It’s been an exciting week at my house! My tile contractor started last Tuesday on the master bathroom and it’s been fun to watch the process and progress. And it’s really been fun to not be doing the work. It was 4 years ago that my dad and I were knee-deep in this house renovation all during the summer and we worked like dogs getting this house done in 6 months enough that I could even move in. That’s not including all the other projects we have done since then, getting my house to where it is now.
On that note, I was happy to hire this one out. It was way over my dad’s head and mine and we would not have been able to do it all. A bathroom requires someone who knows what they are doing, so I got a recommendation from blog friends and came up with a guy who I called and he came out, gave me an estimate and I hired him to start. I had to wait over a month to get him here, but the day finally came last week. I will share his information with you later, because I’m very happy with his work ethic and how things are going so far.
I took everything out of my bathroom vanity, in preparation for the gutting to come. The rustic cabinet came off the wall. I can’t make myself get rid of it and will hopefully use it somewhere else.
The one piece fiberglass tub had to be cut out.
Original vanity is all empty and ready to remove. The mirror will go too. You can see the chalk paint looks dirty in here, since I didn’t seal this cabinet. That’s why a sealer is needed over chalk paint.
The old tile floor will go too. It’s a complete gut job!
You can see how tiny this bathroom is. When the tub came out and the vanity, the space measures just over 7′ x 5′.
I didn’t want to knock down walls and add to the cost, so I will work with the space I have, making it as pretty as I can with a new tiled shower and vanity. Bye-bye 70’s, I will not miss you!
My tile contractor was really meticulous and he brought in someone to gut the bathroom, but first laid down tarps from my front door, all the way up the stairs into the bathroom. I appreciated that detail.
He also closed off my bedroom with hanging plastic sheets that will hopefully have kept out most of the dust from the demo of the bathroom. Dust is inevitable when you are doing a remodel, so I’ll have to do a thorough cleaning when all of this is finished.
Plastic hangs all the way into the alcove of my vanity area.
Day One: Demo day! He got up the old tile, tore out the vanity, took down the mirror, and cut the tub in several pieces to haul it out of here.
And it was down to the sheetrock and plywood floors. Vanity side.
Tub side, down to the studs. He added in insulation behind the concrete board that was added in the shower for water proofing the tile. There was no insulation before behind the old tub, which of course I didn’t know.
Down to the plywood subfloor.
The next day, the shower floor was prepped by moving the drain and doing all the plumbing necessary to get this all completed. He had to take out the old faucets and plumbing parts where the tub used to be, to prepare for a shower only. He moved the drain to the middle and poured the shower bed so that the water will drain properly. You can see the Durock cement board was used for a water proof shower.
New drain in the middle.
Day 4: Tiling begins. And now the pretty part starts! I watched him add subway tile on the walls and set the black and white penny tile on the shower floor.
I have a 6″ border of black penny tile along the top of the shower, with subway tile finishing it off above. Grout will be a medium gray shade. That cute little niche holds white penny tile.
I added a little marble corner shelf towards the bottom so I have somewhere to prop for shaving legs. He told me I really didn’t have room for a seat in here, so I took his advice.
This is the grout I got from Floor and Decor, color called Delorean Gray. It doesn’t require sealing and is supposed to be a great choice for bathrooms, in helping prohibit mold growing.
Next day, he started above the black border with a herringbone pattern all the way to the ceiling. We had talked about herringbone and he advised me to do a straight herringbone instead of an angled one as I originally wanted, because he said the angled one would have more small cuts and look much busier in the corners.
I took his advice again and we did a straight herringbone above. I know I’ll be completely happy with the outcome, because I’m already loving it now.
The bullnose tiles were set along the edge of the shower walls, as well as on the step up where the sliding glass doors will go.
And the hex black and white tiles were set on the floor. Grouting starts next and then we will be almost finished with this bathroom. I’ve enjoyed watching the process and am happy I have a contractor who knows what he is doing. Again, I’ll share his information later on when I do a complete reveal post.
That’s how far we are right now and this week, the grouting will happen and soon we’ll be installing the vanity. I can’t wait to get this project complete and get to take a shower in here for the first time. It’s so exciting to get a fancier shower with pretty clear glass doors, it will make this small space look so much better to open it up with glass and white tile.
Here’s a look at my mood board again and it’s finally all coming together!
Big thanks to Floor and Decor for helping out with this project! They sponsored all my tile.
