weekend update: bathroom and kitchen projects started!

This past weekend was fun:

don't worry, we have another toilet... it's in the living room

it's normal for houses to ooze blood, right?

this makes getting utensils SO much easier!

Things are super exciting around here! So much so, that I forget (ignore) the 4 rooms piled up in complete disarray...


*Yes, all are iPhone pics

bathroom breakdown

Ok, faithful followers, here is the more in-depth look at the vanity DIY.  So, sit back, relax and prepare yourself for one long-a** post, cuz here it comes!

Plan of attack: use a kitchen cart, stained and poly-urethaned, hack it and then mounted a vessel sink and faucet.  Install.  Voila.

The Ikea Bekvam cart* comes with casters (wheels) on two legs and solid/full legs on the other two, making those couple legs longer than the others.  Therefore, one must saw two legs down to size.  Then, ones boyfriend must correct ones mistake and even out the legs.   

Then came the staining.  I find to get the best color by brushing layer upon layer of the stain on until it is not immediately absorbed by the wood- the piece should look wet.  Let this sit for a while (see directions on the can- the longer you let it sit, the darker the color will be) before wiping off the excess with a rag.  Letting the stain sit for a good amount of time is ESSENTIAL for the first coat- you will never get the color dark if you rush this step.  Follow the directions for waiting period between coats (usually 4-6 hours), and repeat until satisfied with the result.

I think I did 3 or 4 coats of stain on all pieces.

Tip: be mindful of the sides!  I prefer to either do the sides at the same time I do the top/face of a piece so that you avoid any drip marks or pooling on the visible parts.  Alternatively, make sure you run a rag across the un-touched side after every application to catch any drips.  

Tip: its easier to stain before assembly.  You want to limit the number of crevices and corners you need to work into.

Next step, poly-urethaning!  I can feel the excitement in the air! (PS- I used the basic Minwax PolyUrethane in clear gloss)  This part requires more patience: slow & steady is the name of the game, or else you get bubbles.  And no one wants bubbles in their poly... No one.  So just go slowly in one, fluid & complete stroke from one side to the other.  If you do get a bubble, just go back over again.  In between coats, make sure to use extra fine sand-paper to rough up the surface and some tack cloth to remove all dust.

Tip: on pieces that I did all but the bottom at once, (like the top of the vanity,) it is handy to prop this above your work surface.  In the picture above, you can see the top is resting on a couple 2x4s so that I could wipe around the bottom edge after a coat.  This also allows you to poly (or stain) the sides without covering the work station with stain.

Oh, and I did 3 coats on the legs, shelves and support, and 4 coats on the top of the vanity.  

For the shelves, which have perpendicular slats, I used this Minwax Fast Drying Spray Polyurethane.  We used the same product on the wine shelves for the bar.  Review: I have to admit, I am a fan!  It works particularly well for items with ridges, nooks, crannies, elevations and such.  This will never give you as smooth or thick of a cover as the brushed on version, but for protecting a low-traffic area?  Fantastic!  Another bonus is that you can apply coats after 2 hours, which helps speed up the process.  If you use this product, I recommend spraying from all angles during a single coat.  

After all the polying and the staining were finished, the beau cut two holes in the top for the sink and the faucet, (in accordance with the product instructions.)  

We dry-fit the vanity to make sure everything lined up.  It did!  

....at this point I was getting super excited.  LOOK AT IT!!

But then, DISASTER!!!!!!

Remember this guy?  Oh yeah, he was a fun time.  But, we were able to return the set and get a better faucet for the sink.  

VICTORY!!!!  As you can see, this faucet bends and shoots the water straight down.  No water-launcher here!  Onto the next hiccup in our plans...

UPDATE: Sink and faucet were installed per product instructions.  We did a line of clear caulk around the base of the sink, in addition to a line under the sink.

So, at first look this is perfect.  The J-bend was able to fit back on and the upper shelf could remain in-tact.  Annnndddddd then, of course, we hit a road-block: we needed to extend the plumbing to reach the sink.  The new plumbing has a larger J-bend, which did not fit with the shelf in place.  

But just that one little slat was the offender...

...so we cut that little bugger out!  

Ta-da!  Solution!  That is what we call problem-solving.  And now for the glamor shot of the undercarriage:

Ooooo baby!  That is some sexy plumbing!  The beau got some better escutcheons (the parts that cover the wall holes at the base of the water valves and drain pipe,) and I must say it is looking pretty damn snazzy! 

