downstairs bathroom...

A few weeks ago my son decided to use our guest bathroom to take a nice, long shower. Well, my husband ran down to the basement for something and water was all over the floor! I guess it was good this happened now and not while someone was staying at our house and needed to use this bathroom.

The tile all along the bottom row were loose. I could push them right in. I tried to recaulk at one point but we new the time would come and we would need a new shower. 

Shower before...

Shower during demo...

I was losing my patience so I went and found a sledge hammer...

I'm going to remove the rest of the sheetrock over the shower and remove remaining tile around the shower area. 

We were going to put a new pan in but it would be extremely difficult to get this one out, it's in there real good, especially around the drain. Kind of scary to mess with that. The sub floor is fine, the water dried and there is no evidence of mold anywhere. So, I have a lot of cleaning up to do!

I cleaned out any debris that fell behind the pan.

Added two studs to make a shelf in the shower.

Marked ceiling where all studs are.

I'm following a couple of You Tube videos through this process. One guy used plastic for extra precaution for any water that might get through the tile. If any water seeps through, it will run down on the plastic into the pan, not onto the sub floor. backer board is water proof, water should not get through, but I'm all for the extra protection! He said to leave the top open as a vent, this way moisture doesn't get trapped into the walls. I used a staple gun to attach the plastic to the studs.

So, now we're ready for the backer board...

This is the tile we bought, they're 12x24:

This is the floor we will use...

This will be the vanity and top...

Backer board is done. 

We used 1/2 inch, 3x5' Hardie backer board w/backer board screws (all in the same isle as tile & tile tools, etc...)

It's very heavy, It's very messy to cut, wear eye & mouth protection and definitely work outside. 

This is the thin set adhesive we used to apply the tile. It's ready to use, no mixing!

This is the part I was nervous about, applying the tile even. Not only do you have to check levelness but if the wall is not true, you have to correct it with the thin set so all tiles are even up against the wall. Very difficult while working with large tile like these. Especially as I got higher and had to lift them covered with thin set.

I have 1/8" spacers. They worked ok in between rows, not so much for spacing side by side. I did better eyeballing that. The thin set is rubbery, the spacers would fall out.

I also used ripped pieces of cardboard to keep the tile level.

behind the bar...

We put new carpet in the family room in the spring. Left the area behind the bar to be completed. We used Allure traffic master in cherry wood from Home Depot. Extremely easy to install and waterproof. Also holds up to high traffic which is not an issue for us here. Can't wait to tackle the rest of the "bar" area!

Ny State Testing

Going off the subject of home decor, organizing or remodeling, I need to post something important to me. Having kids ages 12 (6th grade) and 9 (4th grade),  I'm having a difficult time with Common Core state testing. I encourage all parents to check out the web site nysape.org to read about "opting out" for state testing. We need to support our great teachers before we lose them!

the laundry closet

This laundry closet is upstairs, right outside of our bedrooms. This was one of the features that sold this house to me, maybe not my husband, but I loved this!

long time no see...

Pantry door when we bought the house





We took the door down.
Sanded it just to take the sheen off, then cleaned it with a deglosser.





Cleaned and deglossed the trim.
Painted with Behr white paint.
This was a leftover from the previous owner.
 I'm trying to make use of products we already have:)








I used Rustoleum 2X cover in white flat spray paint to paint the door.
It took several coats to cover the entire door, have patience.
Spray paint is even and not streaky, thin and dries fast.

 

I worked on the entire backside, then turned the door over to work on the outside.
I would spray a layer, let it dry. Spray a layer, let it dry...

Sanded the whole door lightly, then roughed the edges of the panes and trim to give an aged look.



I  rubbed the door and trim down with "golden oak" miniwax.
We added a new bronze doorknob and hinges.

 

the hole...

On August 19th we had a little leak in my master bathroom upstairs. My husband fixed the leak not realizing water got behind the shower wall, oops!


"ROUGHLY" 3 feet wide.



Right in our ENTRYWAY!

Believe it or not, most people did not notice it right when they walked in.



I measured a nice, even rectangle around the hole, Todd cut it out with a razor. The hole was left open for a good 2-3 weeks before we closed it up. We wanted to let it dry out up there:)



Todd cut the sheetrock to fit PERFECTLY! It was extremely difficult to hang. He held it up, while I screwed it in.
It's 1/4" sheetrock by the way, make sure you measure the thickness if you ever need to do this type of repair.

This project did not cost us too much, thank God!
We had this compound, which I love to use for patching up everywhere.
We bought the paper tape for a few bucks.
We have the tools.
The sheetrock was damaged on one corner, Todd got it for $5.

I taped the lines using the compound like glue.

I would put a layer of compound on the creases and into the corner, staying as neat as possible. The neater you are, the less work later. Be patient and let each layer dry over night.

Each time I added a layer, I would spread the compound out further out. I also repaired an area to the left where the previous owner tried to patch something. Let it sit over night one more time...

Here I am after sanding it down nice and smooth. My daughter took this picture of me, not so clear but funny!

This is what I used to prime the ceiling. I've had it sitting with all of my paints, bought for another project that I haven't gotten to yet. Our ceiling is textured so I have this decorative sand I use to mix in with the paint for ceiling repairs.

Priming the ceiling with a half circle motion to blend with the textured ceiling.



Painting the ceiling (and walls) with Benjamin Moore "Bleeker Beige".
Its just about finished...I'll post pictures of our new entryway soon!
This was a huge job and not easy. My 10 year old son said to me, "Mom, you're doing such a great job making our old house look new". So rewarding:)



chalkboard...

I promised my daughter I would make her a chalkboard on this wall, I finally did it!
In the "Living/Playroom"
I have not mastered the "chalkboard font" yet:)



I found the frame in Michaels Craft Store, unfinished $8.
Spray painted it with Rustoleum flat black.
I traced the inside of the frame onto the wall.
Painted the rectangle with Chalkboard paint.




Roughed up the edges with a sanding block.
Sealed it with a clear matte spray paint.
Attached the frame to the wall with sheetrock screws.



My daughter's teacher gave me this African Violet on the last day of school, June 2013, for being her "Room parent".
 I decided to ditch the plastic container it came in and replant it into this artichoke jar-RE PURPOSE!
I put small stones into the bottom, packed the plant with dirt into the jar...4 months later-looks happy!