One of the (many) benefits to being with child is that I’ve been exiled from the bathroom for some of the rougher renovation undertakings. Although it’s sort of sad too, because I love to swing the ol’ sledgehammer from time to time. But the boys (John and his handy tile-slingin’ dad)…
… mysteriously sealed themselves into the room with a big plastic tarp just to foil my view (ok, really to keep the house free of flying debris and dust, but still).
The good news is that I could still manage to hear pretty well through their plastic bubble of sorts, so every once in a while I’d catch a fraction of their mano a mano conversations. And boy were they weird.
Here are a few examples:
- “It’s like a baby saw. Not a saw you would give to a baby, but it’s baby sized.” – John
- “Oh man I hope this works.” – John’s dad (and yes, I did sweat bullets after this one)
- “Fire in the hole!” – John (who knows what they were doing…)
- “(Muffled) I’m glad we have these gas masks on.” – Couldn’t tell, too muffled (this might have been a fart joke)
- “I feel like the Queen of England” – John (what on Earth was going on in there?)
- “Hi honey!” – John’s dad (in his defense, I think he was answering his cell phone)
- “Don’t cry for me Argentina!” – John’s dad (this was the punch line to some joke he was telling)
In short it was really odd to hear snippets of their chatter about the bathroom reno, life in general, and even the odd bad joke. Have you ever overheard part of a conversation and desperately tried to make sense of it? It’s hard work, and usually nearly impossible. At least around here it seemed to be.
But enough jibber jabber, I know you’re all are tapping your feet and muttering “pictures please” so I’ll share these few tub/shower tile teaser photos. Of course we still have to cram all those cracks and crevices with sparkling white grout (it’ll look even more seamless after that crucial step), but here’s the first phase of Operation Subway Tile:
And here’s the second phase (John went all the way up to our slightly uneven ceiling with those babies):
And here’s another shot taken after we primed and painted the walls and freshly laid the floor (which also needs grout- it’ll be a rich chocolate color to blend with the dark mocha marble tiles). It’s amazing how it’s slowly starting to look like a room again- and we love how the wall color we chose (which we’ll share in a later post) works with those pretty marble tiles. It’s really coming along in there, eh?
After all, it did look like this just a few short weeks ago:
Stay tuned for the full tiling play by play (after all the end-of-year madness comes and goes) along with more details on the paint color we chose and the rest of the finishing details. In the meantime, what’s the weirdest thing that you’ve ever overheard? Do tell.
Psst- Wanna read about the first few chapters of the big bathroom makeover? Check out Chapter One, Chapter Two, and Chapter Three right here.
Love that floor color! I’m still amazed, agog and all-around admiring of all the fantastic changes, upgrades, fixes and general fabulousness that you all accomplish in your house.
I’ve been in my condo for almost three years, and am only gradually getting to a number of fixes (and even at that, I know more than I ever thought I would about things like “surface porosity” and have managed to stump several hardware and paint store people with my questions on that subject. To be fair about it, I don’t have a digital camera to show them pix of the joint banding issue I inherited) …. Ah, well, onward and upward!
Great looking work on the tile.
Baby saw! Priceless. That floor is going to be gorgeous.
Can’t wait to get more updates on the bathroom! We JUST started ripping our basement bathroom apart last night (along with a few other rooms) and we’re also going with white subway tile for the shower enclosure. Your posts on the bathroom and basement reno have been good sources for reference on a few points. Looking forward to your final room reveal!
I am so looking forward to the finished project…and hearing what sex the baby is!!!
Please be careful when that floor is wet! My last landlord made the mistake of not putting “skid resistant” tile in my bathroom and there were a couple of times I almost did a head over heels when it was wet. Be careful!!
Thanks for the warning! We were sure to check that our tile was “floor grade” and can even choose to use an etching technique to make it more matte if we’re worried about things being slippery. Of course we also plan to add a floor mat to step out of the tub onto (and since the room’s so small we’ll never have a running start or a lack of things to grab if we lose our footing since it’s such a small space). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Great job Sherry and John! I am glad you extended the tiling all the way up! It adds more drama.
My favorite comment, though not exactly overheard because I was sitting at the table with them, was: “Caleb, please take the lettuce off your forehead.”
This was in my pre-child days and I thought it was hysterical. I didn’t realize all the ridiculous things you have to say once you’re a parent. (Caleb, BTW, was saying how hot he was and as we were preparing to say grace he stuck some lettuce from his salad on his forehead to cool himself down.)
Aw, the teaser pics… I can’t take it. You went with green instead of blue for the wall color! I love it already. And can’t wait to hear more on the bean…
I actually overheard my husband talking to his mom on the phone. She is in the process of turning his old bedroom into an office and found some of my husband’s old Sports Illustrated mags and girlfriend letters. I felt a little awkward. Then, at Christmas, what does she do?! She bagged them up and sent them home with him! I wonder if she’s trying to tell me something?….
Love the subway tiles and the marble floor! The place looks like its really coming together :)
And I just had to tell you to go to http://overheardatwestern.blogspot.com to read hilarious things that students have been overheard saying at the University of Western Ontatio.
Awesome! We’ll definitely head over and check it out!
xo,
s
What a great angle for your post – I love the “overheard” comments.
