store in Salt Lake. Feeling like I earned the moniker, I now wear the cap with pride. Eat your heart out Starbucks.