You may have noticed a definitive absence here that started around late February.  I decided my services were needed elsewhere.  And by elsewhere I mean my guest bathroom on the second floor.  But wait, Alison, it’s May.  Good catch.  As it turns out, renovating a bathroom 90% solo, while maintaining your normal life, takes a very long time. Here is that saga. Totally worth it.

The first step was to take down the under-the-sea-themed wallpaper.  Few things elicit an outpouring of empathy like telling people you have to take down old wallpaper.  After a long first day of steaming, scraping, and peeling, I felt like I was making progress.  Then the next morning I woke up for work looking like Bob Costas at the Sochi Olympics.  (Sorry, Bob.)  It was unsightly, to say the least. I went to work anyway, and made sure to tell my (few) co-workers that I didn’t have the plague, but rather a wicked allergic reaction to something in the wallpaper.  They looked dubious.  But I pressed on.

A real highlight was when I removed light fixtures and a toilet myself.  Myself.  I spent the next few days telling anyone who would listen.  (Sorry, real life friends.)

A list of the work:  Removed all the old baseboards/trim, unhooked plumbing, removed laminate/MDF back splashes, removed cabinet doors, removed cabinet hardware, painted cabinetry and shelves, spray-painted hardware, primed (2 coats), painted the ceiling, walls, and trim. Chiseled/filed away all the old caulk and grout on the tile tub surround, re-grouted the tub, caulked the tub and countertop.  With Ryan’s assistance, I also put in two new light fixtures, installed a new sink/countertop, and installed a new toilet.  Ryan laid new laminate flooring – chosen 100% because we already had three unused boxes of it in the basement – and installed new baseboards.

There are a couple little things still to finish, like hanging towel racks and caulking the rest of the baseboards/trim, but the bathroom is fully functional again, and really beautiful.  I learned a ton on this project – I had a surprising amount of patience for how disorganized and messy the entire second floor was, and also didn’t get too discouraged at how long everything took.  (Plus is was a great running Dad-joke:  “What are you doing this weekend?”  “Oh, I’ll be in the bathroom!”  Har har.)

Before…a little dingy and very under-the-sea.

Bad laminate counter, worse dressing-room lighting.

Ruby was not a productive helper.

With all the paper gone, already looking cleaner.

More mudding!

Dingy cupboards with outdated hardware.

Had to improvise on the ceiling light box.

Starting to take shape with the new floor.

Check out that fresh grout!

Ah! Finished product!

Fresh paint, new hardware.

Paint is Porpoise by Behr.

A good “after” photo.

New faucet and counter. So clean!

A little homage to the room’s previous life.