Miracle Grout Renewal

When we first started our mini bathroom remodel we decided not to replace the flooring.  Retiling an entire bathroom, even a small one, isn’t really in keeping with a “mini” remodel.  For the most part I have been pretty happy with that decision.  Our tile is white, so it actually goes with our new décor pretty well (even if the scale of the tile is way too big for the small bathroom).  The one thing about the floor that has been nagging at me is the state of the grout.  Next to all of our clean white surfaces, the grout was looking pretty dingy.

Before:  Clean but stained and dingy looking

At first I tried to clean the grout with standard floor cleaner.  When that didn’t work I switched to bleach.  When that didn’t work I switched to serious scrubbing with abrasive cleanser and a toothbrush.  I tried everything, but the very clean grout remained stubbornly stained.  Finally I gave up on removing the stains, and moved on to covering them up.  There are several methods and products available to cover grout stains, some with better reviews than others.  I decided to go with a product that had both rave reviews and a reasonable price tag, Polyblend Grout Renew.

Grout Renew (Snow White)

Polyblend Grout Renew is an epoxy stain and sealer made specifically for grout.  I got it at my local Home Depot for about $13.  It looks a lot like paint, smells a lot like paint, and can be applied like paint.  The directions recommend using a toothbrush to apply product to the grout, but most of the reviews I read recommended a small paint brush, so that is what I used.  The difference in the color of the grout before and after the Grout Renew was applied was like night and day.  After just one coat there was a significant improvement, and after the 2nd coat it looked brand new.  It took me about an hour per coat, and when I was done I had enough product left over to do at least one more bathroom of the same size.

Before:  20+ years of discoloration 

Half way through the application of the first coat.  The difference is startling. 

Polyblend Grout Renew comes in about 35 colors.  The color I used was Snow White, which dries a very light grey, but when wet was almost exactly the same color as my tile.  Despite my best efforts to get the product on only the grout, and trying very hard to remove all that I got on the tile immediately with a wet rag, the fact that I couldn’t see the product on the tile while it was wet means that I missed a bunch of it.  When it dried it became visible on the tile, and looked pretty messy.  I was able to get it off my hard slick tile with two Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and a lot of scrubbing , but I don’t think it would come off of porous tile as easily (this is your warning). 

Grout Renew dried on the edges of the tile.

After the tile clean up, looking brand new!

Bottom-line, would I do it again?  In a heartbeat!  I got grout that looks brand new for $13 and a couple of hours of work.  I would recommend it to anyone that has stained or discolored grout that is otherwise in good shape.

After:  The grout looks brand new!

As a finishing touch, we added a new bath rug.  We found this one for only $8 at TJ Maxx.

This post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.

Converting a False Drawer Front

Over a month ago we started to give the cabinet a little facelift.  We planned to paint it, and change out the hardware- nothing serious.  It should have been a weekend’s work at the most, and had we stopped there it would have been, but instead, we decided to be clever.

When I was little, my sister and I shared a fairly small bathroom with very little countertop space, and no drawers.  At some point my Dad installed a tilt out drawer behind the false drawer front in front of the sink to add a bit of storage, and since then, every time I see a false drawer front (like the large one on the kid’s bathroom vanity)  I feel like it is a waste of valuable storage space.  It seemed like an ideal time to remedy the wasted false drawer front space when we began working on the bathroom vanity.  We bought a kit by Rev-A-Shelf on Amazon that could convert false drawer fronts into tilt out drawers for $20 (enough for two), and that is where the trouble began. 

Rev-A-Shelf - 6572-14-11-52 - 14 in. White Polymer Tip Out Sink Front Trays and Hinges

While we were waiting for the kit to arrive we got ready  for it.  Removing the false drawer front from the cabinet was surprisingly easy.  I expected it to be securely attached to the vanity, but when I got under there  wasn’t much holding it in at all, just a couple of pieces of wood screwed to false front that fit snugly against the cabinet frame.  The wood swiveled out of the way releasing the front.

The false front had been painted to the front of the cabinet at some point, so I also had to use a razor blade to separate the false front’s paint from the rest of the cabinet.  Then the front popped off – easy as pie.  Note the raised bit of wood on the back of the false front, that will become important later.

When the tilt out drawer kit arrived the cabinet was otherwise ready to go.  We thought it would take 30 minutes to an hour to install the kit, and then we would be done.  Hubris, pure hubris. 

I calculated the placement of the tilt out hinges to within 1/32 of an inch based on the instructions provided with the kit, then, being very confident of my measurements, we quickly screwed everything in and closed the door ready to start on our next project.  The drawer front was too high, much too high.  We were a full 1/4 of an inch off (enough that it was noticeable), despite very careful measurement and direction following.

We took everything off, repositioned, reinstalled, and reclosed.  This time the drawer front was the correct height, but the raised piece of wood on the drawer front hit the cabinet frame before it closed.  The next time the hinges hit the raised piece of wood on the back of the drawer front.  We had to cut off a chunk of the raised portion to make the hinges fit correctly.  After several more attempts our cabinet was doing a very good impression of Swiss cheese, and the drawer front was no longer hitting the frame, the hinges were no longer hitting the drawer front, and everything was at the correct height, but the drawer did not close all of the way, it stood out from the cabinet about as far as the raised portion on the back of the drawer front was thick.

It was now obvious that the makers of this kit had assumed that the false drawer front that the hinges are attached to would be flat.  To compensate for the raised portion of our cabinet front we needed to install the hinges father back in our cabinet than the instructions indicated.  However, there was no space to install them further back, so we had to improvise.  I came up with the plan, and Firebeard implemented it.  The basic idea was to attach additional blocks of wood to the drawer glides to either side of the tilt drawer opening that could then be used to screw the hinges in place.  We got two lengths of 2x4, approximately 6 inches long, routered out a channel on the backs of each block that would fit over the drawer glides (and still allow the drawers to slide in and out) and allow the wood to sit flush with the cabinet opening, and then glued (and Screwed) the wood blocks in place.  We were then able to install the hinges farther back in the cabinet, allowing the drawer to close all of the way.

