Bathroom Remodel - Part 2: The Process

I'm back with the second part of this bathroom makeover reveal. If you missed the first part, you can read it here.

Today, I'll show you a few in-process pictures so that you can see how the bathroom evolved over the course of a few weeks and the order in which we went about things.

Joey started by removing all the trim in the bathroom, removing the sink-less vanity (on the left below), and ripping out the drywall on the far exterior wall.

As I mentioned previously, we were planning to replace that window with a new double-hung window and we needed to remove the built-in heater that was installed, and on top of that, I asked for an electrical outlet to be added to that wall (more outlets are always better). It just made the most sense to demo it, add the new stuff, and screw in brand new drywall. And a bonus is that we could make sure that exterior wall was properly insulated for energy-saving purposes.

Next up was the ceiling. I made the design decision to go with beadboard over the whole ceiling. My inspiration was found here on Pinterest.

This was an inexpensive way to cover up the old, peeling plaster and not have to rip the whole ceiling down. I also asked Joey to add a bathroom fan/vent, which the bathroom was previously lacking. Cutting a hole in the ceiling was no big deal since we were covering it all up anyway. He was able to go into our attic to run the new electrical wiring for the fan.

The chalk lines on the ceiling were just for Joey to make sure he was installing the bead board in a level-to-the-eye way.

I opted for running the bead board horizontally - as to make the bathroom appear wider. He had this part done in no time. Then he finished it off by filling the nail holes, caulking any seams, and then painting the whole thing with 2 coats of white paint. Lastly, he put some simple square white trim around the top of the wall to act as crown molding and cover the tiny gap between the ceiling and the wall. You'll see it in some of the pictures below.

Next up came the walls ... In my last post, I left you hanging with some indecision on what to do with the terrible drywall that was left after peeling off the wallpaper. I pinned and pinned and pinned many images on Pinterest showing rooms with planked (also known as shiplap) walls, and decided that would be my solution.

This was my inspiration pin - complete with full tutorial on their blog. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

I initially was going to paint the walls white like the picture above shows, but ultimately decided against it. I bought the paint for this bathroom when we first bought the house (3 years prior) and opted for keeping my originally choice, which coordinated with my shower curtain and bath towels - Tawny Green by Waverly (found at Lowe's).

Joey started by painting the drywall with one coat of paint. This was to ensure that any space between the wall planks didn't show up as "white" to the eye. It would make the cracks virtually disappear.

And this is where the true demolition began. In order to paint and install all the planks, most everything else in the bathroom had to be removed. Toilet removed. Sink and vanity removed. Floor ripped out. Light fixtures gone. The only thing that was still usable was the shower. Thankfully, we could use the half bath on the first floor for toilet and sink purposes.

Note: As an about-to-give-birth pregnant lady, waddling up and down the stairs at 2am to use the restroom was not fun. ;)

Below you can see the beginning of some of the planks being nailed to the wall. All the planks were primed prior to install. Some planks Joey also painted the final wall color in advance if we thought a bottom edge of the plank should also be painted to prevent it from appearing as bare wood when you looked "up" at the wall or if it would be a tricky spot to paint (like against the trim).

This also allowed Joey to get one of our new light fixtures up so that we could use the shower in non-daylight hours. And it makes for working in the later evening hours easier.

At the same time Joey was working on the walls, he worked on the flooring. When we ripped up the old tile, it was apparent that it was not really installed properly and what was underneath would need to be totally replaced. This, plus the cost of new floor tile, would put us totally over our $1500 budget. Womp. Womp.

I tried not to cry myself to sleep as my dream of a beautifully tiled floor was ripped out from under me, and I was forced to go with the second best option - linoleum. The word "Linoleum" sounded kind of old and ugly and out of touch with today's homes. But I had to make it work.

I went shopping around at a few local stores and ended up finding what we purchased at Lowe's. What I picked out made me really nervous. It was kind of a bold choice - outside of my comfort zone. And I kept asking myself "Could I actually pull this off in this little bathroom?"

What forced me to take the leap of faith was the price - it was on clearance and what we needed to cover our floor was only $50.00!!! 50 bucks is nothing for a bathroom floor. I figured, even if I hated it in the end, it could easily be swapped out for different flooring because it only cost us $50.00!!!

So, Joey put down new plywood and covered it with "floor leveler" to make the floor level (duh) and then installed the linoleum over that.

 

Yes, it's a checkered floor pattern - Charcoal Gray and a Carrera Marble-looking white - laid so the pattern sits diagonally in the space. 

After seeing it all cut out, I was still nervous, but held my breath until a bunch of it was covered back up with the vanities and toilet re-installed.

Joey brought one of the unfinished vanities back into the bathroom for me to better visualize the look. This made a big difference. I could suddenly see myself liking the "vintage" look of the floor. It fit the overall style of our house well. Whew. I think it's a keeper.

Side note: I've been told by many, many people that they thought it was real tile until feeling it. And I actually like the feel of linoleum on my feet better than tile - it's softer and not so cold (especially with our winters).

With the flooring finished, Joey then completed all the painting of the walls, and installed and painted new trim around the (new) window, door, and built-in cabinet.

Next up came the vanities, counters and sink. To stay within our budget, we had to use the old vanities, but I opted to have them painted white for a crisp, clean feel. Paint transforms old to new!

One area we did spend some money on was new quartz counters. We used quartz in our kitchen remodel and LOVE it. It's also something that's nice to have when it comes to re-sale value (not that we're planning to sell anytime soon). We went to a local shop and picked out a quartz slab on the fly. I went with charcoal gray to add contrast to the white cabinets and to coordinate with the charcoal gray checks in the floor. Lucky me, they matched beautifully.

We went with a simple rounded edge and a small back splash to keep water from getting to those wood planks. A new sink was included with the counter. We also added a new faucet and new hardware.

Getting the vanities, sink, and toilet re-installed made this pregnant lady very happy!

The final big step of finishing the bathroom was the old, ugly tub and shower. Since replacing the tub and all the tile wasn't an option, we decided to have it all glazed white. We got some quotes and it came in around $400, I believe. Well worth it.

The whole thing looked brand new. It took about 24-48 hours to have it painted and let the paint cure. So, we were without a shower for that time period. Thankfully, we have kind friends who let me take a shower at their place for one day. We also put in a new shower head, faucet, and drain.

With the shower makeover complete, the last steps in finishing the bathroom were all the details ... paint touch up, hanging new mirrors, decorating, and organizing. The best parts!

See the final results in my next post...