DIY Bathroom Renovation - Tiling a floor Part 1: Preparation

I think of ceramic floor tiling projects going in four distinct phases.

Part 1: Preparation
Part 2: Laying the Tile
Part 3: Grouting
Part 4: Sealing

Each of these phases is distinct because of the timing involved. For example, you have to wait for the mortar to cure, then you have to wait for the grout to cure. But I guess that’s part of what made grouting easier for me – you have to take breaks! Can you tile a bathroom in a weekend? Probably in a long weekend. It all depends on the preparation.

So let’s get right to tackling the first phase: preparation. In some ways, this is the most important part of the process. Like many things, if you don’t start with a good foundation, your finished product is doomed. In the case of tiling, if you’ve not created a level foundation, you’ll end up with cracked tiles!

The first thing you have to find, however, is the subfloor of your space. Sometimes, like it was for us, it’s an easy process because you’re facing roll out linoleum that’s only been tacked down at the sides. Sometimes, however, you’ll face layers and layers of glued on linoleum that could take days to remove. So let me try to take you through a couple possibilities.

In a bathroom, the best way to do this is to take up everything off the floor (see my prior post on demolition). Sometimes you won’t have the option of being able to take up the vanity and you’ll have to work around that. You should, however, take up the toilet. I’m not going to lie. It’s not a pretty job. I suggest rubber gloves and lots of plastic.

First, cut off the water (there should be a cutoff valve at the back of the toilet) to the toilet and flush it so that all the water in the tank drains out of the tank. If the water is turned off completely, it shouldn’t fill up again. Then you’re going to have to disconnect the water lines from that part of the tank. You should be able to easily find those joints and unscrew them. Next comes the first yuck part: bail out as much water as you can out of the bowl. If you have a wet vac, suck it all out if you can. Trust me.

The next step is to look for the little screws at the base of the toilet near the floor. You should take off any caps that cover them, and unscrew those screws. You should be able to gently wobble the toilet at this point. Here’s the other yucky point: pull the toilet toward you and lift it from the floor. I’d suggest putting it in the bathtub if you have one close by, if not, make sure you have plastic ready to put it on. If there’s any water left in the base, it’ll slosh out now. There’s also a sticky wax ring that helps seal the toilet drain line. I usually put on rubber gloves and pull that off before I put the toilet down since you’re going to have to replace that when you put the toilet back.

If you're facing a ceramic tile floor, grab a hammer and start banging. Flat pry bars and putty knives are also helpful in getting these tiles up. Once you start breaking them up, you might have to scrape them up, but they should start coming loose.

If you have several layers of linoleum, there's a tool that looks like a flat hoe (like a garden hoe) that you can use to pry the linoleum off of the floor. It's hard work and takes time, but you need to get all those layers up. Large lip putty knives are helpful here as well.

If you are pulling up carpet, you can take a carpet blade and cut the carpet into strips and roll it as you pull it up. Sometimes carpet is only tacked down with tack strips at the edges of the floor, but sometimes people staple the heck out of the entire floor. If this is the case, make sure you pull up all the staples and vacuum up as much dirt and padding as you can get up. Ideally, you'd like a clean floor to begin.

If you're lucky, as I mentioned before, you're facing linoleum that's only glued down at the sides or is glued down in the center as well. Just start pulling that up and scrape up the bits that are left with the glue on the floor.

So is your floor as clean and flat as you can get it? Great! It's time to lay the backer board. First, measure your space so you know how much to get. You might have to cut it and lay it out like a puzzle.

Concrete backer board can be found at your local home improvement store. It can be found in several thicknesses and is very heavy. When you're buying it, think about where your sub floor is in relation to the flooring you'll connect to at the threshold of the room. We opted for very thin board. I highly recommend talking to someone in that department about your project and getting their recommendations as well. While you're there, grab some screws - they make special ones for this purpose that are usually located close to the backer board. Ask if you don't see them because the type of screw is important. If they don't lay flat, you've got trouble. We also grabbed a circular saw blade that was tough enough to cut through the board. Remember, it really is like concrete, so you'll need a tough blade.

If you're a do as you go person (my family is bad about this), you can just lay the board as you go. If you like to prepare, however, you can lay out all the boards to make sure they fit, and then begin screwing them into the floor. Make sure that you keep a level handy as you screw the boards into the floor. It's very important that you keep these boards level with each other. You can help keep them level by screwing the high places tighter and the low places looser.

So your old flooring has been taken up, your backer board has been laid and is level. You're ready for the next step. And you probably need a break. Take it. The next step can wear you out!