So now we finally have the new tilt drawer in place, and I will admit I really like having it.  It is a great place to hide the toothpaste and toothbrushes, it can be taken out easily and washed, and the countertop is less cluttered as a result.  Would I put another one in?  Even though I have another kit ready to be installed I haven’t decided if I will actually install it yet.  It was just such a giant waste of time and energy that I am not sure if it was worth it.  If you decide to put one in yourself, here is my advice;

• Use the instructions to get a general idea of how everything is installed and where everything should go
• Don’t use the actual measurements in the instructions, there is just too much variations in cabinets for the measurements to be completely accurate
• Get a helper (or two) to hold things in place while you mark where all the holes need to go
• Expect to install the hinges more than once, and for the installation to be a far bigger pain in the butt than the helpful kit indicates

If you have any helpful tilt drawer installation tips, or just want to share an installation horror story tell me about it in the comments.

This post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.

Completed Cabinet

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th, whether you celebrate American Independence or not.  I am happy to say that in my house we took a little break from the home remodeling projects and actually did a bit of relaxing.  We decided to stick with tradition this year, and did all of our normal 4th of July activities.  First was dinner - burgers/veggie burgers.  I make a cake that the kids refused to eat.  Then we moved on to the annual Nerf war, which, as dictated by tradition, only ends when the losing child begins to cry.  Finally the combined blood sacrifice to the mosquitoes (lest they suck out our souls), and fireworks.  It all ended at about 10pm with all of us literally dripping sweat (Florida), and smelling strongly of exploding gunpowder.  Good times.

I actually felt good about relaxing this 4th of July rather than guilty for slacking off because we are nearly at the finishing line in our mini bathroom remodel.  Today I finally get to reveal the last of the big items in the remodel, the bathroom cabinet. 

Before: Dated, dreary, and dirty looking

Now:  Brighter, and whiter yet more colorful

The bathroom cabinet has been nearly complete for quite a while, the only thing that was stopping us from completing it was the installation of a tip out drawer in the place of the cabinet’s false drawer front.  This sounds easy enough, but it was a complete nightmare.  I will go into the tilt out drawer a bit more next time, but for now, bask in the pretty completed cabinet.   

The color is Everglade Green by Clark + Kensington, color matched to Valspar’s Interior Satin wall and trim.  We wanted to match the dark blue of the shower curtain and actually took the curtain to several stores before we found Everglade Green.  Initially wasn’t completely sure of the color (while it was the closest I could find it still wasn't a perfect match) so I just got a small tester can.  I ended up painting the entire cabinet with just the tester (total cost $4).  I may eventually polyurethane over the paint if it starts to wear a little too fast, but for now it is holding up pretty well.

Franklin Brass P15510-SS-B European Steel Bar Style Cabinet Pull Handle, 3-inch (10 Pack)

We also changed out all of the cabinet’s hardware.  The old stuff was just a bit too frumpy for our sleek new look.  The hinges are super basic chrome hinges from home depot similar to these.  They were about $1.50 each, or $6 for entire cabinet.  The European Steel Bar Style handles, by Franklin Brass were another Amazon steel.  We got 10 for $16.99, about a $1.70 each (as of this writing they are currently $26.00 for 10, or $2.60 each).  I am pretty happy with the quality of these and would definitely get them again, however, they were not as shiny as I expected them to be.

Total exterior transformation cost $18.50, not too shabby.

This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are my own.

At What Height Should a Shower Curtain be installed?

How high up should a shower curtain be installed?  It depends on the length of the shower curtain/shower curtain liner being installed, the height of the tub/lip of the shower, and personal preference.  However, in an effort to figure out the appropriate height for the shower curtain in my own bathroom, I created a simple equation that can be used to determine the minimum and maximum appropriate shower curtain height that you can use in your own house. 

Here is how it works:

Shower Curtain Height Measurements

First determine the length of the shower curtain/shower curtain liner.  To make things easy I am going to assume that the shower curtain and shower curtain liner are the same length.  Here in the US the standard shower curtain length is 70 to 72 inches (178 to 183 cm) and square, but it is getting easier to find shower curtains that are not the standard length.  In my case my shower curtain was 71 inches (180 cm) long.

Next determine the shower curtain hook/ring drop.  This is the amount of space between the top of the shower curtain and the bottom of the shower curtain rod when the shower curtain is hung on the rod with whatever hook/ring you will be using.  Depending on your shower curtain hooks this amount may be negligible, but if it is more than .5 inches (1.3 cm), or you are working with very tight tolerances,  it should be taken into account when figuring out the shower curtain height.  In my bathroom the drop was about 1 inch (2.5 cm).

Then determine the exterior interior height of the tub or shower lip.  To determine the exterior height measure the distance between the floor outside the tub/shower and the top of the tub/shower lip.  My tub was 14 inches (36 cm) tall.  To determine the interior height measure the distance between the inside tub/shower floor and the lip of the shower.  The interior height of my tub was also 14 inches (36 cm).

Last determine the amount the shower curtain liner should overlap the tub or shower lip so that it does not allow water out.  In a shower you generally want the shower curtain to overlap the lip of the shower by at least 1 inch.  Minimum overlap in a tub is generally 3 inches (7.6 cm), since tubs are curved and the shower curtain liner usually cannot hang straight down a little extra overlap length is needed.  Maximum overlap should still leave the liner about .5 inches (1.3 cm) from the floor so that it will not be stepped on.  Subtract .5 inches (1.3 cm) from the interior tub height to determine the maximum overlap.

