Sunday, December 19, 2010
More bathroom pics
I was able to get the drywall done and the mirror mounted. What a pain the mirror was...you need to get the clips perfectly level but because it's a mirror, it's heavy and you need to use drywall anchors -- notorious for not going in straight.
It doesn't look too bad with the drywall patch primed....
Of course, the proof is when it's painted and...I suck at drywall. This was my first time doing any kind of mudding and it's a lot harder than it looks. For the next time around I think I'd do a much better job. I also learned some tricks along the way. For starters, the pre-mixed mud is a little thick and rubbery. It works a lot better with a small amount of water added and thinned out. Here's the result...hopefully the mirror will cover most of it:
Fortunately, the mirror covers a lot of it.
It doesn't look too bad with the drywall patch primed....
Of course, the proof is when it's painted and...I suck at drywall. This was my first time doing any kind of mudding and it's a lot harder than it looks. For the next time around I think I'd do a much better job. I also learned some tricks along the way. For starters, the pre-mixed mud is a little thick and rubbery. It works a lot better with a small amount of water added and thinned out. Here's the result...hopefully the mirror will cover most of it:
Fortunately, the mirror covers a lot of it.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Quick Bathroom Refresh
I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but dropping a toothbrush (net weight: 2oz) on my sink resulted in this:
As you can see, there are also numerous stress cracks around. So I knew it was time for a new sink. I've never been a fan of the pedestals (though I like how they make small bathrooms look bigger). Anyhow, this is one of those situations where one thing leads to another (notice the funky tile on top of the sink) and you can quickly end up with a gutted space and drained bank account. Instead, I thought about what was most important to me and established a firm limit of scope.
I decided I would need a new sink, vanity, faucet. I also wanted to remove the aging medicine cabinet, add an electrical outlet inside the vanity (to keep the toothbrush and shaver chargers hidden) and finally move the bathroom light so it would be centered over the sink.
Whoever installed the previous sink loved construction adhesive. It was used to attach the sink to the wall (in addition to brackets) and the pedestal to the floor. Surprisingly, the tiles on top of the sink came off without a hitch. The construction adhesive did a number on the drywall. Even though it would be covered by the new sink, I had to add it to the list of little things I needed to make right, along with new quarter-turn angle stops and escutcheon plates.
After a quick clean up I did a mock-fit of the new sink and faucet. I ended up "Ikea Hacking" -- using pieces and parts from different items not originally designed to go together. This required some modifications, but I'm happy with the result.
Now onto the fun part that I had been dreading: drywall. I have purposely avoided any drywall projects. My standards are high and experience non-existant. Those two trait rarely go well together. I made the patch panels and got on my first layer of mud. I was also able to move the electrical junction box for the light and patch that area as well. I think it's going to take me another week. Fortunately, a new mirror will cover most of where the medicine cabinet was and the new light fixture will hide mistakes in the upper patch as well. I'm trying to take my time...if it takes 5 iterations of mudding to get it right, so be it.
What's left...I need to finish the mudding, repaint / texture the wall. And then it's just a bunch of odds and ends. I'd like to hang some art and really "finish it off."
As you can see, there are also numerous stress cracks around. So I knew it was time for a new sink. I've never been a fan of the pedestals (though I like how they make small bathrooms look bigger). Anyhow, this is one of those situations where one thing leads to another (notice the funky tile on top of the sink) and you can quickly end up with a gutted space and drained bank account. Instead, I thought about what was most important to me and established a firm limit of scope.I decided I would need a new sink, vanity, faucet. I also wanted to remove the aging medicine cabinet, add an electrical outlet inside the vanity (to keep the toothbrush and shaver chargers hidden) and finally move the bathroom light so it would be centered over the sink.
Whoever installed the previous sink loved construction adhesive. It was used to attach the sink to the wall (in addition to brackets) and the pedestal to the floor. Surprisingly, the tiles on top of the sink came off without a hitch. The construction adhesive did a number on the drywall. Even though it would be covered by the new sink, I had to add it to the list of little things I needed to make right, along with new quarter-turn angle stops and escutcheon plates.
After a quick clean up I did a mock-fit of the new sink and faucet. I ended up "Ikea Hacking" -- using pieces and parts from different items not originally designed to go together. This required some modifications, but I'm happy with the result.Now onto the fun part that I had been dreading: drywall. I have purposely avoided any drywall projects. My standards are high and experience non-existant. Those two trait rarely go well together. I made the patch panels and got on my first layer of mud. I was also able to move the electrical junction box for the light and patch that area as well. I think it's going to take me another week. Fortunately, a new mirror will cover most of where the medicine cabinet was and the new light fixture will hide mistakes in the upper patch as well. I'm trying to take my time...if it takes 5 iterations of mudding to get it right, so be it.What's left...I need to finish the mudding, repaint / texture the wall. And then it's just a bunch of odds and ends. I'd like to hang some art and really "finish it off."
