Bathroom Complete… Mostly

I’m gonna call it complete because all that needs to be done is some caulking around the shower door, cabinet hardware, and a mirror. But you can just visualize that, right?

I’m open for suggestions on the mirror – I’m thinking framed in the tile from the shower accent or framed in hickory wood to match the cabinet… what do you think? Other ideas?

Tiling always takes SO MUCH LONGER than I think it will. Every. Time. But the grouting is fun and easy. Just be sure to wear plastic gloves or your fingertips will crack painfully. I know.

We decided to border the bathroom in the darker tile because we thought it would look cool… and there wasn’t enough to do the whole floor in one color… but ALL the tile in the bathroom was less than $40. Horaay!

I LOVE when the cabinet goes in! It feels like it’s almost done! And I love our daring paint color! It really does a lot to update the whole look and make it more “current.” I also love our tile baseboards! So cool!

Even though this new shower is not much bigger than the old fiberglass one… it FEELS a lot bigger. I love the shelf and the accent really spices up the boring tile.

I love that the electrical is a lot more organized. Light, light, fan, plug.

And a close up of Rob’s beautiful handiwork! I adore the glow of this hickory cabinet!

And the big reveal

Before

After

What was entailed in this tiny bathroom remodel:

floor scraping, floor grinding, concrete pouring, researching, shower base shaping, concrete board wall installing, mortar spreading, tile setting, grouting, more grouting, more tile setting, electrical wire running, taping, mudding, sanding, texturing, priming, painting, exhaust fan installing, ceiling tile installing, cabinet making, countertop gluing, sink installation, plumbing testing, toilet installation, shower door installation, shower door adjustment, shower door re-installation, 98 trips to Lowe’s, 8 more trips to any hardware store for just one item, sitting back and admiring…. aah.

Adventures in Bathroom Renovation

Because I felt a little bad about making guests use the ugly bathroom with the gold flecked sink and teeny tiny fiberglass shower…. because I know one can make a bathroom look SO much better with just a little tile and a new countertop…. and because I got plenty of nice tile at the auction for a grand total of $17.50 (as well as a cultured marble sink/countertop for another $17.50)… the downstairs bathroom renovation has begun!!

I tried really hard (okay, not that hard) to salvage the gold flecked sink… but it just refused to relinquish its hold on the cabinet…

The laminate flooring, of which I don’t have a picture, bested me with its grip on the floor. I spend a few hours pounding the scraper with the hammer only to release a few square feet. Rob was my savior with his strength and technique and defeated the evil 70s floor in less than a day, using our concrete grinder to get all the remnants.

So beautiful!

When Rob removed the shower, however, we discovered a rather large hole in the floor where, presumably, the previous owners didn’t like the placement of the drain and just left the gaping hole. So, Rob filled it. But before that could happen, the poorly joined pipe broke loose and Rob had to dig it out and replace the plumbing. First time to dig the dirt UNDER our foundation. Check.

Next came the first shaping of the shower base, the curb for the edge of the shower, and the shower pan liner. Have I mentioned my husband is extremely talented? He did all of this!

Last night, he finished putting up the concrete board for the shower walls. He even designed a shelf (based on my largest shampoo bottle) along the back wall of the shower.

Even though this project has already taken longer than expected, I think the difference will be worth it. Rob is eager, however, to get started building the kitchen cabinets! More to come!