 Now put all of your measurements in the below formulas:

• Maximum Shower Curtain Height = Shower Curtain Length + Shower curtain hook drop + Height of tub/shower – Minimum shower curtain liner overlap
• Minimum Shower Curtain Height = Shower Curtain Length + Shower curtain hook drop + Height of tub/shower – Maximum shower curtain liner overlap

In my bathroom the maximum shower curtain height = 71in (the shower curtain length) + 1in (the hook drop length) + 14in (The exterior shower height) – 3in (the minimum overlap for a tub) = 83in (211 cm)

The minimum shower curtain height in my bathroom = 71in (the shower curtain length) + 1in (the hook drop length) + 14in (The exterior shower height) – 13.5in (the maximum overlap for my tub) = 72.5in (192 cm)

Since my bathroom will be used by children, who are liable to splash water out of the tub accidently, I decided to go with a bit more than the minimum amount of overlap as a safety measure and hung my shower curtain rod 80 inches (203 cm) from the floor.

Within the range of Minimum to Maximum shower curtain height how do you determine how high you should hang your own curtain? 

Here are a few considerations that may help you out:

• If there is an extra tall person in your household (like Firebeard in my house), make sure that the shower curtain is hung at least a couple of inches higher than they are tall or they are likely to hit their head on the rod every time they get in the shower.
• Is the front of your tub/shower especially ugly?  Hang the curtain a bit lower to hide it.
• Is the front of your tub/shower good looking?  Hang the curtain a bit higher to show it off.
• Want to make the ceiling appear higher than it actually is?  Hang the curtain as high as possible (even consider buying an extra long shower curtain or a long window curtain to hang at ceiling height) to give the illusion of extra height.

What about width?

Most tubs and showers are about 60 inches wide.  The average shower curtain is 70 to 72 inches wide, or 10 to 12 inches wider than the average tub/shower.  This allows the shower curtain and liner to overlap the shower by a few inches on each side to keep water from escaping.  If your shower is significantly wider or narrower than 60 inches, you may need to find a specially sized or custom shower curtain.  If you have a wide shower, or just want a fuller looking shower curtain, an alternative to custom curtains is to use two shower curtains or two standard window curtains in place of just one. 

Now a bit about my own new curtain rod and curtain.  

Screw Mounted curved curtain Rod by AQ

Installing the Screw Mounted Rod

Curtain Rod

I went with a screw mounted curved curtain rod by AQ that I found at my local TJ Maxx for $16.  This was an especially good deal, because screw mounted curved rods are surprisingly hard to find.  Most of curved rods I found in my price range were tension mounted rods.  I specifically sought out the screw mounted rod rather than the tension rod because I felt that it would be less likely to fall on the head of the child that inevitably tugs the curtain getting into the shower.

Double Glide Roller Shower Curtain Rings by Utopia

The Hooks/Rings

Utopia Double Glide Roller Shower Curtain Rings / Hooks, 100% High Quality Stainless Steel, Polished Chrome, Set of 12 Rings (Chrome)

I got double glide roller shower curtain rings by Utopia for $7 on Amazon.  This is the first time I have used this style of hook/ring, and I love it.  They are easy to get on and off the rod if needed (but do not fall off), and I can easily take off the liner to clean while leaving the curtain in place.

The Liner

InterDesign Mildew-Free PEVA 3 Gauge Polyester Shower Liner, 72 x 72 - Inch, Clear

The liner is a Mildew-Free PEVA 3 Gauge Polyester Shower Liner by InterDesign which I also got on Amazon.  It was only $5 when I got it.  While I think it may be one of the cheapest liners available on Amazon it is still relatively substantial considering the price, and hasn’t tried to attach itself to anyone trying to take a shower yet like some cheap lightweight liners will.

Odyssey shower Curtain by Danica Studio

The Curtain

Danica Studio Cotton Shower Curtain, Odyssey Print

Now the pièce de résistance, the shower curtain, which was the inspiration for the entire bathroom.  The shower curtain is Odyssey by Danica Studio.  I also got it on Amazon, and it was $50.  $50 is more than I would normally spend on a shower curtain, and I debated this purchase for a while, but in the end I feel like it was worth it.  Everytime I see it, it makes me smile.

Once the shower curtain went up the bathroom really started to feel more complete, and I could start to see my vision for the room coming together.  Even though we still have several things left to do, it is starting to feel like we are on the downhill side of an unexpected mountain climb, and I can’t wait to get to the bottom.

(This post contains affiliate links, but I have not been paid to review any of these products)

DIY Countertop Refinishing

Regular Readers know that so far our mini bathroom remodel has not been as mini as we had anticipated.  Things have cost more than we planned, taken longer than we planned, or just not gone to plan.  But the way our bathroom countertop looks now makes me feel like it was all worthwhile.  It was the kind of project that I need every once in a while to restore my faith in DIY – a quick win. 

Before - Unattractive Laminate

After -  my Mom Thought we installed marble 

I really am incredibly happy with our new bathroom countertop, and really excited to share it with you all, so let’s get started, by taking it from the beginning;

One of the things that I knew I wanted to do when we started this mini bathroom remodel was update the countertop.  The old countertop was a sandy colored laminate.  It was in good shape, but it added nothing to the space.  Initially I had visions of granite and marble dancing in my head, but a limited budget put the cabash on that pretty quick.  I considered a lot of refinishing options, from using a countertop restoration kit, to building a new one out of planks, to covering the existing countertop in concrete.  I also considered faux marble, which looks beautiful when done correctly, and pretty terribly when done poorly, and decided that my artistic skills were not quite up for it.  I finally came across what looked like a pretty simple countertop painting and sealing technique on Designing Dawn.  The technique basically involved sponge painting a variety of colors in layers (true artistic talent not required), and pouring on a thick sealant called Envirotex Lite.  Her results looked pretty amazing, and she even had a follow up post showing how well it had held up over time (very well).  I was sold.

