So we decided to bite the bullet and renovate the "Master Bathroom". Our time here in San Antonio is getting short, and though we've had pretty good traffic through the house we haven't had any offers that we're happy with. Some of the main comments that we kept getting were about the bathroom and that it would be too much work for most people. So we've found a renter and will try to put our house on the market next year with a new bathroom and hopefully a better market.
It was one of my main concerns about selling the house and I asked our realtor if he thought we should just go for it and fix it up but he said he didn't think it would be that big of an issue. But I feel it has been. Not only is the bathroom ugly 70's, the leak has gotten worse and the tile is cracking in some places. Ugh...
So we're trying to go as inexpensive as possible and make the biggest impact. It's not going to be the bathroom I had dreamed of but it's going to look good. I want something timeless and classic- Subway tile with an accent band. The white tile will make the space feel larger and make it feel fresh and new. It won't cost to much to rip out the tile and replace with new but it will look a lot better.
I got a wild hair in me last night and thought I'd save some money and do the demo myself. I've never ripped out tile before, how hard can it be right?
Well, it was a little harder than I thought and after chopping away with not much progress... I ran into this:
What is that? I thought tile was supposed be be lain on gypsum board or Durock. The gray stuff was everywhere.
I budgeted to have someone come and lay the new tile and fix the leak. He had told me he wanted to try and lay the tile over the existing backing to keep costs down. So when I saw that gray stuff I didn't think either of us were expecting it. So I held off so he could come and look at it.
Turns out it's plaster- my tile guy said they used to do that "back in the day" and it's probably why the shower hasn't held up that well over time. He ripped out the rest of the tile for us down to the studs. He did a much better job than I probably would have done but at least I tried.
Hope to have some more progress shots coming up soon!
P.S.- Word to the wise, don't let your 2 year old see you banging on the wall with the hammer. They may get the wrong idea and you may find them later on trying it on their own!
See Part 2 Here~
Linking here!
Looking great! Bathroom renos are so hard!
ReplyDeleteIt's never as easy as we think it'll be. I've never posted pictures of our master bath because we started demo & found out the walls were made of concrete and CHICKEN WIRE. So right now it's a 80% gutted room that no one every goes in. Smh. Someday we'll get to finishing it!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see how your bathroom looks with the subway tile! It gonna look great!
Interesting post ... we have 2 bathrooms that need redoing. I look forward to see how yours turns out, good luck!
ReplyDeleteSuzy xxx
Our old kitchen counters were made of that stuff with chicken wire and tile on top. Such a pain to remove. But at least you have someone to help you, I am staring at my shower thinking I don't want to start it, but I HAVE to if I want a new shiny shower. Good luck w the house sale. Bathroom and kitchen are what do it.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for coming over to link up to our blog party!
ReplyDeleteOur house was built in 1930, so the entire house is plaster walls. We desperately need to update our pink tub and toilet, and off white (with gold glitter) sink. Good luck in the rest of the renovation!
ReplyDeletemmm...70s daisy tiles...gotta love it...i can't wait to see what the after looks like...have fun wrecking and thanks for sharing at fridays unfolded!
ReplyDeletealison
stuff and nonsense
The bathroom reno is looking great. It's always a big undertaking. I am a follower. Would love to have you stop by and say hi.
ReplyDelete