DIY bathroom remodel

What in the world was I thinking...


I thought a 3 day weekend would start and finish this project....HA!
Scrapping the popcorn ceiling turned out to be the easiest part of this weekend adventure...and that speaks volumes 😳




We are going into our third weekend and it isn't near completion.






We started by Scrapping the popcorn off the ceiling and removing the vent covers. The use of a wallpaper steamer seems to make this project much easier than any of the other ceilings we have scraped.

Took everything apart...we reused all the door hinges due to the high cost and challenge of matching exactly. They were soaked in paint stripper and then spray painted with oil rubbed bronze to match the new fixtures. the counter top, was sanded down in prep for cement application and the carpet (YUP! I said carpet in the bathroom 😶) was removed and the floor scraped and cleaned.

1st application of Ardex feather finish cement

The wall proved to be our greatest challenge...it was bonded with the drywall! Unwilling to detach from the wall...we tried steaming, scrapping, scoring, wallpaper removal chemicals...all of which failed 😡 finally, I submitted my will to the walls and found a wall paper that I thought would cover the old wall paper (which I was also incorrect about). 

Applying the sealant, Cheng food grade sealant

We used a food grade sealant for the concrete counter. It looks so much better than the old cultured marble. I do wish I wouldn't have added any color and left it grey, but I  can attempt to fix that at a later date.

 We added a wood wall behind the sink, using a distressed tongue and grove kit we found at Lowes. It was perfect for this space. The new light fixtures adding just the right amount of elegance.

the start of a pattern

Yup, those are pennies! this floor cost approximately $74, I wish I would have kept a better record of how many times I went to the bank requesting $20 in rolled pennies!  If you do this, make sure you take a bag...it's a whole lot of pennies.

I used Elmer's glue to put them in place, and I was very thankful that I didn't use anything more permanent for the applications, because I scrapped them all back up a couple of times trying to make a pattern. It held them down very well, never had an issue with pennies getting lose unless I used the scrapper.

mirror found at my favorite Home Goods

To finish the penny floor I used black unsanded grout and then sealed it with a heavy duty polyurethane.

I absolutely love this room...
it is just some much lighter and brighter, I am no longer embarrassed to let guests use the downstairs bathroom.
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