Can’t wait to see the finished product!
I have to laugh at Amanda’s post as I was about to share some funny “over-heards” from teaching, but since I’m at Western you can read some of the best on the blog :) My absolute favourite this year:
“Wow… it’s like they want us to read ALL the books on the syllabus.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” long pause, “and UNDERSTAND THEM!!”
love it already. The subway tile to the ceiling looks fab. Can’t wait to see more!
Love the subway tiles, the marble floor not so much. To each his own.
Sorry if you mentioned this already, but why did you decide to keep the old tub?
Hey Kevin,
We love our old tub! It’s large, cast iron, and just needs a bit of reglazing to look brand new (which is definitely cheaper than replacing it with something as large and solid- plus hauling it would be a bear). We’re all about working with what we have when we can, so since we sadly couldn’t save the vintage tile on the walls or the floor we thought keeping our original tub would be a great way to stay true to our home’s 50+ year old roots. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Loving the bright tiles contrast to the dark marble. I’m in awe at how yall can put styles together and make them look so good! Keep it up!
Do you have any tips on bleaching old grout? I have white tile and the grout has seen better days.
Good question! We don’t have firsthand experience with bleaching grout, but perhaps asking for advice at a tile shop or home improvement store will help? Good luck!
xo,
s
“fire in the hole!” ha! i love it!
good luck as you finish off the bathroom! i’m finally finishing off mine, which is about the same size, and will share before and afters when i’m done.
the space looks great already! I’m lurking all the way from Norway for a while now and I love this blog!
I was just wondering about something: over here you are hardly allowed to do any DIY in your bathroom except demo, tiling and putting in bathroom furniture. Everything else (especially when it comes to waterproofing, there has to be a 15 mm layer of membrane on floors and “wet zones” underneath tiling)has to be done by professionals with a special certificate. If you try to do this yourself or use someone without this certificate and something happens (like a leak or water damage) you’re basically screwed in terms of insurance coverage and liability. Even if you did a perfect job and just had some bad luck. Also, you’re responsible for any contruction work that has been done in your house for 5 years after you’ve sold it.
Aren’t there any such regulations in the US?
All this makes for very complicated and insanely expensive bathroom renovations. We have the most awful bathroom with pinkish beige tiles and 80-ish gold peacocks (yeah, that’s right), but we just can’t afford to do anything about it.
Good luck with the rest of the project!
Hey Linnea,
Wow that’s so interesting! We love hearing how renovations differ from country to country! There are no requirements for experts and certificates when it comes to “wet zones” here but we’re so sorry to hear that bathroom renovation is so complicated and expensive over there! You do have to get certain permits if you’re going to be tearing down load-bearing walls or adding additions (which can cost a decent amount of money and take time to apply for) but you might say that the states are all about DIY! There are even classes at Home Depot and Lowe’s about tiling your own tub or laying your own bathroom floors and books “for dummies” at the library so anyone can learn and do it without hiring a pro (if they’re brave enough- haha). And speaking of the bathroom, we’re off to grout. Wish us luck! Pictures to come…
xo,
s
Well, you _can_ (in theory) DIY if you own your own detached house, but again – insurance won’t cover any problems or damage that might arise whatsoever. In apartment buildings like the one I live in, one has to document all bathroom renovations and submit copies of the contractors said certificate. A typical bathroom reno will start at about 17.000 USD including everything. Oh and I noticed a typo in my comment, the membrane layer must be atleast 1.5 mm. 15 mm would be a bit much, even for us water-damage-obsessed norwegians:)
You guys are the best at choosing paint. I just painted my dining/kitchen Gliddens Sand White like you have in your living room and I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t even get a sample because I just trust your taste/pictures that much! So thanks- I’m totally pleased witht he way it turned out.
Hey Jo,
That’s great to hear. So glad it worked out so well for you!
xo,
s
Love the new bathroom redo so far. We are in the process of planning our bathroom renovation as well. We found marble tile at Lowes that is very similar to the tile you guys purchased (if not the same stuff). Unfortunately, the floor guy who works at Lowes pointed out a lot of negatives for using marble on a bathroom floor (due to the slickness of the tile and due to care and upkeep). I am feeling really discouraged now because I can’t find any other tile that I like as much for our bathroom! What made you guys decide that marble tile would work for you and your bathroom?
Hey Miranda,
Good question! We were sure to check that our tile was “floor grade” and learned that we can even choose to use an etching technique to make it more matte if we’re worried about things being too slippery. Of course we also plan to add a floor mat to step out of the tub onto (and since the room’s so small we’ll never have a running start or a lack of things to grab if we lose our footing since it’s such a modestly-sized space). As for the care and upkeep, as long as you don’t plan to spill red wine, lemon juice and other acidic products on your bathroom floor (we plan to use green cleaners like very mild soap by Mrs. Meyers) it should hold up for the long haul. We actually have granite counters in our kitchen and have found that they’re very resistant to stains as long as you wipe them periodically and try to not expose them to things like marinara sauce and red wine for days on end without cleaning them. Oh and the marble tile (just like our granite counter in the kitchen) can be sealed (which we’ve already done a few times) for even more long lasting protection. Hope it helps!
xo,
s