Makeover Tips for Your Bath

 WEB-EXCLUSIVE: TIMELINE

Great Web Sites for Bath Remodeling Projects

• www.brasstech.com
• www.cashacme.com
• www.daltile.com
• www.gingerco.com
• www.kohler.com
• www.build.com
• www.robern.com
• www.waterworks.com

 

Where the Time Went

Saturday #1

• Morning: Demolition begins. Start pulling the wall and floor tile up using the claw of a hammer and a shovel.
• Afternoon: Finish removing the floor tile. Call it a day after getting all the old tile, carpet, and cabinetry pulled from the room.

Sunday #1

• Morning: Cut and remove rotten plywood sub-floor caused by the tub leak. Open up walls by removing sheetrock and drill holes to relocate plumbing.
• Afternoon: Install new copper water supply lines and PVC drain pipes. Cut holes for can lights and begin reinstalling sheetrock.

First Weekend Notes:

1. Shut off all water and electricity to the room before beginning work.
2. Be sure to cover tub with moving blankets or old towels. Falling tile can chip the porcelain finish.
3. Clean up as you go. Don't wait until all the demolition is done.
4. Keep a running list of items you need from the hardware store and shop at off times, such as first thing in the morning or right before close.
5. Buy extra items at the hardware store to keep from making multiple trips. You can return what you don't use.

 

Wednesday-Friday #1

• Hire tile installer; paying a professional tile installer is money well spent.

Saturday #2

• Morning: Reset toilet. Reinstall showerhead, tub faucet, and handles after soaking them in vinegar to remove crusty water deposits and cleaning them with chrome polish.
• Afternoon: Finish sheetrock and prep for painting.

Sunday #2

• Morning: Connect can lights in the attic. Note: If necessary, hire an electrician.
• Afternoon: Paint ceiling first and then walls. (Normally you'd wait to reinstall toilet until after the walls are painted, but these homeowners needed the bathroom functional as soon as possible.)

Second Weekend Notes:

1. Hire someone to do the gypsum drywall work. Unfortunately, these homeowners learned this after the fact.
2. The homeowner could do the electrical work, but if you don't know how, always hire a licensed electrician.

 

Saturday #3

• Morning: Install medicine cabinets.
• Afternoon: Install sinks; test and check for leaks.

Sunday #3

• Afternoon: Install hardware such as towel bars, toilet paper holder, and robe hooks. Replace brass door hardware with chrome to match other fixtures and hardware in the room.

Third Weekend Notes:

1. Put faucet on before installing the sink.
2. Have toggle bolts on hand in case placement of the sink does not coincide with a stud in the wall. It's very important that the sink is securely attached to the wall.
3. Be sure to replace door hardware if you're changing the metal finish in the room. You can order a mixed doorknob set so that one side is brass, and the other is chrome.

 

Saturday #4

• Morning: Remove mirror from the back of closet door, and hang it on the wall. Trim it out with molding that matches that of the windows and doors in the room.
• Afternoon: Begin painting trim.

Sunday #4

• Morning: Finish painting trim and touching up the walls.
• Afternoon: Clean the bath thoroughly. Organize the interior of the medicine cabinets, hang pictures, and install towel bars and hooks. Add accessories.

Plumbing Fittings
This project incorporates new plumbing fittings that require no soldering. They're called the SharkBite® Connection System by Cash Acme. The fittings connect pipes by using teeth and O-rings. They make a plumbing project much easier for a do-it-yourselfer and are inspector friendly.

The SharkBite fittings are available from some plumbing-supply and hardware stores. They are more expensive than a standard copper fitting, but for a small project, they are a dramatic improvement over doing it the old-fashioned way

"Makeover Tips for Your Bath" is from the June 2006 issue of Southern Living.