Master Bathroom Renovation Thread

L-boy

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Had a master bathroom redo about 3 years ago, the house was nearly 20 years old at that point and the original was looking pretty ****ty. Had a contractor who was recommended do it, and the total was about $14,000. We were pretty happy with it. New tile, new shower (brick or cinder block ?? with tile exterior) with glass door, new custom built vanity with cabinets, new toilet, new paint job.

As you can probably gather, I don't do anything of any level of complication when it comes to home maintenance. :lol: I was quite proud of myself today, I screwed a few brackets in a wall to support a broken corner piece of a ****ty composite L desk in our office. That is about as complicated as it gets for me.

Have quite a bit that needs to be redone in our house, assuming we stay. New Kitchen and new appliances, new flooring (probably will be wood), new carpets in bedrooms. I suspect the whole ball of wax will set us back $40-$50K when all is said and done.
 

MidwestChomp

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I put those toilets that can flush a bucket of golf balls in my house... they work pretty good.

3 months ago my wife called me and said and I quote, "Ok hunny, I have something to tell you that you aren't going to like, so please don't be mad at me ok?"

I say: "ehhh, what exactly did you do?"

She says: "Well I accidently dropped a large tube of toothpaste into the toilet."

I say: "That's no big deal, just suck it up, reach down into the bowl and get it out."

She says: "Well, that's the part you aren't going to like. I was flushing the toilet when I dropped the tube."

At this point I'm thinking, "What the hell were you doing with a tube of toothpaste while hovering over the toilet anyway?" but I let the thought go for the time being.

I say: "Are you freaking serious? Is the toilet stopped up? Is it overflowing? Did the tube get stuck where you might could reach down there and maybe grab it?"

She says: "I already tried hunny, its gone. The toilet is not overflowing or anything, and it flushed."

I say: "Well hell, don't do anything else, and don't flush it again. I'll come home and see what I can do."

Later I get home, grab the long springy thing that you stick down in there to unclog the drain and go into the bathroom. Toilet looks fine, so I figure I might as well see what happens before starting. I flush it and it flushes normally and refills with no issue. Frankly I was shocked. The thing swallowed a full tube of Colgate without even a hiccup. I lingered for about 15 minutes, then came back into the living room, found my wife. Told her it was a pain in the ass to fix, but I took care of it and to be more careful in the future.

:lol2:

Do people not close the lid when flushing?
 

MidwestChomp

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I have a small house built in 1946 with one tiny bathroom. The bathroom had this horrible vinyl wall paper with a flower pattern. My wife said to just paint over it. I got a great idea to rip it off. It came off easy, but they must have used industrial strength glue. Nothing got it the damn glue off and I tried about 3 different things. So I got that textured wall spray foam and made it look like stucco. Worked OK, but it loops like an amateur did it. But the big problem is the previous people painted over tile on the bottom half of the wall. So one can see the tile pattern on the wall. It's awful. I'll have to either mud over the whole wall and smooth it out or get some kind of wall covering like wainscot. Damn I hate old houses.
 

L-boy

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Speaking of bathrooms..

This weekend my 15 year decided to dye her hair orange/red. Just did it, didn't even ask. Putting that issue aside, she made a huge mess in the bathroom. There was red dye all over the vanity (probably similar material to Ox's picture above - sink and countertop are same material, whatever that is). It probably sat there a half day or more before I even realized it, so it really set in.

I can't get the **** totally out. Did lots of googling and tried multiple things. About the only thing that partially worked was acetone in combination of one of those Mr Clean Magic erasers. I probably got about 80% of it off, but also in the process wore into the finish of the countertop. You probably wouldn't notice in shade, but you can notice the lack of shine in certain lights. I fully realized this was a danger when I used the magic eraser, as it is an abrasive, and figured its better to have have a bit dingy counter than to have bright reds spots on a beige vanity.

Not really sure there is anything I can do at this point. The vanity is 20 years old so eventually we may replace it. We had this bathroom partially remodeled also, but we left the vanity and the tub in order to save money.
 

crosscreekcooter

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Speaking of bathrooms..

This weekend my 15 year decided to dye her hair orange/red. Just did it, didn't even ask. Putting that issue aside, she made a huge mess in the bathroom. There was red dye all over the vanity (probably similar material to Ox's picture above - sink and countertop are same material, whatever that is). It probably sat there a half day or more before I even realized it, so it really set in.

I can't get the **** totally out. Did lots of googling and tried multiple things. About the only thing that partially worked was acetone in combination of one of those Mr Clean Magic erasers. I probably got about 80% of it off, but also in the process wore into the finish of the countertop. You probably wouldn't notice in shade, but you can notice the lack of shine in certain lights. I fully realized this was a danger when I used the magic eraser, as it is an abrasive, and figured its better to have have a bit dingy counter than to have bright reds spots on a beige vanity.

