Category Archives: Bathrooms

Finishing Up the Bathroom

Posted on April 3, 2020 by ellen

There were a few more tasks to finish the bathroom remodel. The contractor and his helper came one more time to complete the job. The largest project was the installation of the solar tube in the ceiling. He finished the … Continue reading →

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Shower Niche Light Issues

Posted on April 1, 2020 by ellen

The niche light was a disaster. It did not go as planned. What I wanted to do and what happened were not the same. I wanted a sleek row of LED lights that were waterproof or damp proof in the … Continue reading →

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Bath Assembly

Posted on March 31, 2020 by ellen

It took less than a day for the contractor and his helper to assemble the bathroom. But it was not without headaches. The faucet is a used kitchen faucet I purchased on Craigslist. In my first install the edge of … Continue reading →

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Bathroom Tiled

Posted on March 29, 2020 by ellen

This last week the tile in the back bathroom was finished by a contractor. I decided that these jobs are taking me entirely too long. I might have even skipped this remodel if I didn’t have to do it for … Continue reading →

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Brick Patterns

Posted on March 21, 2020 by ellen

In the middle of the bathroom floor I planned for an accent inset. The tile I wanted to use was 3″ x 6″ tumbled marble that I bought at the Restore. I only had one box of the tile but … Continue reading →

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Why Shopping is Not Research

Posted on March 20, 2020 by ellen

My normal practice is to research every part of the house remodel. I usually spend hours on the internet gathering information about the best way to design and complete a project. But every once in a while I forget to … Continue reading →

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While I Was Away

Posted on March 17, 2020 by ellen

It’s unusual to see progress while I’m not even home. But having a contractor seems to have helped. The room was drywalled before I left and sprayed with texture to match the house the next Monday. Then the Kerdi board … Continue reading →

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Prepping the Tile

Posted on March 9, 2020 by ellen

When we started this gut remodel project the goal was to purchase as many used and recycled products as possible. Besides the LEED mandate to reduce the use of new materials I was looking for items that would lower the … Continue reading →

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Antique Vanity

Posted on March 6, 2020 by ellen

Originally I just had in mind to use a copper sink in the back bathroom. I love copper and this is the last bathroom remodel. But copper sinks are expensive so quite some time ago I found a huge copper … Continue reading →

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Laminate Bathroom Floor

Posted on December 23, 2019 by ellen

I took another detour while my son and his family were out of town for a Christmastime trip. The old tile floor in the family bathroom was green shiny imitation marble. It was very slippery for a bathroom floor. And … Continue reading →

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Imported Tile

Posted on October 28, 2019 by ellen

My son was very impressed with the beauty of some Moroccan tile in a specialty tile shop in San Francisco. The cost was $250 a square foot. So he did some research to see if there was a shop nearer … Continue reading →

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Granite Counter Failure

Posted on October 27, 2019 by ellen

I found a lovely piece of dark granite for $50 that I thought was large enough for the countertop in the family bathroom. It required more prep work than most because there were plywood pieces glued to the back of … Continue reading →

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The Family Bathroom

Posted on October 26, 2019 by ellen

The basement bathroom was quicker and easier that the second floor family bathroom. The same green Formica covered the sink cabinet and the same crystal faucets and metal sinks with the addition of a large chip in the enamel of … Continue reading →

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Mirror Mirror On the Wall

Posted on October 24, 2019 by ellen

The basement bathroom mirror was damaged at the bottom edges. I read that moisture gets behind the coating on the back of the mirror and eats away the mirroring on the glass. The solution was to coat the back of … Continue reading →

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Basement Bathroom

Posted on October 23, 2019 by ellen

One of the earliest projects in the new house was a quick remodel of the basement bathroom. All the bathrooms had green Formica countertops, metal sinks and plastic crystal handled faucets. they were functional but builder quality and low end … Continue reading →

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Shower Extras

Posted on November 25, 2018 by ellen

Apparently I am good at making holes in the finished walls. One of the extras I put in the family room bath is a small rack for a wet washcloth. It seems that without a traditional soap dish there is … Continue reading →

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Hot and Cold Switch

Posted on November 25, 2018 by ellen

I mixed up the hot and cold piping to the shower. I had hot connected on the right side when it is supposed to be on the left. Fortunately the supply pipes are exposed in the utility room behind the … Continue reading →

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Shower Fixtures

Posted on November 24, 2018 by ellen

The fixtures for the shower are Delta Champagne Bronze. I think the color is a nice complement to the dark brown tile. The style name is Lahara which is a very plain style. I couldn’t find the diverter trim in … Continue reading →

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Setting the Granite Shower Bench

Posted on November 21, 2018 by ellen

I had a nice piece of dark brown granite already cut for the bench. Originally I wanted to use left over granite from the sink top but it was not wide enough to completely cover the bench, and the narrow … Continue reading →

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Grouting the Shower

Posted on November 21, 2018 by ellen

It took me several days to get the family room bath shower grouted. My right arm got really sore. But after a few days it was back in shape. This shower took a lot of grout. I mixed seven batches … Continue reading →

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