Category Archives: Bathrooms

Tile Handyman

Posted on September 18, 2018 by ellen

When I hadn’t finished all three tasks from the final inspection list in April by the August 28th deadline I got to feeling desperate that I would never finish the building permit so I looked around for a tile installer. … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Bathrooms, Construction, Tile, Trim | Leave a comment

New Toilets

Posted on April 20, 2018 by ellen

I was tired of looking at and trying to clean the old biscuit colored toilet in the back bathroom. It flushed fine with its 1.6 gallon flush–a water saver in its day. But the tank and the bowl were stained … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, LEED Project, Plumbing | Comments Off on New Toilets

Rustic Bathroom Door

Posted on April 2, 2018 by ellen

We are having guests at the end of the week. I thought it would be great to have a real door on the master bathroom now that the shower is also completed. I even used the shower before our trip … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Trim | Comments Off on Rustic Bathroom Door

More Tile in the Master Bath

Posted on March 12, 2018 by ellen

The master bath floor is finished. I just have to decide if I will use tile or baseboard in that room. I only have eleven trim tiles left. I could use them in the master but then I would not … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile | Comments Off on More Tile in the Master Bath

Master Bath Shower Grout

Posted on March 4, 2018 by ellen

The work on the shower in the master bath has been slow but steady. Bill recommended sealing the rough tile before grouting so the epoxy would not stick to the tile faces. I couldn’t find our concrete floor sealer to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile | Comments Off on Master Bath Shower Grout

Shower Floor

Posted on February 20, 2018 by ellen

On the last day of Bill’s visit the tile saw pump connection broke. It could have frozen as the temperature dropped from the 60’s to below freezing overnight. We couldn’t keep the water line connected so we stopped cutting tiles … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile | Comments Off on Shower Floor

Shower Tile Design

Posted on February 10, 2018 by ellen

This was a big week. Two shower designs were laid out and one shower was almost completed. Bill Boyd is our tile guy and also our nephew in law. Unfortunately he lives in California. But he agreed to come out … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Plumbing, Tile, Tools | Comments Off on Shower Tile Design

Shower Schluter

Posted on January 20, 2018 by ellen

I applied the Kerdi membrane to the large family room bathroom shower. Getting these showers tiled is a big job that will be done quickly due to having my nephew-in-law visit to do the job. Then we will be able … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Plumbing, Tile | Comments Off on Shower Schluter

It’s a Shower Bench

Posted on January 16, 2018 by ellen

The shower in the family room bathroom is large. It takes up the whole side of the room about seven feet. There is plenty of room for a shower bench on one side. I want to use a leftover piece of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile, Tools | Comments Off on It’s a Shower Bench

Not Much but Bath Bars

Posted on December 19, 2017 by ellen

I wasn’t going to work on the house at all this week and just prepare for Christmas. But my mom is coming over to celebrate and I had a safety bar to put in the master bath and I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms | Comments Off on Not Much but Bath Bars

Schluter Kerdi Shower

Posted on December 2, 2017 by ellen

Schluter Kerdi is a thin waterprrof membrane that feels like a thick paper with a fleece side that gets embedded in mortar and what must be a polymer infused side that is waterproof. The directions say to make the mortar … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Construction, Plumbing | Comments Off on Schluter Kerdi Shower

Guests! An Ebay Scam and ERV Maintenance

Posted on September 24, 2017 by ellen

We have had the pleasure of several recent guests who have stayed in the new master bedroom and bath. The new curtains have made the space more private and it has proved to be great to have another bathroom with … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Distractions, Maintenance and Repair, Ventilation | Comments Off on Guests! An Ebay Scam and ERV Maintenance

Family Room Bathroom Vanity Sink

Posted on September 7, 2017 by ellen

It is a granite sink on a heavy and thick granite slab. I originally had the sink sitting on the logs of the vanity stand but with the addition of the slab I needed to figure out how to hold … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Design Style, Plumbing | Comments Off on Family Room Bathroom Vanity Sink

Another Leak Fixed

Posted on September 3, 2017 by ellen

The Victorian style sink I’m using in the master bathroom was in the shed when my daugher and her husband bought their new house. There were a pair of them. I told her I wanted them and they said sure. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Design Style, Plumbing | Comments Off on Another Leak Fixed

Master Bath Decorative Trim Tile

Posted on August 26, 2017 by ellen

I noticed these decorative tiles on Craigslist in early 2016 and they were reasonably priced leftovers. They were not far away and I bought them. I love these thick relief tiles with the western animal scenes and I had just … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Design Style, Tile | Comments Off on Master Bath Decorative Trim Tile

Master Bath Medicine Cabinet

Posted on August 24, 2017 by ellen

I wanted a space left open in the drywall to reuse one of the original medicine cabinets in the master bathroom. The wall had to be built out due to the plumbing run below and it seemed like a perfect … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Design Style, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Master Bath Medicine Cabinet

Granite Slab Cut

Posted on August 23, 2017 by ellen

It was a perfect late summer day. My brother and his wife were visiting from the Chicago area and he always enjoys completing a house project. I have had a heavy piece of granite by the side of the front … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Design Style, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Granite Slab Cut

More Tile

Posted on August 17, 2017 by ellen

Unfortunately the tub drain still leaks but I decided to tile the second half of the bathroom instead of taking it apart again first. The wall near the sink plumbing was not square. Squaring the tile with the brick wall … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Bathrooms, Tile | Comments Off on More Tile

Tub Shelf

Posted on August 2, 2017 by ellen

We are using an old barn beam as a shelf over the soaking tub. It needed to be installed while I could still stand behind the tub. I bought the beam from another very nice Craigslist seller. Amazingly the beam … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Trim | Comments Off on Tub Shelf

Master Bath Tile Started

Posted on July 28, 2017 by ellen

Before tackling the tile in the master bath I put the thin Schluter membrane over the foam edges of the floor. This is installed with unmodified mortar. The east side strip is narrow because we used 1.5″ polyiso over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bathrooms, Tile | Comments Off on Master Bath Tile Started