The entire process started by taping off the area that would be painted, and draping everything the Envirotev could drip on in plastic so I wouldn’t have a giant mess to clean up later (since I am messy and couldn’t drape the entire room in plastic I still had a bit to clean up – it doesn’t come off of things easily).  Then we sanded and primed the existing laminate countertop.  We started with a general purpose primer which was a complete disaster (you can read more about here), but the second primer we used (Zinnser Bin) worked like a charm.  For the record, my primer recommendation for this project is Zinnser Bin, but Primers should always be selected with the surface they are priming and the medium that will cover them in mind. I would also recommend sanding prior to taping, because the sanding dust gets caught in the tape.  This wasn’t a problem for us since we had to re-tape everything anyway (see priming post).  We also ended up removing the sink entirely even though we didn't originally intend to (again see the priming post).  I would remove the sink from the start if I was doing this over again.  The sink really isn't hard to remove (or put back on), and it makes the surface much easier to work on.

1st Disastrous Priming Attempt while the sink was still in place - Looking pretty sad

After the 2nd Primer Attempt and removal of the sink - Looking much Better

Next was the artistic painting which I was most nervous about.  Once the primer was fully cured I laid down 3 coats of my base color, Benjamin Moore Simply White in Satin.  I waited the recommended recoat time between coats, so this took a while. 

Three Layers of of Base Color Applied.

Then it was time to let my inner artist free.  I put a bit of each of my 3 paint colors in a plastic container and added a bit of water to thin them out.  Then I dampened my sponges before dunking them in my thinned out paint. 

Paint Colors Used to Create the Faux Stone Look.  Clockwise from the upper left BM Moonshine, BM Simply White, and Grey Craft Paint.

To make my pattern I started with my darkest color and basically dabbed it all over the countertop using the kitchen sponge.  Then I did the same with the medium paint, and the base color paint, letting some of the color that went before peek through each time.  I didn’t let the paint dry between the colors so they ran together a bit, which I felt made it look even more natural. 

The first of my 3 colors applied, and not looking super promising.

While the paint was still wet I sprinkled super fine glitter over the countertop to give the finished product a bit of depth, like real stone.  I was pretty reluctant to bring glitter into my house because, as my sister’s friend says “Glitter is the Herpes of the craft world – once you get it you can’t get rid of it,” but it made the finished product look so good that it was worth it (even if I keep finding glitter around the house for the next 3 months).  Then I let everything dry.

All three paint colors and glitter applied - starting to look pretty nice.

Confession time:  The next morning after painting I decided that the left side of the countertop was too lite and I did a bit of touch up painting.  This was a mistake.  The newly applied paint just didn’t blend well with the previously applied paint.  I should have left it the way it was, and now I regret touching it up.  If you do this yourself reconsider touch up painting.  Maybe wait a day or sleep on your touch up painting decision.  If you do decide to do some touch up painting keep in mind that the newly applied paint probably won’t blend perfectly with the initially applied paint and make sure you are ok with that.

Environmental Technology 16-Ounce Kit Lite Pour-On, High Gloss Finish

Ok, so everything is taped, draped in plastic, and artistically painted – now it is time for the magic sealing ingrediant - Envirotex Lite.  Envirotex Lite is a two part reactive polymer compound (a resin and a hardener) that is mixed in two stages, then poured on top of whatever you are sealing.  Basically you pour equal amounts of the resin and hardener in a mixing container, mix for the prescribed period of time, pour it into a new mixing container, and mix it again for the prescribed period of time, then pour it on whatever you are sealing and spread it out so that it covers the whole surface.  We found some of the directions for this product kind of insane, but we followed them to the letter, including timing the mixing, switching containers, the whole nine yards, and we had absolutely no issues with the product hardening properly and found it relatively easy to apply, so at least they work. 

To use the Envirotex Lite, you mix it up per the directions, pour it on, then spread it out (we used cheap plastic putty knives which we have been able to reuse).  It was pretty easy to spread out with the putty knives, but it doesn't easily flow over the surface you are covering.  It is more like moving corn syrup than water.  You also have to work pretty fast because the mix starts setting up pretty fast, and once it starts to set you shouldn't move it any more (more on that below).

Amazingly Smooth Glassy Horizontal Surface actually reflecting!

Since Envirotex lite is really made for horizontal surfaces, the vertical surfaces we needed to cover were a bit more of a challenge.  When we poured the mix onto the countertop we poured a bit extra near the vertical surfaces then used our putty knives to lift and spread the mix onto the vertical surfaces like we were icing a cake with really thin sticky icing.  The result was very well covered vertical surfaces, but unlike the perfectly smooth glassy horizontal surfaces the vertical surfaces are a bit textured.  This really isn't a big deal.  I had to try very hard to get this texture to show up in a picture as it is pretty hard to see.  The pic below shows the texture in literally the worst possible light.

Vertical Surfaces are textured.

When the Envirotex starts to set up bubbles will form that need to be popped.  According to the  directions you can use a blow torch to pop the bubbles or blow on them.  We got a blow torch for this purpose, but ended up just blowing on them and it worked fine on our relatively small application.  If I were using the Envirotex on something larger I would go the blow torch route.