Shiny...Pretty... or what I did at the Gem and Jewelry Show

If you couldn't tell from my prior post, the G&J show is one of the highlights of my season. I love to see the trends - what stones, what colors, what styles - that, in my experience, often show up in stores soon thereafter.

This trip, I heard "the onion briolette" was an upcoming trend. I'm increasingly seeing this cut, but it was interesting to hear from the point of view of the sellers that they saw this as a trend.

Generally, I pick up colors and styles that appeal to me - not necessarily because I have a piece in mind or that it's trending, but just because I like it and think it interesting. As a result, I've amassed quite a palette of colors, textures and cuts to work with once I sit down to create. Setting a budget is essential (unless you're independently wealthy) because it's very easy to get carried away. I usually go over my budget, but I know when I hit that threshold it really has to be fantastic to get me to go beyond!

This trip I did pretty well. I stayed within $20 of the budget I set. I was pleased with the treasures I found. I was mainly looking for 4mm and 6mm beads to integrate into my button pendant necklaces. I want to make those more interesting. I was also looking for briolettes in pinks, purples and greens, but didn't find anything as large as I would like. (Thus, my onion briolette conversation!) And I'm always on the lookout for pearls for wedding jewelry.

I found a pretty little acorn cast in silver that I'm still creating around in my head. There were some lovely coral colored cloisonne flowers and some Tibetan looking beads with red glass cabochons. I also found some beautiful carved coral flowers that offer many possibilities.

My FAVORITE find, however, was a strand of pink amethyst onion briolettes. The fact that they were pink amethyst was fun enough, but what made them extraordinary was the aurora borealis coating (AB) that's been fired onto them. It really gives them interesting texture and I'm thinking of combining them with keshi pearls to bring out that lovely array of color. That's assuming I can ever bring myself to pay for the quality of pearls they deserve!

So anyway, more fun options and a wonderful time with a new friend. You can't beat that!

Gem and Jewelry Show

This weekend is the International Gem and Jewelry Show! Can you tell I'm excited? A friend of mine introduced this show to me a couple years ago and I've been smitten ever since.

The show comes to the Dulles Expo Center several times a year and I try to make time to go when they're in town. You can find just about anything jewelry at the show. Are you a beader? There are hundreds of bead vendors, findings vendors and an incredible vendor that sells just about any tool you'll need. Like antique jewelry? You'll find an amazing collection of vendors with jewels that will make you hyperventilate. Like contemporary jewelry or looking for loose gems? You'll find that too.

I don't often see plique au jour jewelry, but I've seen it here. I'm able to get better buys on my gemstone beads when shopping here - and that's not even mentioning the fact that you can see and touch the beads before you buy them. My favorite vendor, however, is Efim Gilin (http://www.efimgilin.com/).

He and his wife are usually at the front of the hall and they carry the most magnificent jewelry! They'll let you hold jewelry that you might find in a museum and they'll talk with you about the craftsmanship if you show an interest. When it was time for my now husband to look for an engagement ring, we went to Efim - and boy did we find a beauty. They have pieces from a couple hundred dollars into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. And they have always been incredibly patient with my questions and requests to look at pieces I'll never be able to afford. They're just wonderful!

So if you're in DC this weekend, and you want to find a treasure, I'd suggest the International Gem and Jewelry Show at the Dulles Expo Center. If you're not in DC, you can find their touring schedule (they travel across the US all year long) here: http://intergem.com/

And if you DO go to the show, stop by and say hello to Efim. And tell him I sent you!

I think I can do that!

Have you ever seen something and thought, "I can do that"? This is one of those days for me. I found this wonderful website of photos of newborn babies last night and my mind started churning. I immediately asked one of my friends who's almost due and she has graciously agreed to allowing me to experiment with her baby girl. I can do this!

I guess I was incredibly blessed to have parents that were continually encouraging me to explore and create. We'd go to a craft fair or craft store, I'd see something I liked and Mama would say, "Honey, you can do that!" She'd buy me the supplies and we'd figure out how to do it. My experiments in quilling come to mind. I mean, how many Moms will invest in quilling supplies??

I also had a great example in my life. Mama knew I was interested in dolls from other countries - an extension of my love for learning about other cultures. She would take me to Mary Christopher's house to look around. Now, Mary Christopher was a character. For years, she had collected dolls from around the world. She had Italian Lenci dolls, Japanese ceremonial dolls, incredible antique German bisque dolls - pretty much the most exotic things this little WV girl had ever seen. She lived in a huge house that was built around the turn of the last century and it was PACKED with dolls in cases. They were everywhere.