Tara Sayers Dillard says
So happy for you. And, like every choice. Many layers here, especially all you & your dad have done. I know your parents are so proud of you getting to this layer !!
XO T
Rhoda says
Thank you, Tara! I am very happy to get to this renovation. It’s been a fun process to get this house done and now this will be it as far as renovations go in this house.
Jamie Szalabawka says
Looks like full steam ahead! Love the nice soothing colors. Coming along great.
Celia says
It’s coming along nicely Rhoda!! Love your choices!!
heidi @ decor & more says
It looks WONDERFuL! I love the straight herringbone… very unique!
xo Heidi
Mirna says
Hi Rhoda, I am also renovating a bathroom – actually my Dad (72 year old miracle) is renovating the bathroom bc we had a serious leak behind the sink wall. Anyway, I love your progress so far and cannot wait to see it finished. Good luck!
Stacey Keeling says
This is going to be amazing, Rhoda. Great way to update the house…adding a little of the Pottery Barn look.
Whimzy Thyme says
Looks fantastic – I love black and white bathrooms – so Art Deco 🙂
Dana Tucker says
This looks amazing!! So happy for you. I know you will enjoy it every single day!! Best gift you can give yourself 🙂 Can’t wait to see the finished room.
Denise says
Wow! Absolutely beautiful so far! Can’t wait to see the finished product! I love all the finishes you chose!
Sharon says
Looks great! I have the same tile on my bathroom floor and similar in my shower. I love it and think it’s a timeless look. So happy for you!
[email protected] says
It’s all coming together beautifully, Rhoda, and looks so nice! Have done three different home renovations with my husband (and myself) doing most of the work, I know how exciting and yet, messy, the process can be. Glad your contractor is taking the time to be careful about the dust!
Roxanne says
What an amazing transformation! It is going to be so beautiful when it is all finished. By the way, Rhoda, when I retired (and didn’t have to fly out of the house at the crack of of dawn) I started squeegee-ing my shower. I rarely have to actually clean anymore!
Rhoda says
Thanks, Roxanne, I’ll be taking tips on keeping those shower doors clean and sparkly. I’ve heard to put Rainex on them, so I might try that and a squeegee will probably be in my future too.
mellyb says
It looks fantastic! How blessed your are to have found such a wonderful contractor. Can’t wait for the reveal. I know it will be beautiful.
Carol says
I love your old cabinet. If you ever want to get rid of it…….. The renovation is looking really good.
Jules says
Hi Rhoda, your bathroom configuration is the same as mine. However my shower head and faucet is on the other end of the tub (not the toilet side) which I hate. I would love to remove my tub and replace it with a shower but our upstairs bathroom has a shower which would mean we wouldn’t have a tub in the house. Do you have another bathroom with a tub? I just wonder how it would affect selling it with no tub and only showers. Can’t wait to see the end results. Your house is beautiful. You’ve done a great job!!
Rhoda says
Hi Jules, I do have a 2nd bathroom with a tub, so I’m leaving that one. I think most people love showers better and these old fiberglass tubs aren’t desirable, but I hear you on needing at least one tub in the house.
Stephanie says
Hi , Great job on the bath remodel! Do you have any hints for making your blog read better.It’s all squished to the left side of the screen. Yours is the only blog that does this. Design Chic blog had a problem for
awhile,now it’s gone. Love your makeovers !
Rhoda says
Hi, Stephanie, this is something that’s been going on for about 3 weeks and I’ve heard from different folks. It seems to be a problem with an ad plugin I updated being not compatible with certain browsers. Are you on Chrome or Firefox? Those are the 2 that are having problems, so if you switch to another browser you’ll probably be fine. I know it’s a pain, but not everyone is having these issues.
Mary Fances says
Love your new bath! I feel your excitement, we also started a master bathroom remodel this week. We’ve lived in our house for over 17 years and NEVER liked the bathroom. Finally doing a total gut job! I’m with you, can’t wait to have a PRETTY bathroom to walk into everyday! What a mood brightener!
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says
I love it, this is going to be so pretty and I love that you replaced the tub with a nice shower. You will really enjoy that.
Rhoda says
Thank you, Marty, for stopping by! I think I’m going to love my new shower.
Jeanie says
Love the shower tile!
Missy Madden says
Hi Rhoda,
Loving the bathroom redo! We just totally renovated a 1950s ranch in Smyrna and replaced the old pink & black tile with the classic black & white retro look. Love it! In fact our home is on a tour of homes this Sunday. Can’t wait to share all of the fun we’ve had working on our house!!