My Bathroom Odyssey

[Willa]

With the exception of replacing the light fixture, my bathroom is finally done.

This is where I started (realtor's listing pic):

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Plaster like a drunk iced a cake, crummy little MDF cabinets, yucky "neutral" vinyl flooring, all painted that chocolate milk color (BM "Jackson Tan", including the ceiling).

Then, the calcimine paint nightmare crossed with the incredibly loose and compromised plaster nightmare :

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Then the bummer discovery that I could not refinish the floors as the original wood floor had been significantly and poorly patched in several locations - and no matching tongue and groove wood could be located:

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But - I had good luck at the ReStore and found brand new boxes of white ceramic tile for cheap - enough for the bathroom and powder room ! But - the antique marble sink I bought for $ 30.00 could not be used in this bathroom, due to the iffy and not at all flat masonry wall it would need to be anchored to. I found a plumber who was willing to install my antique stuff - with some trepidation on his part. Luckily, the $ 75.00 pedestal sink could easily be installed. But - the location of the sink needed to be moved over one foot ($$$$$) to center it on the wall. But - the existing plumbing had been recently upgraded and sensibly done so at least there were no terrible surprises when the floor was opened up. But - I needed two plumbers to remove the clawfoot tub so the new subfloor and floor could be installed ( $$$$$). Finally I had a bathroom again, one that wasn't mortifying:

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But - the young plumber dudes were unclear on the concept so I had to undo some copious and inappropriate caulking, which took a couple of grumbling hours with a razor knife:

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I spotted some excellent antique bathroom accessories on Toronto's CL, and a friend picked them up for me. They included a fancy numbered toothbrush holder, glass shelf, glass holder, soap dish with milk glass liner and a milk glass towel bar. The brackets that hold the glass shelf have set screws to hold the shelf tightly in place. Due to all the previous plaster drama, I had some woes attaching them to the wall, and had to reposition a couple of items and patch the holes, and touch up the paint. I managed to get all the items firmly attached :

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The only outstanding issue now is the replacement of the not-quite-right Home Depot type chandelier thing. I have several matching art deco flush mount fixtures, so I think this will work nicely in the room. There is no way to install sconces beside the mirror due to the solid brick wall below the plaster, but I am keeping an eye out for a solution, like a pair of small boudoir type lamps from the 1930's, that could sit on the shelf:

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Then I never want to think about this room again !

[1918ColonialRevival]

A lot of work went into that! Nice job.

If it makes you feel any better, one of my bathrooms has been a "work in progress" since 2010. Out of four total, only two are currently operational.

[Lily left the valley]

Fantastic job, Willa.

You are an inspiration to me in your dogged methods to see things through until done correctly and to your satisfaction.

[Manalto]

Nice choices, Willa. One pet peeve of mine (and there are many ) is large tiles in small rooms - it looks ungainly. Your white tile is just the ticket. I like the toothbrush-cup-shelf over the sink, well, everything! Congratulations on a job well done.

[Texas_Ranger]

What an incredible improvement!

Are you going to put LED bulbs into that fixture or are you among the die-hard incandescent lovers? If you belong to the latter group (like me) I'd question that fixture choice - flush-mounted fixtures with incandescent bulbs tend to cook the wiring inside the ceiling over time. 40 W might be OK, 60 W gets problematic and 100 W is a sure way to cause trouble within a few years. A pendant would be better suited for incandescent bulbs.

[JRC]

I echo the others' comments. That looks great!

[OurPhillyRow]

This turned out very nice! It always feels good to be able to add another room to the completed list.

[Willa]

Are you going to put LED bulbs into that fixture or are you among the die-hard incandescent lovers? If you belong to the latter group (like me) I'd question that fixture choice - flush-mounted fixtures with incandescent bulbs tend to cook the wiring inside the ceiling over time. 40 W might be OK, 60 W gets problematic and 100 W is a sure way to cause trouble within a few years. "

(Edit by Mick - put the end quote back for you)

The fixture has all its vintage parts, including a ceramic socket. I strongly prefer incandescent bulbs, but wouldn't venture above 60W for that fixture. My concern would be overheating the shade, and cracking it.

The fixture that is there feels like overkill with three bulbs. With incandescent bulbs the room feels hotter within minutes. With compact fluorescent bulbs, even ones that are allegedly "warmer", the quality of light is just so ugly. Since the ceiling and floor are now both light colored now, the room feels much, much brighter v.s. that oppressive brown on the walls and ceiling and almost the same color on the floor.

I've kept my eyes open for a suitable pendant type fixture for that room. Back around Xmas I found those 4 very old pendant lights, with the odd ceramic mounts and mica inside the sockets. Those shades feel particularly fragile so I would only use a 40W bulb or less, which is probably less light than I want in that room. The ceiling is only 8 feet, and I have bonked the existing fixture many times, even while doing a post bath stretch = going to try out a flush mounted fixture.

I guess that I made a vintage looking bathroom, v.s. a strictly period correct bathroom. One thing that I was expecting to find in that room - but didn't - was the ghost of tongue and groove wainscotting. The kitchen has 85% of the original boards, but there was no sign that this was ever in the bathroom. What that bathroom was originally like will remain a mystery. The toilet and tub appear to be in the original locations, and where the sink is now is turned 90 degrees from where it would have been on the adjoining wall, judging from the previous holes in the floor. There was no sign of previous cabinets or built ins.

One thing that is not shown is the antique wall mounted cabinet and the small cupboard below, which are on the wall near the doorway. I painted them the same color as the walls, but with semi-gloss enamel. They would be described as farmhouse quality - basic utilitarian, painted wood. It is a relief to have some storage in the room, as even that was a dilemma, between the plumbing, doorway, heating vent and attic opening placement. They seemed like the kind of thing that a frugal homeowner would have kept from the previous reno even while not being as up to date as other items in the room. In their previous life they lived in my kitchen, porch and another bathroom a long, long time ago.

[Nicholas]

Very nice bathroom, eventually I want that floor tile for both bath and kitchen.

[Willa]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. That bathroom seemed equally hexed AND lucky.

The powder room promises to be a similar ordeal, though with less than 1/3 the square footage to contend with. At least I have a good idea how the flooring and plumbing will turn out. First I have to tear out the ugly 12 x 12" ceramic tiles that are very strongly affixed to chipboard, before I can even get an idea of how bad the walls will be.