One thing that we learned while attempting to pop bubbles is that you should not touch them - AT ALL.  This is what happens if you do;

Be warned - DON'T TOUCH THE BUBBLES or THIS will happen!

Our bubble touching mess was so bad that we ended up putting on a second coat of the Envirotex the next day right on top of the first.  The second coat looks fantastic.

The Finished Countertop!

Want to know exactly what we used to make this happen?  Here are the details;

• Paint:
  • Primer:  Zinnser Bin
  • Base Color:  Benjamin More Simply White
  • Medium Grey:  Benjamin Moore Moonshine (similar to, but slightly darker than our wall color)
  • Dark Grey: Anita's All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paint in Grey
• Painting Supplies:
  • Paint Brush- To Lay down the base coat and primer
  • 3 Clean kitchen sponges – To Layer my paint colors (in retrospect natural sea sponges would have probably been easier to work with)
  • 3 Disposable plastic containers to hold paint (something clean from the recycling bin works great)
  • Water to thin the paint
  • Painters Tape
  • Plastic Tarps (we used cut up garbage bags)
• Finishing Touches:
  • Tree House Studios Extra Fine glitter:  Super small glitter used to add a bit of depth and sparkle like you see in real stone
• Sealing Supplies:
  • 2 4 oz boxes of Envirotex Lite (we ending up doing 2 coats – 1 box per coat)
  • 4 flat bottomed cylinder plastic containers (2 per coat for mixing the Envirotex)
  • 4 wooden stiring sticks (2 per coat for mixing the Envirotex)
  • Cheap Plastic putty knives (for spreading the Envirotex over the countertop)
  • Hot Breath for popping bubbles

Let me know what you think, and if you would consider doing it yourself in the comments.

(This post contains affiliate links, but I was not paid to review or use any of the products mentioned.)

Primer on Primer

This weekend we started refinishing our bathroom countertop, and like nearly every other aspect of this Mini Bathroom Remodel, things didn't go quite to plan.  This is the story of how we discovered that not all primers are created equal, and I discovered the primer that I will be using on all shiny surfaces from now on.

The current countertop in our bathroom is a sandy beige laminate, that is very likely original to the house.  While it is not the worst looking laminate countertop I have ever seen (our Master Bathroom Countertop is significantly worse), it doesn't match with the rest of our updated bathroom, so we decised to refinish it, since it was an inexpensive alternative to replacing the countertop.  Initially we considered overlaying the countertop with concrete, as was done here, but eventually we settled on painting and sealing the countertop, because it was (at least theoretically) faster and less messy than concrete.

The ORIGINAL countertop - sandy beige.

Since laminate is a hard, slick surface, paint has difficulty sticking to it, so we made sure to prepare the surface for the paint by roughing it up and thoroughly cleaning it.  I started with a 150 grit sandpaper, and finished with a 220 grit.  There really wasn't much visible difference after the sanding, but the countertop felt subtly less slick.  After removing all of the sanding dust I thoroughly cleaned the counter top, first with my normal all purpose cleaner, then with a calcium, lime and rust remover.  I have seen a lot of people use TSP to clean countertops and cabinets prior to painting.  Personally I wouldn't use TSP to clean any interior surfaces because it needs to be really thoroughly rinsed off with water, and generally I don't want to be using that much water on an interior surface.  And because anything that is worth doing is worth overdoing, as a last step before paint I used a de-glosser, also known as liquid sandpaper, to further remove the shine from the countertop.  Oh, and we also lifted the sink out a bit so I could paint under the lip – no shortcuts here.  Then it was go time. 

Sanded, cleaned, sink elevated, taped and ready to be painted.

I had a giant container of Kilz Hide-All Primer (similar here) left over from another project so I decided to use that.  It was after all primer, and it had worked perfectly fine on other projects, and as they say waste not want not (foreshadowing anyone?).  This is what it looked like after the first coat – not too shabby.

After one coat of kilz hide-all primer

After waiting the prescribed recoat time I went back in for a second coat, and that is when things went wrong.  As I began painting I accidently scraped the dry surface with a fingernail.  The paint didn’t scratch – it completely came off.  I tried to simply fill in the hole with more paint, but as I did so additional paint began to bubble up.  I decided that perhaps I hadn’t waited long enough – paint drying times are not exact after all.  So I carefully scraped off the bubbling paint, and still more carefully patched the hole I had made with more paint. Then I left the mess to dry ever longer.

Several hours later (around 10 o’clock at night), I went back to the bathroom to put on the second coat of paint before I went to bed so that it would be ready for its 3rd coat in the morning.  Before I got started I gently touched the dry paint and it came off in my hand.  Tired and frustrated at a day wasted, I began scraping off the paint.  It was so poorly adhered that it came off in wide swaths, and only 10 minutes later I was done.  The countertop looked exactly as it had before I had started painting.

Kilz hide-all primer coming off in strips.

After ten minutes of scraping the countertop is back to it's previous state.

To ward off nightmares of endless repetitions of painting and scraping and repainting, I began my research into primer types and their applications that night.  I had seen examples online where countertops had been successfully painted so I knew it could be done, but most of the time the bloggers that had done the painting didn’t specify the type of primer used.  I had to go a bit deeper and ended up searching on the major Primer Manufacturer’s websites.  On the Zinsser website I found a likely candidate, Zinsser Bin, which was touted as ideal for hard slick surfaces.  Zinsser Bin is a shellac formula primer with an alcohol base.  This primer cures in about 45 minutes (once all of the alcohol evaporates), and water based paints can be used on top of it.  I decided that I would go straight to the hardware store the next morning to pick some up, and had mercifully paint free dreams that night.

