The saga of the wayward bathroom remodel – Part 1

If anyone has a decent memory you will remember I have been remodeling two bathrooms in my house.  The first one was completed with a quick pace using just a couple of weekends to accomplish the demolition and make the necessary repairs.  The changes were also done quickly and included installing new tile flooring, new moose light fixture, toilet and towel holders and relocating the lavatory/base cabinet giving more room next to the toilet.

Moving on to my master bathroom I was reminded this week that the demolition pictures which started with tearing out the shower tile walls took place the last week of October, making this makeover several months longer than was initially anticipated.

I worked on the demo and the repairs which were more than I thought we would find but nothing that really surprised me.  The work progressed getting the walls and floor stripped and the piping relocated for the water and drain lines.  The water damaged areas were cut out and the replaced and the wall between the bedroom and bathroom were totally removed so I could replace the header so I could frame in a new pocket door.  The electrical work included installation of 2 new light sconce fixtures, wiring, adding a couple GCFI outlets and installing new insulation and vapor barrier.  I installed a new mirror but this one sits ‘off’ the wall and is adjustable depending on one’s height.

I’m writing all of this so it sounds like I have been working and not dragging my feet on this project.  There were inactive time periods when I was laid off briefly and while waiting on some of the parts for the new shower. 

I did make efforts to get half of the bathroom back up and running as quickly as possible.  The tile flooring was installed and I custom built a new lavatory countertop.  That was also tiled with nice glass tile trim on the backsplash.  A new square lavatory and faucet were installed as well as an open shelf area below the sink with wooden spindle turned legs giving the appearance of a furniture piece.  The toilet was reinstalled and half the bathroom was returned to service.

Several weeks went by as we acquired the tile and materials to continue the work on the shower.  Putting up the Durock panels went smoothly and building the shampoo niche was fun while the small step shelf for shaving or washing your legs was trying at times getting everything to work out.  There is a product called ‘Red Guard’ that you put on the seams to waterproof different areas in the shower. 

It is painted on the corners and where two pieces of Durock come together making a solid waterproof membrane between the different surfaces.  One of the strange things about applying this is the color as it goes on the surfaces.  It starts out a bright pink color and as it slowly dries turns a deep red.  It reminds me of the old muscle cars on the 70’s which makes the walls and the corners of everything look like it has some racing stripes.

(The floor will have a natural stone look to it)

We started installing the tile over last weekend making cuts for the smaller than normal size pieces which are a mixture of 12” x 12” and 6” x 6” tiles.  There is also a glass type accent piece which is installed just at the shampoo niche and runs around the four walls.  The niche’s back wall also uses it with a green tile (same as the flooring) which lines the horizontal and vertical pieces giving a nice contrast to the light colored main tiles on the walls and ceiling.

More tomorrow so the pictures do not take so long to load.

Good day

Ice