It Is Finished – The Final Full-Bath Remodel

Just in time for Easter, we are completing the remodel of the last room on the main floor, the full-bathroom. After 2 long years of remodeling, having only taken last summer off, we are ready for a break. It feels good to have the bathroom projects behind us.

There is a tipping point where remodeling, fixing and updating just gets tedious. We hit that point long ago but nevertheless, it feels so nice taking a shower in a room that doesn’t have gloppy caulk, chunks of old grout falling out and lack luster lighting.  As you can see in the before photos below, it was not a pleasant experience to usher guests into this bathroom during a visit.

I was so eager to get this room finished, I started to remove tile a few weeks prior to the official demo. I felt so guilty about trashing all this unique tile I ended up saving a box for use in another project (far, far into the future).

After having removed some of the old tiles we realized that new wallboard was in order. There was just no way to get the walls smooth enough that paint would look nice. I had only planned on tiling one full accent wall but even so, that wall had enough adhesive residue to make tiling over it a difficult task. Even the floors underneath the toilet required more work.

New drywall went up on the walls, which also involved plenty of mudding and taping. My husband’s favorite activity…not. Step by step we got a little closer to having the room prepared and ready for what came next – priming and paint.

While my husband was hard at work on the interior walls, I worked on choosing a vanity, tile, sink, faucet, towel bars and shower curtain. Thankfully we were able to reuse the existing toilet and shower enclosure to keep costs from skyrocketing. I even decided to stick with a $40 laminate countertop instead of spending hundreds on a solid surface version.

I set to work painting the unfinished maple vanity. After pricing out a similar pre-painted set at Menards (over $900) it was well worth buying it for $250 and painting it myself. Coat after coat…after coat…after coat. Sigh.

As we inched closer to the finish line, my husband and I were able to pick out new flooring. Deciding to go with a snap-and-click vinyl, we were both pleased with the results. It was simple enough to put down over the existing flooring and required no adhesive. He was happy and I was happy!

Then came one of the largest projects for which I have no one else to blame but myself – the tile. I had seen a few photos of larger hexagon tiles and loved the design asthetic it gave to the room. The white would help keep things bright and prevent water from damaging the wall where the towel racks would be mounted.

After pricing out the larger 8-inch tiles it just didn’t seem feasable – they priced out at over $700…for ONE wall! I searched around and found tiles half the size and at less than HALF THE COST! Thank you Home Depot for carrying these gems!

Over the course of 1 week I gradually set row after row of tile, working a little higher each day. The final day was a real mess with nearly 100 cuts needing to be made to set along each wall, the ceiling, the floor, around the cabinet and the mirror. My fingers were so sore and at this point, however, I still wouldn’t be finished until I grouted.

In the end and with all that work, I think the results were worth it. Although there are still a few tile idiosyncrasies I would have done differently had I thought about it – I like the look of the room. We now have a nice bathroom that will not be embarrassing to allow visitors to use. My husband even got a little bonus in the end…ha ha…keep reading and you’ll catch it at the bottom of the page!!

If you love the look of this shower curtain, follow the Amazon link HERE. They have similar varieties in various colors to go with your decor. For just under $13 and Prime Shipping – you just can’t beat it. I’m falling in love with it a little more each day!

And now, for the bonus my husband received…as promised. A mug holder for his morning coffee. Like any man (and some women) he enjoys a cup of java while seated, reading social media and getting ready for the day! It’s also available on Amazon!

There are 2 different sizes of this inconspicuous fold-up drink holder. We ended up ordering the bigger one to accommodate his HUGE coffee mugs (we removed the top “pincher”). The stainless holder is the cat’s meow! Sturdy and well made, this Amarine-made cup holder should last for years – find it HERE!

#LifeOn25Acres