The next morning Firebeard helped me remove the sink completely (it was a pain to work around) and I sanded and cleaned the countertop again before we headed to the hardware store.  I was able to pick up a quart of the primer for $13, and had it shaken at the store (apparently alcohol based paint separates pretty easily).   I also picked up some cheap foam brushes to apply the primer because it does not clean up with soap and water.  When we got home I set to work.

Re-sanded, Re-cleaned, re-taped and sink removed - Ready for round two

The Zinsser primer was much thinner than I expected but went on pretty easily.  The whole bathroom smelled like alcohol for about an hour after painting, but it was by no means the worst smell we have encountered in this mini remodel.    Below is what it looked like after application.   It seemed about the same as the Kilz primer after its first coat, so I wasn’t holding my breath expecting success.  I was in fact expecting another failure, and wondering if home depot would take it back as defective. 

After a coat of Zinsser Bin.

After an hour I nervously came back into the bathroom and gently scratched the countertop – nothing happened.  I couldn’t believe my eyes, surely this was a fluke, so I scratched a bit harder – still no damage.  The primer stuck!  It worked!  Finally something had gone to plan!  I was so excited I think I might have danced a little jig.  We were back in business.

So I have officially found my go to shiny, hard surface primer – Zinsser Bin.  And until it fails me, or I find something better, I am going to preach it to the masses in blog land.  Zinsser Bin is, as far as I know, the best primer out there for shiny hard surfaces.  If you are planning to paint your laminate countertop, save yourself a headache and a day of wasted work, and start with this stuff.

Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Base Primer, 1-Gallon, White

Next time I hope to show you the finished, refinished countertop in all of its shiny glory.  Until then, please let me, and fellow readers, know about your favorite primers and their ideal applications in the comments.

This post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.

Caulk Up

I finally caulked the bath tub, and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Newly Caulked Bathtub looking mighty fine!  Tub spout not fully installed.

This was actually my first time caulking a bathtub, so I am not going to give you a play by play on my caulking technique (it was pretty bad).  I am however going to tell you why my bathroom caulk looks good now despite my poor technique, and a few lessons I learned along the way.

Before I took the plunge I read a LOT of tutorials on how to caulk a bathroom.  Here are a few:

• http://www.familyhandyman.com/bathroom/remodeling/how-to-re-caulk-a-shower-or-bathtub/view-all
• http://www.wikihow.com/Caulk-Shower-Enclosures
• http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20050103,00.html

There are a few things that nearly all of the tutorials seem to agree on, like using painters tape, and caulk that is supposed to be used in a bathroom, and there are a few things that the tutorials seemed to disagree about, like the angle the tube of caulk should be cut at, and angle that the caulk should be applied.  I decided to use the advice that the tutorials all agreed on, and do what felt right for the rest of it.

To angle or not to angle that is the question.  Also - Check out our mad graphic design skills :)

Here is what I learned:

1.  Initially you should cut the smallest possible hole in the tube of caulk – you can always cut it larger.

I cut the hole on the tube of caulk too big, and as a result the caulk came out MUCH faster and thicker than I had anticipated.  It was a bit of a mess.

Hole cut MUCH too large.

2.  Use painters tape to define your caulk lines (and protect you from excess caulk).

This SAVED me.  If I had not done this the caulk that I applied would have looked SOOOO much worse than it did before I removed the horrible preexisting stuff.  As I said previously, I used too much caulk, WAY too much caulk.  As I was smoothing the caulk into the grooves it belongs in, the excess caulk built up on the sides of the tape.  Since the tape was easily removed, this was not a problem at all.  Had I not used the tape, all of that excess caulk would have gotten all over my tile.

Defining those caulk lines

3.  Wide painters tape is better than narrow painter’s tape.

I used thin painters tape, and it was amazing, but because I had so much excess caulk some of the excess still ended up on my tile.  Had I used wider tape I think all of the caulk would have stayed on the tape.

4.  Keep a wet rag nearby.

If you can get a wet rag on errant caulk as soon as possible it cleans up pretty easily.  Looking at my completed caulking job you would have no idea that wayward caulk got all over my bathtub.

5.  A finger is a surprisingly good caulk applicator.

I saw a lot of different tools recommended to smooth the caulk out once it was applied, from specially designed professional implements to plastic spoons to ice.  I just used my finger, and it turned out great.  I was able to tell how much pressure should be applied, and my hands were able to catch the caulk that didn’t pile up on the tape.

6.  Keep paper towels nearby – a lot of them.

All of the caulk that piled up in my hands (see #5) had to go somewhere.  Many paper towels were needed to contain it all.

7.  Work Quickly

While caulk is pretty fresh it is easy to manipulate, adjust, and correct.  As soon as it gets a “skin” you might as well leave the mistake, because trying to correct things will just make them worse.  The good news is that if you have all your supplies ready to go, caulking goes remarkably quickly.  I went from applying the tape to pulling it back off in under 30 minutes.

Check out that beautifully applied caulk.

Finally, the hardest of all the lessons I learned.  Tape will pull epoxy paint off tile.

As frequent readers know we painted our bathroom tile with a Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit.  Despite waiting more than the prescribed 3 days to allow the paint to cure, and despite our excessive prep work, the painters tape used to apply the caulk removed the tile paint when it was pulled off.  This was REALLY upsetting to us.  The bare patches of tile were like emotional black holes, sucking all of the happy feelings out of the room and threatening a permanent fugue state.  Firebeard immediately mixed and applied more of the paint to keep us all from falling into pits of despair.  I didn’t get a picture first.

With the amount of work that we put into painting the tile, we had hoped that it would last for a least 2 or 3 years while we were doing work on the rest of the house.  Right now it doesn’t look like that is going to be likely.  But on a positive note, the caulk should last for many years to come.