Ok ok ok, I know you are tired of my ramblings and lengthy words and half-shots.  Well here you go, you demanding crowd (of 3 people,) here are your reveal shots (for full Before photos, see here and here):

BEFORE

AFTER

What do you think?!  You think it is GORGEOUS and TOTALLY AWESOME?  Well, good.  That is the correct response.

And about that hand towel you see above?  Well, my grand vision of this bathroom was to be fairly neutral, with natural, spa-like elements.... and with pops of spring green!  Armed with a few hundred Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons, we went on a towel-hunting mission.  A successful towel-hunting mission, that is.  We got a set of the green towels, and a few accent towels in white waffle with three edge stripes in varying shades of green.  OH, and I never showed you the fabulous curtain for that room we got awhile ago, (also B,B & B) so you'll get to enjoy that here, too.  Go on, enjoy:

So, from here, all we have to do is replace that old, tiny medicine cabinet, (we have this one in mind,) and the hanging-by-their-wires dressing room-style light fixture, and this room is D-O-N-E!  Oh, and replace the doorknob & hinges, but those are minor.  BUT THEN!  D-o-n-e.  For reals.

One more look at that shiz-nit:

*Other Bekvam-hacked-vanities here, here and here.

upstairs bathroom reveal

BATHROOM IS (almost) DONE!!! 

You know, before I show any pictures, I thought now would be a good time to talk.  Shoot the breeze.  Chit-chat.  Get to know one another.  Because I feel I keep giving you these half-finished reveals; these semi-Afters. Well, lemme break it down for you: this is how home renovation goes.  More particularly, this is how our renovations, as first-time home-buyers who are learning as they go and are working on a teeny-tiny shoestring budget roll, seem to go.  Basically, ya do what ya are able to with the money and expertise you have at the time...

...then you wait until you have the money/help/tools to do the rest.  It is agonizing and slow and, well, horrible for blog reveals.  As you see, this doesn't phase me, and here you go!  Another almost-done!  Lucky you.

BEFORE:

Yup, this is the beauty I walked into.  Peeling wallpaper on half the walls, classic black and pink tiles on the walls, shower and floor, a worn and stripped vanity with an un-secure top, and a blue tub.  Throw in SEVERELY leaking plumbing in the shower and tub, and that was our bathroom!  Jealous?  Oh yeah, I know I am.  

DURING: 

It wasn't until last July that I finally showered in the upstairs shower!  And man, what a luxury that was- no more scampering around & downstairs in my towel or robe... small victories.  The wall tiles were removed, and drywall hung.  The shower and floor were re-tiled with a neutral tile (see more about that here.)  

AFTER:

HOLY CRAP!

Stay tuned for a more in-depth look....

vanity update: cue doom music

Oh dear.  Oh dear, dear me.  

The beau and I had a HUGE google doc with a ton of sink and faucet options: white, glass and color... round, rectangle, other, etc etc.  After working through all (like when getting fitted for glasses: "which is better, A or B?  Ok, now B or C?") we decided on this guy.  But, after we did a dry (HA!*) fit, meaning we hooked up the pipes and tested everything before caulking and tightening everything, we realized this combination of sink and faucet just will not do.

Why, you ask?  

See anything wrong?

WE MADE A WATER-LAUNCHER!  This combination of Kraus Sheven faucet should NOT be paired with this particular sink (also by Kraus)... I cannot stress this enough.  The sink is on the shallow side, with sloped sides.  When the water comes out of the faucet at a 45degree angle, it hits the sloped side of the sink and VOOSH!  All over the vanity, the floor, and the poor soul standing in front of it.  We tinkered around with the distance between the faucet and the sink (hoping if the water hit lower, it would be ok,) and with the valves at the wall (less water coming out, less water-ramp, right?)

In the end, we decided we want it to be "right" and not install everything and live with "1/3 water valves open", so we are exchanging for this... we are hoping that this style faucet, with the bend, will force the water straight down and hit the drain at a 90degree angle and, therefore, no splatter will occur.  The new sink & faucet combo is $10 less than the original purchase PLUS we found a coupon code for Overstock, so MONEY SAVED!  ...or at least breaking even after return shipping?  Will find out how much that adds up to, soon.  

With the design flaw** and the exchange.... we are ending up with the EXACT SAME SET (different color) as YoungHouseLove.  

Here is hoping the new sink & faucet get here right quick!

*Dry... I WISH!  Water, water everywhere.