Not really sure there is anything I can do at this point. The vanity is 20 years old so eventually we may replace it. We had this bathroom partially remodeled also, but we left the vanity and the tub in order to save money.
The counter top material you are describing sounds like some sort of composite; if it is 20 years old, it is most probably a cultured ( manufactured ) marble or Corian. Cultured marble is manufactured with plastic resins and marble dust and poured into a mold. Once cured, the molded counter top is popped out and cleaned up with acetone and sanded with a fine sandpaper 3-400 grit and then receives a clear gelcoat finish.
Corian is also a solid surface product that comes to a fabricator in a sheet of varying thicknesses dependent on its designed use. Edges are built up with additional plies of the same material, if the top changes direction, it can be mitered and glued together and integral sinks can be glued into place.
These joints are almost indetectable even under close examination. The good thing about either product is if they are scratched, burned or stained, in most cases they can be sanded out, In the case of the cultured marble, dependent on your skill level, you may have to sand the entire top and then apply a clearcoat finish, The Corial doesn't use a clearcoat but relies on a series of successive passes with finer and finer grit sanding paper until the burnihed finish matches the original. This may sometimes include a final pass with a rubbing rouge or compound. You didn't mention if the stain is in the bowl. If the manufacturer used an acrylic bowl instead of the same composite material you would need to be careful sanding too deeply.
One other option might be to locate a person that specializes in tub refinishing, there are some new epoxies that could be sprayed on for probably $50-75. These are available in different colors that actually look pretty rich Apartment developers are using this product to refinish formica counters that have become worn or damaged with great cost savings over replacement costs.
 

L-boy

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The counter top material you are describing sounds like some sort of composite; if it is 20 years old, it is most probably a cultured ( manufactured ) marble or Corian. Cultured marble is manufactured with plastic resins and marble dust and poured into a mold. Once cured, the molded counter top is popped out and cleaned up with acetone and sanded with a fine sandpaper 3-400 grit and then receives a clear gelcoat finish.
Corian is also a solid surface product that comes to a fabricator in a sheet of varying thicknesses dependent on its designed use. Edges are built up with additional plies of the same material, if the top changes direction, it can be mitered and glued together and integral sinks can be glued into place.
These joints are almost indetectable even under close examination. The good thing about either product is if they are scratched, burned or stained, in most cases they can be sanded out, In the case of the cultured marble, dependent on your skill level, you may have to sand the entire top and then apply a clearcoat finish, The Corial doesn't use a clearcoat but relies on a series of successive passes with finer and finer grit sanding paper until the burnihed finish matches the original. This may sometimes include a final pass with a rubbing rouge or compound. You didn't mention if the stain is in the bowl. If the manufacturer used an acrylic bowl instead of the same composite material you would need to be careful sanding too deeply.
One other option might be to locate a person that specializes in tub refinishing, there are some new epoxies that could be sprayed on for probably $50-75. These are available in different colors that actually look pretty rich Apartment developers are using this product to refinish formica counters that have become worn or damaged with great cost savings over replacement costs.

Thanks for the info. Good to know there may be options.

As to the sinks , yes, some got into there, but I was able to get most of that out. If that was scratched or worn down it is hard to tell from the angle, I'm not too worried about that. The sinks are kind of shell shaped, so since they aren't completely flat it is hard to notice.

If I were to try to refinish it, I'd find somebody to do it.

I guess the question is, should I keep scrubbing down the existing stains on the countertop - which are now just faint pink, or leave them alone, and if I ever want to refinish it have whoever contract tackle that?

Truthfully, I just walked in there, and there is now makeup accessories and all kinds of other stuff scattered all over the counter. I'm not too worried about getting it back to a pristine state at the moment.

It is just amazing the amount of damage and mess that girl can create in a short amount of time.
 

oxrageous

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I guess she figured it was better to ask forgiveness than permission.
 

Concrete Helmet

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Have quite a bit that needs to be redone in our house, assuming we stay. New Kitchen and new appliances, new flooring (probably will be wood), new carpets in bedrooms. I suspect the whole ball of wax will set us back $40-$50K when all is said and done
Unless you're willing to do a lot of the work yourself you probably won't be able to accomplish all of that for 40-50K....if so it would be a helluva a bargain.
 

grengadgy

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My daughter thought that Bella(7) was getting ready for gymnastics practice yesterday. When she went into the kitchen Bella and her 5 year old sister were engaged in a "Cupcake War". I guess that's a reality tv show. bella_cupcake.jpg
 

oxrageous

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They are nearly gutting my bathroom on Thursday. I'm scared. :fear:
 

crosscreekcooter

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Thanks for the info. Good to know there may be options.

As to the sinks , yes, some got into there, but I was able to get most of that out. If that was scratched or worn down it is hard to tell from the angle, I'm not too worried about that. The sinks are kind of shell shaped, so since they aren't completely flat it is hard to notice.

If I were to try to refinish it, I'd find somebody to do it.