Tile Time

Last time I told you about the self-induced nightmare of prepping our tub surround tile to be painted.  It was an activity that should have taken hours, but took us over a week.  We went so far beyond the manufacture’s recommendations for surface prep that by the end we were questioning our own sanity, and wondering if it was all worthwhile.

Near the End of our Tile Prep Nightmare.

The painting portion of this project didn’t take that long, but it wasn’t a lot of fun.  With our Rust-oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing kit Firebeard was able to do 3 coats of paint on the tile during the course of several hours while I was at work, and I am still thanking him for saving me from this.  The paint smelled so badly and so strongly that when I got home I could smell it feet from our front door.  Even with windows open and fans on It was truly, overwhelmingly bad.  Firebeard had been wearing a pretty high quality respirator while painting all day, and was still feeling pretty sick from the fumes when I got home.  We actually left the house for several hours that evening to give the paint smell a bit more time to dissipate, and it was JUST bearable by the time we got home.  Fortunately The Boy and The Girl were on a sleepover, so they were not subjected to the worst of the smell, but it took an additional 2 days for the lingering paint smell to leave the house, and even now, about a week later, the bathroom still smells unpleasantly odd.

Rust-Oleum 7860519 Tub And Tile Refinishing 2-Part Kit, White Buy on Amazon

Per Firebeard the actual painting was not as easy as a typical painting project.  The epoxy paint dried quickly, so there was very little time to fix mistakes.  The paint also seemed to eat the foam paint brushes and rollers he was using, and a new one had to be used for each coat, or he risked pieces of foam being embedded in the paint.  Combine that with the brain killing fumes, and this was not one of his favorite projects.  However, even given all of the brilliance of hindsight, he is considering getting another kit and doing one more round of painting before we caulk because a few spots did not get as thoroughly covered as he would have liked.  I guess it couldn’t have been that bad if he is willing to do it again.

Before - Pink Tile

After - Bright White Tile

There is no denying that the overall look of the tile now is a tremendous improvement.  It looks clean and fresh, and surprisingly shinny.  It does have a slightly odd texture now though, a bit like orange peel texture but more subtle.  We also have a few spots that are a less perfect than others as is pretty typical when painting by hand rather than with a sprayer.  This doesn’t really bother me, but it is worth knowing if you decide to do it yourself.  The paint also perfectly covered the patched holes left behind after removing the sliding shower doors which was a big plus (I will tell you how I patched those next time).

Close up of the tile's new texture.

One of the less perfect Spots.

So was all of the prep work worth it?  At this point it is hard to tell.  Bad prep work usually doesn’t become obvious until something has been used for a while and all of the paint suddenly starts peeling off, and good prep work usually goes unnoticed.  What I can say for sure is that we did not experience the peeling or puckering paint that some Amazon reviewers said they experienced.  So far our paint seems VERY securely attached, whether that is from our obsessive prep work or not, I don’t know.

Bottom Line, Knowing what we know now would we do it over again?

I think we probably would.  The improvement in the tile’s appearance was worth the effort we put in, but if we were going to do it again, I think we would put in less effort.    The instructions on the box are there for a reason.  They have been tested, and if they didn’t work they wouldn’t be on the box.  We went totally overboard on the prep work, making this project much harder than it should have been, and I think we have learned our lesson. 

In conclusion, painting the tile was worth it, follow the directions on the box, and for god’s sake ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. 

Mini Bathroom Remodel - Removing the Shower Doors

One of the things I was looking most forward to in this mini remodel was removing the shower doors attached to the bathtub.  You may not agree with me, but I think that framed shower doors are gross.  I’m ok with the frameless variety that are popular now, but 1980s framed sliding shower doors are just disgusting.  Here in warm humid Florida mold develops under the seals on the doors, under the handles, inside the tracks pretty much everywhere scrubbing is impossible.  There is no way to get them completely clean without completely disassembling them including the doors themselves, and dipping them in bleach.  I couldn’t wait to get the repulsive things out!

Before:  Ugly, gross, impossible to clean framed sliding shower doors.

Framed sliding shower doors are actually surprisingly easy to remove.  It took us less than 5 minutes to completely remove the doors (although cleaning up the residue left by the doors took significantly longer).  Here is what we did:

Removing the First Door

First Firebeard grabbed the door on the outside of the bathtub and lifted it up out of its upper track.  Our door had a small clip holding the bottom of the door to the bottom track as well.  I was able to pop this out with a screwdriver while Firebeard held the door up.  Then we moved this door well out of the way so we could handle the next door.

Next Firebeard grabbed the second door and lifted it out of the upper track.  The upper track then lifted up on its own accord, and it was at this point that we realized that the upper track was being held on by gravity alone.  While Firebeard was still holding on to the second door I removed the upper track (so it didn’t fall on him and brain him), then quickly removed the clip holding the door onto the bottom rail.  I was a little too busy preventing injury to get a picture of this part.

Shower Doors and upper Track removed.  Bottom track and sides remain.

We were left with the bottom track, which appeared to be caulked in place, and two side supports which were screwed in and caulked. 

Unscrewing the side supports.

Scoring the caulk on the side supports.

We removed the side supports by scoring the copious amounts of caulk holding them in place with a razor and then unscrewing them.  The tops of the supports came away easily, but the bottom where the side supports met the bottom track required some additional scoring and a bit of twisting to pry them loose.

Scoring the caulk on the bottom track.

Removing the Bottom Track.  Gross.

The bottom track was held on by caulk and an adhesive strip (under the track).  We scored the caulk on the side of the track to loosen it, then simply pulled it free from the adhesive strip.  Underneath was another confirmation of just how gross framed sliding shower doors really are.

Removal of shower doors complete.  Clean up from removal to come.

