# Two week bathroom blitz!



## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

I gave myself two weeks to gut and rehab my hall bath. I didn't quite make it. But, in ten working days I:

1. Made detailed measurements and took pictures to document the position and status of everything in the bath:







I HATE myself every time I do a project without doing this first. Now, where was that switch mounted???

2. Spent WAY too long trying to figure out the electrical (K&T) until I came to peace with not knowing. Pulled romex for three new circuits for the bath, and wired up a switch for ceiling fixture.

3. Scraped off the old wallpaper (PHEW!) Pulled a ton of formaldehyde soaked formica off the walls - baby blue marble, natch! Revealing some awesome bead-board! W00T!









4. Removed all the old adhesive that once upon a time held the old formica onto the wall. This was the better part of time consumption on the project - used a combination of naphthalene spirits, elbow grease, Fantastic, sandpaper, putty knife, and finger nails. And LOTS and LOTS of paper towels.

5. Sanded and Primed with quality oil-based primer.









6. Caulked gaps in bead-board that have opened up over the last 130 years.









7. Sanded (AGAIN) and put on second coat of primer.









While my project is going to take a little more time than I thought (big surprise, right?) I am SUPER pleased with how things have turned out so far.

- I also pulled the cardboard ceiling tiles down and ordered a new tin ceiling (I went crazy and ordered it in 'Deco Blue'). 
- Dismantled the toilet (search 'Case toilet' on the forum) figured it out, and ordered the highly expensive, and hard to find parts to fix it. inch:
- Ordered light fixture for the ceiling. 
- Ordered and received new shower and surround for the claw foot tub.

I still need to:
- Install GFCI receptacles;
- fix and rehang the sink ;
- order new supply lines (with shut off valves) for the tub;
- install the shower;
- re-wire the sconces I bought on ebay and hang them;
- paint the old medicine cabinet to match the 'new' OLD look;
- hang light fixture, bought on ebay, from the ceiling;
- install 'snap-lock' tin ceiling;
- pick a paint, and paint the plaster above the wainscoting;
- re-connect the radiator;
- re-hang the towel bars, toilet paper holder, and misc hooks;
- Oh, yeah, and put a finish coat of paint on that AWESOME bead-board.


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## perpetualjon (Jan 30, 2009)

Looks like it will be a nice makeover! I can't wait to see it completed!!


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

OK Leah, you posted the photos and got our attention. Can't wait to see some more photos.

And that bead-board does look fantastic.


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## wilderstyle (Oct 28, 2008)

You rock! Awesome beadboard work. You saved a bundle there.


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## jamiedolan (Sep 2, 2008)

Leah Frances said:


> - Install GFCI receptacles;
> - fix and rehang the sink ;
> - order new supply lines (with shut off valves) for the tub;
> - install the shower;
> ...



Looks nice. I love seeing old houses fixed up and restored. I have a 60's house and am learning to plaster so I can add new plaster walls and patch the old. I feel like just doing drywall would be a disservice to the nice old plaster walls in my house.

Those To Do lists sure help with "Getting Things Done" don't they? I use Todo with Toodledo on my Ipod constantly.

Jamie


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

*Hall bath upate*

Here's the tin ceiling from American Tin Ceilings:









I'm really happy with how it turned out.


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## jackie treehorn (Jan 27, 2009)

Great job, you should be playing that song "ballroom blitz" when you're workin and sing along as if it's bathroom blitz :laughing:


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## DeFex (May 10, 2009)

That ceiling is very cool. it would annoy the hell out of me not having the lamp right in the middle of the pattern though!
now im off to check out American tin cieling for my bathroom


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## Mrnagrom (Oct 7, 2008)

haha. i was looking at the ceiling thinking the same thing. "wow, cool ceiling but it would drive me totally bonkers to not have it in the middle of the pattern"


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## gregdonovan (Jun 10, 2009)

wow, i hope i am lucky enough to find beadboard under the walls in our bathroom.


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