...from an actual conversation I had the other day:
"Your momma has qualities that are indicative of precipitation".
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Project Files: Ridin' The Porcelain Bus
Sorry I haven't been around lately, but I took a few days off work. Where did I go on vacation, you ask? Well, put it this way: There was lots of water, high temperatures, and Bermuda Coral. What tropical location was this?
My bathroom.
The water was there already, the high temperatures were due to it being 90+ degrees in the Midwest for the past week, and "Bermuda Coral" is the trade name for the ugly Pepto-Bismol pink ceramic tile that was installed in my bathroom.
See, a few months ago I noticed a brown spot on my kitchen ceiling. I didn't really remember seeing it before, but I didn't know if it was new or if it was one of those "Has that always been there, and I just didn't notice it?" type of things. I kept an eye on it and it didn't seem to be getting any bigger, so I forgot about it. A few weeks ago, after seeing my girlfriend off to work, I noticed it looked a little... different, somehow. I went up to it and poked the ceiling with my finger. Which continued going through the ceiling until it hit a ceiling joist. When I pulled my finger out, it was followed by a few drops of water.
Shit.
I knew the grout in the bathroom was lousy, as the previous owners did a half-assed caulking job over top of the grout. I tried hitting it with the caulking gun again, which helped for about a week, but soon after there was a steady drip-drip-drip out of the hole in the ceiling whenever someone took a shower. I thought about calling one of those one-day bath remodeling places, but after checking around, it would be at least $2K, and that was if they didn't have to replace any drywall, which was a given. Nuthin' left to do but grab the prybar and start tearing shit out...
The lovely "before" shot. Notice the beautiful non-matching patch job on the tile behind the faucets.
Another shot post-demo. The drywall behind this wall hadn't been taped or mudded at all - they just fitted patch pieces and stuck them together with caulking. There was a loose chunk of 2x4 wedged into the right side of the wall to support the drywall next to the tile behind the sink.
The new enclosure was trimmed to fit and put up with construction adhesive. I cut the holes for the fixtures with my holesaw and for the spigot with a paddle bit.
So that's how I spent the better part of the past week. I bought all the matching surfboard accessories - I'm gonna do a whole Endless Summer-themed bathroom (who says bathrooms have to be all "elegant" (read: boring), anyways?) Luckily my girlfriend is totally on board (har har) with the idea.
I was pretty proud of how this turned out - I've always been pretty handy with minor repair stuff in the past, but this is the first place I've owned, and this is the first "major" job I've done. The rest of the bathroom will be done sometime in the near future (rest of the tile is coming down, new flooring, new sink & vanity, paint, etc.) but that's gonna have to wait until I save up a little more money & catch my breath...
My bathroom.
The water was there already, the high temperatures were due to it being 90+ degrees in the Midwest for the past week, and "Bermuda Coral" is the trade name for the ugly Pepto-Bismol pink ceramic tile that was installed in my bathroom.
See, a few months ago I noticed a brown spot on my kitchen ceiling. I didn't really remember seeing it before, but I didn't know if it was new or if it was one of those "Has that always been there, and I just didn't notice it?" type of things. I kept an eye on it and it didn't seem to be getting any bigger, so I forgot about it. A few weeks ago, after seeing my girlfriend off to work, I noticed it looked a little... different, somehow. I went up to it and poked the ceiling with my finger. Which continued going through the ceiling until it hit a ceiling joist. When I pulled my finger out, it was followed by a few drops of water.
Shit.
I knew the grout in the bathroom was lousy, as the previous owners did a half-assed caulking job over top of the grout. I tried hitting it with the caulking gun again, which helped for about a week, but soon after there was a steady drip-drip-drip out of the hole in the ceiling whenever someone took a shower. I thought about calling one of those one-day bath remodeling places, but after checking around, it would be at least $2K, and that was if they didn't have to replace any drywall, which was a given. Nuthin' left to do but grab the prybar and start tearing shit out...
The lovely "before" shot. Notice the beautiful non-matching patch job on the tile behind the faucets.
After ripping out all the tile and lots of rotten drywall. Luckily there was no mold or nasty surprises behind the wall.
Another shot post-demo. The drywall behind this wall hadn't been taped or mudded at all - they just fitted patch pieces and stuck them together with caulking. There was a loose chunk of 2x4 wedged into the right side of the wall to support the drywall next to the tile behind the sink. 
New greenboard hung, taped, first coat of mud. I left the upper section alone since it was still in good shape, and just sanded down the mastic.
Another shot.
The new enclosure was trimmed to fit and put up with construction adhesive. I cut the holes for the fixtures with my holesaw and for the spigot with a paddle bit.
Side view.
All taped off & ready for caulking. This was a pain, but gives waaaay better results (especially since I'm lousy at laying down & smoothing caulk on the fly). Also, I wanted to use silicone caulking over polyurethane, but silicone can get real messy - the tape prevents the mess from getting too out-of-hand. I also bought a $4 caulking tool on a whim, which turned out to be the best investment ever.
I had to tear off the course of bullnose tiles along the edge of the shower...
So I cleaned it up with a piece of 1/2" trim. I caulked the joint afterward and it looks great, but I forgot to take a picture. Notice the swanky surfboard soap dispenser on the sink...
Which ties in with the new surfboard shower curtain. All the surfboard-themed items are available at Wal-Mart, in the aisle that sells stuff for kids' bathrooms.
So that's how I spent the better part of the past week. I bought all the matching surfboard accessories - I'm gonna do a whole Endless Summer-themed bathroom (who says bathrooms have to be all "elegant" (read: boring), anyways?) Luckily my girlfriend is totally on board (har har) with the idea.
I was pretty proud of how this turned out - I've always been pretty handy with minor repair stuff in the past, but this is the first place I've owned, and this is the first "major" job I've done. The rest of the bathroom will be done sometime in the near future (rest of the tile is coming down, new flooring, new sink & vanity, paint, etc.) but that's gonna have to wait until I save up a little more money & catch my breath...
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Perhaps They'll Listen Now
Vintage Motorcycle Days has come and gone, and I didn't win the Vincent Black Shadow. Oh well, I didn't have space for it anyways... sure is pretty, though.
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