Bathroom Project Update

 I have been working over the last month on a friends bathroom.  Things are going to really start coming together by the end of this week.  Still a ton to do!

One of the things we are planning is to paint out the cabinetry and "change it up" a bit.  It'll save us a ton of money to make some minimal changes and that money can be used elsewhere.  She's trusting me, so hopefully I can wow her when I get it done and make her love her cabinets again.

The shower is ready for glass, which should be here by the end of the week, except for caulking which shouldn't take too long to do.  I've also gotten most of the tub surround completed as well.  The front facade I am going to finish after the floor since it'll need to be cut to fit once the floor is down.

 The old countertop is being replaced so I left the final few pieces off until the new countertop is installed, just in case.

I spent multiple days last week grouting.  I had to use two different grouts due to the glass tiles.  Worth the hassle.  My friend didn't want white grout so we went with grey.  There are multiple colors to choose from so I went with the one that had the same color available in sanded, unsanded and caulk.  Only one left to choose from (in stock) so that's what I went with.

The white ceramic tiles get the sanded grout.  It came in a pre-mixed tub which made it very easy.  I did small sections at a time.  I've made the mistake in the past of doing too large of an area and getting the grout off is extremely difficult (my husband is still cursing me for that one!)  

 Same color grout but un-sanded for the glass mosaic tiles.  Also, because there's natural stone they got a couple coats of sealer first.

This project is about an hour from my house.  When I spend the day over there I try to make it worth the drive and get enough done to make it worth my while.  Half-days are a waste of gas, so in my efforts to use time wisely I also stripped the carpeting.  Yep, they've been walking on sub-floor for nearly a week.  After the glass and countertops come we can tackle the floor.

Ripping out carpet is a pretty easy task.  Here's a peek:  

I started with that awful stair, I really hate these things.  Do you really need a stair to get into the bathtub?  I think it's more of a hazard than a help myself.

Using a utility knife I simply cut the carpeting into small, manageable strips rolling them up as I went.  Padding is the same.  Time-consuming and a little rough on the knees, but easy peasy.

 Around your doorways just figure out where the door sits in the casing and cut the carpet in the center of that space.  I used the level as a guide.  We are leaving the carpeting in the closet area so we'll use a piece of metal tile to carpet edge trim here and at the entry door between the bathroom and bedroom.

 Carpet and pad are gone now its time to get rid of the tack strips.  I just go around the room with a screwdriver and hammer and pry them up in manageable pieces (I put them inside the rolled carpet when possible).  You can also see staples in the sub floor, those need to be removed as well.  They make a floor scraper that works great for this but I left mine at home, so, screwdriver it is.  Maybe took a little more time but still a quick process.

 Before I get started on the floor I'll need to take off the trim and work on the door casings as well (they'll need shortened a little to accommodate the durock and tile).

My friend and her husband are still using and living in the space as I work on it.  What a mess for them.  I'm sure they look at it most of the time and think it's never going to get done.  Hopefully by the weekend they'll see it all coming together, even though there's still a ton of work to do.

Glass shower surround and countertops are coming in a couple days.  What a difference they will make.