Even with all of caulk and dirt and god knows what else left behind after removing the shower doors I was amazed by how much better the bathroom already looked.  

Total Cost of the Mini Bathroom Remodel Thus Far: Still $58.96

• Faucet Kit:  $44.99
• Stem Tool: $5
• Tub Spout Rings:  3 at $2.99

Next time - Removing the Caulk Left Behind

Mini Bathroom Remodel - Leaky Faucets No More

The first stop on our journey to a beautiful “new” bathroom, is changing out the tub faucets that have been dripping for months and driving me nuts (but not nuts enough to do anything about).  The drip finally got bad enough that my conscience couldn’t let it go any longer, and we dropped some money on a tub faucet trim kit.  The kit we got was the Danco 39696 Trim kit with Cross-Arm Handles for $45 on Amazon.  I picked this one because the handles look a bit vintage, which is my favorite bathroom look, and it was significantly cheaper than buying all of the replacement parts piece by piece.

The Dance Tub/Shower Remodeling Kit.  Check out the before and after.  Tile magically transforms when the new faucets are installed!   

I want to first say that if your tub faucets are dripping you probably don’t need entirely new tub faucets, you probably only need the washer that sits at the back of the stem where the stem connects to the water line (which is MUCH cheaper than changing out the whole faucet).  Since our handles were ugly, our stems had seen better days, and our stem seats had been damaged from months of cranking down the handles to stop the leak, we decided to change out the whole assembly.

We started by turning off the water and removing the old handles, and stems.  The preexisting handles were hideous, 1970’s builder grade blocks of metal that I couldn’t wait to be rid of, so I was extremely happy about this part.  When we removed the stems we found that they were in better shape than we had expected, but we went ahead and replaced them anyway since we had the new parts.  I am glad we replaced them because the new ones are much smoother turning. 

Then we found out that we were missing a tool (don’t believe the box when it tells you everything you need is included).  The seat, which looks a bit like a thick washer with a funny shaped hole in it, and sits in the pipe within the wall, needs a special tool to be removed called a seat tool (Olive, one of the kid’s dolls helped illustrate it’s placement).  There was no seat tool included in the kit, and we had no seat tool, so Firebeard when on his first trip to Home Depot and bought one.  That is another $5 if you are keeping tabs.  Once we got the seat out and compared it to the new one we knew where our leak had come from.  It was in rough shape.

So we had gotten everything out, and it was time to start putting things back together again, starting with the shiny seat.  Then in went the stems, their weird plastic covers, the flanges that cover up everything that comes out of the wall, and finally the handles. 

Giant Gap Between Flange and Handle.

But wait, there is a problem.  There is a space between the flanges and the handle where the stem is visible.  Not a good look!  At first we thought we had done something wrong, so we took everything apart, and meticulously followed the directions when we put things back together.  Still a gap.  We took everything apart one more time and put everything back together while willing the length of the stem shorter.  That didn't work either.

You would think that all of the parts in the kit would fit together, but they don't.  So we made our second trip to Home Depot trying to find parts that would work.  We bought the longest flanges available ($7 a piece) in the hope that they would cover the ridiculously long (and more expensive to replace) stems.  There was still a gap.

Miracle Solution - Tub Spout Ring.

So Firebeard made one last trek to Home Depot in a desperate attempt to find something that would fix the problem before we capitulated and exchanged the kit for a much more expensive faucet set.  He came back with tub spout rings, which are tub spout decorations that just happen to fit our flanges perfectly. 

Tub Spout Rings Installed.

 They raised the flanges the perfect amount the fill the gap between the flange and the handle and cover the stems.  At just $2.99 a piece they were the perfect budget saving solution.

After!

The only problem we have with them now, is that they make the rest of the tub look pretty poor in comparison.

Total Cost of the Mini Bathroom Remodel Thus Far: $58.96

• Faucet Kit:  $44.99  (Get the Kit)
• Seat Tool: $5 (Get a similar Seat Tool)
• Tub Spout Rings:  3 at $2.99 (Get the Rings)

Hall Bathroom Mini Remodel - The Plan

I would like to introduce you to my hallway/kids bathroom.  Since we moved into our new house, almost a year ago now, we have barely touched this room (other than to clean it, and you know...use it).  While it is perfectly functional, it is also extremely boring.

The Before Picture

When I started feeling bad after Christmas we took a bit of a break from our big remodeling projects.  Even though I am feeling better now, I’m not quite ready to jump back into the heavy work – enter the bathroom mini remodel, also known as, how much can paint really do? 

Before - From the other Side

My vision for the bathroom is to make it a mostly grown up space with a few fun kid friendly touches, that will grow with our children.  We will be fixing some problem areas, painting, adding some storage, and accessorizing in a fun, big kid sea creature theme.  No flooring will be replaced, no walls will be changed or removed.  All of the major features of the room will stay more or less intact.  This is basically a face lift, and I am really excited to see just how much difference it can make.

So what is the plan?

• Change out the leaky tub handles
• Remove the sliding glass doors and replace with a fun themed shower curtain
• Re-caulk the tub and tile (it really is that bad)
• Color the tub and floor grout since it does not look clean regardless of how much  I scrub it
• Paint the walls, ceiling, and trim
• Update the vanity with paint, shaker style molding, and new hardware (and possibly a faux finished countertop)
• Add some shelving above the toilet and next to the sink
• Change out the mirror
• Add some finishing touches, like towel hooks, pictures, etc
• And now that I have seen the pictures for this post I think improving the lighting may be in order as well

How long will all of this take?  Well since most of our time to work consists of weekends and the evenings after the kids go to bed, it will probably take a while even though this is only a mini remodel.  Oh well, such is life.  I hope you enjoy the journey with us!