**I was live chatting*** with an Overstock help lady, (to see if we had to exchange the whole thing or if could just swap the faucet- answer? whole thing) and she said something like "I just checked the product page, and if you install as the specifications say and as shown in the picture, the water will not splatter." 

...

......

REALLY, lady?  You are telling me I am wrong after I told you how we did everything to the instructions AND then moved around to see if something better would work?  Do they teach that in customer service school?  Lecture the customer on how they are obviously doing something wrong, even though you have no evidence to this.

So I responded using her exact words "I just checked the ACTUAL product, and if you install as the specifications say and as shown in the picture, the water WILL splatter all over the place."  

**I LOVE live customer service chat!  Beats waiting on hold to get someone on the phone (though, you can't really rant as easily), but I feel it's much quicker response time.  And you can link to pages (which is easier) and you can do other things on computer while waiting, if necessary.  Or, don't have to go to a place where you won't disturb coworkers or have enough bars for a call.

pop quiz: weekend plans

Guess what we are up to this weekend?  I will give you three guesses... in the form of pictures:

1. It involves shiny, pretty, wood that has been stained and polyurethaned.  Any guesses yet?  No?

2.  The project involves the bathroom.  Particularly, this bit of ugliness.  Oh, and for the record, I have NO IDEA why I never threw a quick coat of white paint on that gremlin- I mean, the sanding was practically done for me!  Again, would have taken me a few minutes while watching tv after work, and did I?  Nope.  Do not know why this bugs me....

Anyone?  Guesses?  Remember, there are no wrong answers.  Except for when they aren't correct.

3. Ok, ok... so it involves a sink.


Ok, class, final answers?

tic, tac, tile

BEFORE

Classic 1950s bathroom.  Pink & black shower tiles that also cover 1/2 the rest of the walls and tiny pink & black floor tiles.  But don't worry, just when you thought it would all make sense, they put a blue tub in this bathroom.  I don't know why.  AND THE WALLPAPER!  Sheesh.  It's like a carousel.  And it was peeling, (shocking, I know... steamy bathroom + wallpaper?  Sounds like a fabulous idea to me!  Except for the fact that they use STEAMERS to remove wallpaper...) 

Though this is the bathroom outside my bedroom, I haven't been using the shower because of a house-crippling leak.   When the shower/bath was turned on, not only was there a substantial leak coming from the pipes behind the tile, but also water SHOOTING at your face when you turn on the hot or cold!  So, first, the pipes were replaced and leak eliminated and the wall tiles removed.


DURING

Ain't it pretty?

So, then came up the floor tile....

 

Or, so we thought.  You see, under that innocent-looking pink & black tile was solid concrete.  And a thick layer, at that!  So, instead of dealing with all the concrete underneath, in addition to the tiny, obnoxious tile, we decided to lay the new tile on top of the old, (a common practice & completely O.K.)  However, there was only one small problem....

.... this realization did not come until a good 2'x4" section was demo-ed.  

 

 

 So, we filled the hole with concrete and let set/dry before starting with the new tile.  And none would be the wiser!

 

... well, I guess except for the two people who read this blog.  They will technically be "the wiser."  Oops.

LOOK HOW AWESOME!!  This is pre-grout, btw.  And, just a friendly tidbit of information, it's a good idea to clog up your toilet hole, (here, we put a towel inside a plastic bag and stuffed away.)  The purpose behind this is not only to stop any trash, dust or debris from falling in, but also to stop any toxic fumes from escaping.

Add a little drywall to the situation, and...

Yup, who doesn't keep their toilet in the tub?  I can't think of anything more natural...

 Now, the only thing left is to grout & re-install the tub and vanity!

 

Pretty grout!  I went with a lighter option that blended in more, as I didn't want the lines as noticable as they would have been if a darker grout was used.  This was just a personal preference, largely based on the fact that I wanted the grout on the floor and wall to match, and I didn't want the grout in the tile to stand out.  And, since the floor tiles were so big, there weren't many visible grout lines anyways.  I felt that making them noticeable would have been odd.  

We used the pre-mixed & pre-colored grout from Home Depot.  Worked like a charm.

  

See?  Barely noticeable.  Also?  Pretty!

AFTER

 

Here's the interim bathroom I am using.  Clearly, the walls need to be finished (more spackling, sanding, and then painting,) and the shower walls need to be tiled.  In addition to this, also need to replace the old, wood window and the vanity.  Oh yeah, that ugly vanity is getting kicked to the curb!

SO EXCITED!!!