Occasionally, Mary Christopher (she was never just Mary or Mrs. Christopher in my head), would allow friends to come in and look at the part of her collection that she'd decided to sell in her waning years. She'd set apart a section of her basement that was full of tables stacked with dolls from around the world. If you were really lucky, she'd allow you to buy a doll from the collection upstairs. It was wondrous.

On one of these trips, as we were walking out the door, my eye caught a peddler doll. She was on top of one of the old china cabinets used to display other dolls and she was enchanting. She looked a bit like Apple Annie with a basket full of tiny goods to sell. I begged Mama for this doll, but we didn't have anywhere near the $300 asking price. So what did Mama do? She said, "I can make it for you." And, at 45 years old, a new career was born.

Mama hadn't touched clay since she was in college, but she picked up some bits and pieces from around the house, kneaded the bits into a ball and started sculpting. And it was amazing. She eventually juried into many years of high-end art shows, became a member of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild and her dolls now have homes around the world. It was all a result of her "I can do that" attitude.

So thanks Mama for passing along that excitement trying new things and the confidence to tackle the unknown. Here's hoping you can find your "I can do that" moment. And as for those baby photos? Take a look - they're gorgeous!! http://www.kelleyryden.com/babyblog/

DIY Bathroom Renovation

About a year ago, my husband and I started a pretty ambitious project - renovating both our bathrooms and our kitchen. We took a week off thinking surely with our prior experience (my parents started me renovating houses when I was a kid and his parents are pretty DIY handy) we could get it all done in that week. We were wrong.

Just like any other construction project, you can set a schedule of work that needs to be finished each day, but that's not a guarantee it'll get done. Invariably we had to make a trip to Lowe's to get something we'd forgotten on our initial list. Is that universal? Please say yes. Please?

Anyway, as we went along, I took pictures of the process with the idea in mind that one day I'd start a blog and share with friends how exactly we did what we did (because we got a lot of "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?? reactions). And so here we are.

Now, I don't claim to be an expert in these things. I started young and I've done many things, but I'm by no means a professional tile installer, for example. I tend to rely on trial and error and creative problem solving, so there could be a better way to do this that I don't know. Feel free to comment!! I'm still learning!

Step 1: Make a plan
What don't you like about your bathroom? The flooring? The sinks? The wall color? For us, it was all three of these things. So I began thinking about what I liked and what I'd like to put into the house that would help the ultimate resale value.

I figured tile floor would sell better than linoleum and vessel sinks are hot, hot, hot. The problem is that the faucets are about as expensive as the sinks and we were working on a budget. I was lucky enough to find vessel sinks that accepted a regular faucet. Just try to think through all the pieces and parts of this as you're in your planning and budgeting stage so that you're not broadsided with an unexpected expense when your toilet is sitting in the bathtub.

I began looking around for design ideas and putting them into a wish list. It may help to print things out on a color printer and arrange them like a picture to help visualize the final product. Be sure to measure (twice to be sure!) the area, for example, where your sink will be placed. You don't want to come home from your local home improvement store with a sink base that's 2 inches larger than your space. Plot, plan and measure... and then comes the fun part.

Step 2: Gather your materials
Ladies, grab your debit cards, it's time to shop. This step actually took several months of shopping and budgeting once I'd found what I wanted design wise. We designated a place in our home to store the materials while we were gathering them.

One way we were able to save money on a bathroom vanity and kitchen cabinets was to transfer the base cabinets from the bathroom to the kitchen (they were builder's spec) and then used a dresser as a bathroom vanity. I scoured Craigslist in our area for the perfect dresser to paint and use - I'll post more later on this particular project - and after about a month of looking was successful in finding the right "look" for our space.

As you think through every aspect of what you're doing, make a list of things you'll need. For example, if you're painting you'll need rollers, paint brushes, drop cloths, paint trays, painter's tape, stirring sticks and paint. For tile, you'd need backer board, tile, a wet saw or tile clippers (depending on the project), mortar, grout, a rubber float, a sponge, a bucket, etc. Go through the project and try to list all the tools and materials you'll need. As I said, I often got knee deep into the project to realize I needed just a little more grout or a different width of tape. Patience is a virtue....

Step 3: DEMOLITION

For some, this is the heart of the project. It's an opportunity to let out all your aggression. Rip up that floor. Pull out that vanity. Tear off that vanity. Whatever floats your boat.

