A Kids' Bathroom Overhaul

When we bought our house some seven years ago the hall bath was on the list. The list for a major gut job. But we had other priorities like adding a master on-suite and renovating the kitchen so the bathroom fell to the bottom of the priorities list. In the past seven years we've managed to make the bathroom work. And by work I mean ignore the insanely low sink, the layers of painted-over wallpaper, the popcorn ceiling, the disgusting art-deco shower and the MDF wainscoting. I mean who does that? Every time The Bird flung water out of the tub the walls would swell up like puff paint. Insane I know. 

Of course, every single guest I dared show the bathroom to have all politely told us that the bathroom was "fine" "cute" or "good for kids..."  whatever that means. 

But now, we're two kids later and the bathroom HAS. GOT. TO. GO. My fear of mold lurking behind those MDF panels and the thought of spending plenty of bathtub time here in this nasty lair with my kids meant that we needed to overhaul the bathroom ASAP. 

So after deciding that we'd do the work ourselves Mr. B+B began with ripping out the ceiling and molding in a mater of about two hours. The following next two weekends the walls, vanity, toilet, tub surround, and floor tile were gone. Of course they put up a good fight. He unearthed five layers of linoleum, backer board, and tile. All keeping with 80's fashion.

We also discovered that our quaint bathroom once held a window, lacked any insulation, and sported a giant hole in the floor, which The Bird excitedly threw trash into and insisted we keep it as monster trap. 

Walls. gone. Tub. gone. Toilet. gone. Nasty ol' bathroom. GONE. 

We had asked the in-laws for help and a little reassurance in the whole process so our goal was to get the bathroom down to the studs before the in-laws arrived in a few weeks. Before their arrival, Mr. B+B stapled up insulation and finished 'prepping the space.'

Meanwhile, I knew that we needed a vanity so I headed to Lowes and looked over our options. Lowes typically doesn't disappoint me, but today was an exception. I had two criteria: the vanity couldn't have decorative feet because I wanted it to be easy to clean around (...have you ever potty trained a boy?!) and the top had to be a natural stone. Every vanity fell short in either of the areas. Apparently, feet on vanities is trendy and cultured marble is cheap. 

  

Notice 'Okay' vanity, but cheap cultured top. So it's a no go.

So I packed up The Bird & The Boo and we headed to Habitat for Humanity: Restore. We went through the cabinet section and there sat a completely neglected and pitiful cabinet with my name all over it. It was wood with simple hinge doors and was in somewhat decent condition. It appeared as though it had been left untouched for quite some while because the varnish was peeling off but I knew a little sanding, wood filler, more sanding and a little paint would bring back this baby to it's former luster. I knew I'd have to purchase a top (fingers crossed for carrara marble) but I had time to figure that part out. And at $45 it was a steal! 

The kids and I loaded it up after I attempted to haggle the price down even more (who knew Habitat's prices were non-negotiable?) and headed back to Lowes for paint where I found Pantone's 'String.' It's the perfect taupey-gray. 

The next day, I got to work sanding, priming, and lathering on painting the most gorgeous color I've ever seen. Alas, the perfect vanity. 

 The following day, I headed to a local monument and stone fabricator to find a remnant piece of stone to use as the vanity top. The owner informed me that they had a piece of carrara marble that was a return from another job. {Insert angels singing here} And he'd sell it to me for $40 a square foot. SOLD. 

The following weekend the in-laws visited and assisted us in installing the shower which was a beast. It took two days people. Two days!!! to install. The floor wasn't level. The walls weren't level. The plumbing was horrible/clogged/old/nasty. But finally we had a tub and shower. 

Next, Mr. B+B joined his dad in installing the drywall which seemed to go in much more effortlessly. Or though it appeared to from where I was standing. 

The tile was ordered from Lowes and was a matte-finish hex tile. We felt that it kept with the cottage style of our home but was also modern in a geometric sort of way.

Once again, Mr. B+B's dad really helped us out as he tirelessly tiled the floor before leaving home that night. Did I mention that they applied drywall, spackled the walls, leveled the floors, fixed the plumbing, applied the backer board, and tiled the bathroom in two days?! Ah-mazing. 

 The following night the grout was applied. And now we sit. For three days. Waiting. And waiting. And waiting for the grout to dry before we apply the sealant. But... all good things must wait.