I haven't posted since Friday morning because I've been busy with tile. Bathroom, tile, to be specific. Bathroom tile mounted not in regular mortar like we use today - but in concrete and wire mesh on top of cement board on top of the subfloor.
For those of you not familiar with such activities, it means that the best way to remove such tile is with a sledge hammer and a crowbar...if you're lucky.
The house we are in is extremely well-built and we love the fact that the bathroom tile has survived pretty well for over 50 years. But it is an ugly peachy and brown color that makes everything look sallow. And I just couldn't take it anymore.
So out it comes to be replaced by a soothing neutral beige color that will compliment the white toilet and sink.
But it's not as easy to actually do, as it is to write about. And it is very dusty.
So, for the past couple of days, we've been pounding, ripping, and shoveling - since the debris is easier to shovel up than it is to pick up. And despite our best efforts to keep the dust in the bathroom, there appears to be a thin layer covering just about everything in the house. It's amazing how much dust a simple redecorating project generates.
But that portion is now done - thank goodness! Over the next couple of days, we'll paint the room a nice creamy color and lay the new tile. And then we'll have beautiful, spa-like colors in our bathroom!
These kinds of things are good for people to do - if they know how. When we first started with home renovations on our first house, I didn't know anything about mudding and taping, grout, or setting a toilet. But HGTV was somewhat new at the time and PBS had a terrific show called Hometime that taught me a lot. The shows and videos, combined with instructions on the corresponding internet sites and 'how-to' books from the library, showed me step-by-step instructions and gave me the confidence I needed to try little things, to start with, and more complicated ones after gaining some experience.
Now, the idea replacing tile in a bathroom seems like a simple weekend project, even though I know that it will take a bit longer than that. Of course, my back isn't as young as it once was and Aleve seems to be as critical a component as safety glasses and gloves.
I will, of course, do my best to catch up with the news over the next couple of days and provide my usual, logical commentary...
Monday, May 19, 2008
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2 comments:
Hometime tackle everything from landscaping, painting, and kitchen facelifts to managing new construction and major additions to older houses. I suggest that you also get other opinion at New York Bathroom Remodeling they give professional advice and great ideas.
Maggie,
lad to see that you're having fun too.
Meanwhile we are finally put together here, the outside waterproofing (basement corner) is done as well as the piering in the basement.
Talk about the concrete dust, the mud and the clay..., Oy Vey!
The contractor said 5 days.
Actual was four weeks. . .
But the reception for our son and daughter-in-law went off as scheduled despite the contractor's worst guesstimate on time.
Now, I get to clean up and rebuild the yard and deck.
So, I can honestly say that "I feel your pain." ;-)
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