We started with the huge mirror that dominated one wall. Luckily, it was held to the wall with a series of clips and a track at the bottom instead of being glued to the wall. We loosened the clips at the top first and then slid the mirror out of the track. If you're doing this at home sports fans, you'll figure out when you start trying to pull the mirror off the wall whether it's glued on or not. Keep in mind these wall mirrors are heavy, so be sure to have an extra set of hands to help manipulate it off the wall and out of the room.

When left with a mirrorless wall, we then turned our attention to taking the top off of the vanity. First thing, empty the cabinets so that you can get to the plumbing. Then, most importantly, TURN OFF THE WATER TO THE HOUSE. Trust me on this one. Otherwise, you'll have water everywhere.

Once the water is turned off, be sure to turn on the faucets to drain as much water as you can out of the lines. Then, from under the vanity, unhook the faucets from the water pipes. You'll probably have a bit of residual water that comes out when you do this, so keep a towel handy to mop up. Do the same for the drains from the drain pipe.

Next, we had to deal with the side splash panel (very technical term here) - the piece that was attached to the wall to the side of the sink to prevent the drywall from getting wet. Sometimes these are tacked on with caulk, but ours was glued on. We cut the caulk around the sides of the panel with a carpet blade and pried it off with a small pry bar. You can see the green of the drywall that was behind the panel in the picture to the right.

Once that's done, check to see if the back splash is glued to the wall as well. If it is, cut the caulk like you did with the side splash and pull the vanity top away from the wall. If it's glued to the wall, you can pry this from the wall as well. Once the back splash is free, lift the top off of the vanity. If it still won't come off, check underneath to see if the vanity top is screwed into the base. If so, remove those screws and try again. The picture to the left is after the top's been taken off the vanity.

Then, we took the doors off the vanity, checked to see if the vanity was screwed into the wall, removed those screws and - being careful of the pipes in the floor - lifted the vanity out of the bathroom.

You might be left with some unfinished wall board that you should prime and paint before replacing the vanity. But otherwise, you're through the first part of DIY bathroom renovation!

Next up? Tiling!

Babies, babies, babies

It's interesting how as you get older you go through "crops" of babies. First, your high school friends have a crop. Then, your college friends have a crop. Then, your out of college friends have a crop. Eventually you move to a new church or social group and, you guessed it, they have a crop.

I think we've been through 10 new babies in the past year and we've still got 3-4 on the way. One is a new nephew. Another - a boy too - for one of my best friends. The closest, however, is a little girl for a friend who was married a couple months before we were.

After months of searching for just the perfect gift, my Mom sent me a couple baby shoe patterns I thought I would try. And I'm hooked.

My first foray was for the little girl. How much fun is it to walk around the fabric store scoping out girly fabrics for little tiny shoes?? I admit, I went a little overboard. I now have enough fabric to shoe every baby born among my friends and family for about the next 10 years. But OH was it fun!

The girly ones were the first I tried - both plain and bunny with flowers. Tiny button noses! Tiny flower closures! The pair for the boy were the next. I used bunny fabric for the insides of those and hand stitched the sides for a more handmade look. Little bunny faces peek out from inside the soles!

I'm learning more with each pair I do. And enjoying every minute.

Still digging out...

If you live in the DC area, you feel my pain. If you live in New England, you're laughing at DC. Yesterday was spent trying to get one of the cars dug out of the parking lot. The second car had drifts at least 4 feet tall around it. We got it partially cleared before our backs gave out! Yes, we're talking about "Snowpacolypse 2010". The
snowstorm that dumped up to 32 inches on our beloved DC metro area.

We went out to the grocery store this afternoon to try to grab some more supplies. The produce looked like a tornado had come through - there were about 3 bags of lettuce, no bananas, still some oranges and apples, but not much else. And the bread aisle? Maybe 10 loaves of the most expensive bread was left.

We got what we could and as we were leaving the store, the bread truck pulled up. And there was much rejoicing - in the form of excited females offering to help the guy unload the truck.

And so, I offer for your viewing pleasure, "Views from a car."

As for Swoon? Not much got done today. But corgi girl had a lovely romp in the snow!

Introducing Swoon Studios Musings...

After many months of "thinking about it" my sweet brother finally helped me start this blog. Thanks to DSHJ for the push in getting it started.

Look for updates here and on the new website. And if you haven't done so, check out the new stuff on my etsy site here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/swoonstudios

I'm hoping to use this as a forum for sharing tips and answering questions, so if you have a question about how to do something, ask away! In the meantime, enjoy being snowed in if you're anywhere near DC....

More later!