Monday, August 6, 2007

How To Overhaul a Bathroom

This will be my fourth bath overhaul. It's not a remodel because the fixture placement stays the same, no walls get moved, and the plumbing and electrical hookups don't get changed.

Painting is an unusual first step but I figure since it will have four layers of paint, I can sand that down a little bit and smooth the walls enough to eliminate quite a bit of spackle. Besides, it costs money to throw paint away. Wake County requires mixing in a solidification agent and paint rollers are cheaper.

This is how I redo a room.

  1. Planning Phase. Pry, probe and look.

  2. Demolition Phase. Gut the room down to drywall and sub-floor. In a few cases I'll keep the trim but when replacing cabinets and built-ins, best to start fresh. After demo, cleaning.
  3. Room Envelope Sealing Phase. So called because I do the drywall repair to seal the walls and repair & caulk the the sub-floor. It helps the utility bills in outside rooms by closing off drafts.
  4. Painting and Finish. Before any fixtures go back in the room, the walls get finished and painted with a good quality paint. I like to use sheet vinyl as a finish floor. Sheet vinyl sealed to the walls is an excellent way to stop water.
  5. Fixture and Trim Installation. Fixtures and trim are installed. I like to put a thin bead of caulk behind the shoe mold, on top of the baseboard, around toilets and cabinets, and around the door trim as well. This gets rid of unsightly cracks and once again helps prevent moisture migration and drafts.
  6. Electrical and Plumbing Hookup. I'm a firm believer in not messing with, or changing electrical wiring and plumbing.
  7. Testing, Touch-up, and Done. Check for leaks, gaps, paint holidays and final adjustments. Takes about a week to get most of the minor, minor stuff especially, but worth it.

The plumbing is decent. The toilet is borderline as to needing a rebuild kit. The main issues is the condition of the walls, the current vinyl floor which was laid on top of the sub-floor with no underlayment, and the shower stall needs a good cleaning and re-caulking. The vanity is a goner after twenty years of moisture.

Looks like an easy job ahead.

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