This is an update post for the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge – where I attempt to completely remodel our bathroom in just six short weeks. You can follow our plans and get to this point by reading the posts here:
SEE FULL BATHROOM REVIEW HERE!
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There has been one intense week. We have had SO many long days and late nights in the bathroom and we are getting TIRED! The big deadline is approaching and of course nothing is going smoothly. Have!
The first thing I accomplished this week was painting all the newly installed wainscoting. And guess what? After all that talk last week about choosing paint colors, I made a huuuuuuuge blunder in my choice and for one day the bathroom looked like an Irish pub.
Duh! It was even worse in person!
Here’s what I think happened. I freaked out! My original plan was to go for a dusty mid-tone green, but after staring at swatches for far too long, I started to hate all the muted colors and chose a green that was NOT what I really had in mind. I strayed from my original vision. Stupid mistake.
Luckily I went back to one of the very first colors I was drawn to and it ended up being perfect. Meet Sherwin-Williams Acacia Haze:
I love it! It’s exactly the color I had envisioned from the beginning, and it’s amazing in person. It feels historic and worn, but new and fresh at the same time. I guess sometimes you have to choose the wrong thing to recognize when the right one comes along and I absolutely love this color.
And once again I have to make a plug for Sherwin-Williams Urethane Trim Enamel. I bought this paint with my own money, btw… both times since I messed up the color scheme! Ha ha. If you are going to paint cupboards, moldings or furniture, just go for the good paint. I brushed this paint on, but due to its miraculous self-leveling properties, there are no brush strokes to be seen. The finish is flawless. Clip coupons and shop at thrift stores and buy the store brand on everything but don’t skimp on quality paint. Fortunately, it only took 1 quart to paint the entire trim.
The other big achievement this week was a last minute addition to our plans and it was very difficult to do. We cut a giant hole in our house!
We replaced our tiny little old window with a new, larger one (the largest size we could manage that would still prevent us from flashing the neighbors while we refused). And it was the best decision ever.
After spending so much time in this room with no lights on thanks to all the remodeling, I quickly realized that the number one mistake in this room was the lack of natural light. On Saturday we were going to start tiling the shower stall so I knew it was my last chance to make the change. I begged and begged and watched a million YouTube videos and finally convinced my husband that we could do it. And instead of spending Saturday tiling the shower cubicle, we put in a new window and I have no regrets. Well, not yet at least. Ask me how I am the day before the deadline.
I wish I could capture the feeling of all the natural light pouring in. The change is incredible. More than anything else we’ve done, this one change has made the biggest impact without a doubt. I’m so glad we went for it…and I think after my husband forgets what a terrible job it was, he’ll be glad we did too.
So that’s all the good news.
The bad news is that we now have exactly one week to finish our bathroom and it currently looks like this:
Don’t worry…that gaudy rose red color is just the RedGard waterproofing membrane that goes under the tile. I promise I haven’t lost my mind. But wow, it throws weird colors all over the room! I will be very happy when it is all covered with beautiful marble tiles.
TO-DO LIST:
Remove old tile around bathtub and showerRemove old tile floorRemove debrisRemove old vanityAdd outlet behind vanityMove the light box downRepair plasterRemove the toiletClean floors and preparationsLay down cement boardTape and cement seamsTiled floorDense floorJointed floorNew plumbing valves in showerInstall cement board in the shower cubicleTape + mudRedgard- Tiled shower room
- Seal shower enclosure
- Sealant shower enclosure
Install vanityMolding on the wallSand, sealant, primer and paint- The tape over lists
- Install a new toilet
- Install new basin taps and bath/shower taps
- Install lights, mirrors, towel rails, decor, etc.
Come back next week and you might see a beautiful finished bathroom. Or maybe you want to see me cry a lake full of tears while stress eating curled up in the fetal position. Which do you think it will be?