I guess the question is, should I keep scrubbing down the existing stains on the countertop - which are now just faint pink, or leave them alone, and if I ever want to refinish it have whoever contract tackle that?

Truthfully, I just walked in there, and there is now makeup accessories and all kinds of other stuff scattered all over the counter. I'm not too worried about getting it back to a pristine state at the moment.

It is just amazing the amount of damage and mess that girl can create in a short amount of time.
From your description of the bowl I'm almost certain that it's cultured marble. It's difficult to tell how deep the stain penetrated the material since once you're thru the gelcoat the pores of the material are open. Since you've gone this far, here's what I suggest you try. Red dye is the absolute worst to remove from any material or fabric, so unless you can get below the deepest penetration by sanding, you either need to cover it with some type of durable color (epoxy) or attempt to bleach the stain out. I would try a product called Barkeeper's Friend or Zud. These are abrasive type cleaners that look much like Comet or Ajax however the bleaching agent is a chemical called oxalic acid, I have used Zud to remove red Georgia clay stains from white grout and it works well. Oxalic acid in a stronger version is used in certain wood bleaching processes. I have also used hydrogen peroxide to reduce the dark discoloration from pet urine stains on oak hardwood floors. Zud is an old school cleanser but it's available at both Home Depot as well as Ace Hardware. Make a thick pasty slurry with water and gently rub the stained areas with a Scotchbrite pad and leave it on the stain for a couple of hours, then wash it off. It may take a couple of applications. Wear rubber gloves. I think it's like a 5% compound but it's still somewhat caustic. Another comment....don't let anybody use the Zud to clean other things in the house because it is an abrasive and can scratch chrome fixtures and porcelain surfaces and make them dull. Good luck.
 
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crosscreekcooter

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After hearing a few of your horror stories about bowel issues I'm scared for the workers ....
I was going to say the same thing crete. he should probably talk to his contractor about adequate ventilation.
Poultry_Exhaust_Fan_634594118743359006_9.JPG
 

L-boy

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From your description of the bowl I'm almost certain that it's cultured marble. It's difficult to tell how deep the stain penetrated the material since once you're thru the gelcoat the pores of the material are open. Since you've gone this far, here's what I suggest you try. Red dye is the absolute worst to remove from any material or fabric, so unless you can get below the deepest penetration by sanding, you either need to cover it with some type of durable color (epoxy) or attempt to bleach the stain out. I would try a product called Barkeeper's Friend or Zud. These are abrasive type cleaners that look much like Comet or Ajax however the bleaching agent is a chemical called oxalic acid, I have used Zud to remove red Georgia clay stains from white grout and it works well. Oxalic acid in a stronger version is used in certain wood bleaching processes. I have also used hydrogen peroxide to reduce the dark discoloration from pet urine stains on oak hardwood floors. Zud is an old school cleanser but it's available at both Home Depot as well as Ace Hardware. Make a thick pasty slurry with water and gently rub the stained areas with a Scotchbrite pad and leave it on the stain for a couple of hours, then wash it off. It may take a couple of applications. Wear rubber gloves. I think it's like a 5% compound but it's still somewhat caustic. Another comment....don't let anybody use the Zud to clean other things in the house because it is an abrasive and can scratch chrome fixtures and porcelain surfaces and make them dull. Good luck.
From your description of the bowl I'm almost certain that it's cultured marble. It's difficult to tell how deep the stain penetrated the material since once you're thru the gelcoat the pores of the material are open. Since you've gone this far, here's what I suggest you try. Red dye is the absolute worst to remove from any material or fabric, so unless you can get below the deepest penetration by sanding, you either need to cover it with some type of durable color (epoxy) or attempt to bleach the stain out. I would try a product called Barkeeper's Friend or Zud. These are abrasive type cleaners that look much like Comet or Ajax however the bleaching agent is a chemical called oxalic acid, I have used Zud to remove red Georgia clay stains from white grout and it works well. Oxalic acid in a stronger version is used in certain wood bleaching processes. I have also used hydrogen peroxide to reduce the dark discoloration from pet urine stains on oak hardwood floors. Zud is an old school cleanser but it's available at both Home Depot as well as Ace Hardware. Make a thick pasty slurry with water and gently rub the stained areas with a Scotchbrite pad and leave it on the stain for a couple of hours, then wash it off. It may take a couple of applications. Wear rubber gloves. I think it's like a 5% compound but it's still somewhat caustic. Another comment....don't let anybody use the Zud to clean other things in the house because it is an abrasive and can scratch chrome fixtures and porcelain surfaces and make them dull. Good luck.

Thanks. I actually bought some bartenders friend this weekend but never got around to trying it. I'll give it a shot also.
 

crosscreekcooter

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Well Ox, tomorrow is the big day. make sure your vacumn is in good working order.
 

oxrageous

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They are destroying my bathroom right this moment. :fear:

Pictures of the carnage coming this evening. :scared:
 

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