Pray for me and my butt ugly bathroom

15 years ago

I just noticed an ad for a FREE Bathroom Makeover for the ugliest bathroom around. Of course I think that I have already won this hands down but a little extra help can't hurt!

This is the "girl's" bathroom that my daughter and I use and since we moved here 10 yrs ago into our 1974 house. It has always been on the redo list - 70's gold tiles all over the place yuck. I had started to make some small changes - changed out the toilet and sink for white. Bought a new vanity and light, but I definately was going the cheap route and it shows and I am still a very long way from pretty.

Then the disaster - 2 yrs ago I realized that the tub was WAY over do to be recaulked and I got the tool and started stripping the old caulk out and about twenty tiles fell in my hands. The sheetrock (plain stuff they used then) was all moldy and fell apart. Of course the mold is all over the walls and behind the tub and is a real mess. So, dear hubby is totally PO'd that I let it get like this and refuses to fix it. My only choice was to get a sheet of real thick plastic, remove all the handles to the faucets and all and hold everything together with duck tape.

Did I say this was 2 years ago??? He wants me to fix it myself - I don't know how to remove a cast iron tub and wouldn't even know where to begin to know how to replace all the sheetrock so here I am with mismatched pieces, ugly gold tile on the floor and up the walls, and a shower and tub held together with duck tape and plastic. Oh and did I mention the wallpaper that is coming down because there is no exhaust?

So am I a shoe in or what???

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Comments (6)

monicakm_gw
15 years ago
Bless your heart! I'm speechless :o Maybe you can find an ad for a free "DH makeover" too...actually I think that would be worth paying for! As horrible as it sounds, the only part that sounds like it should be condemned is the tub area. Hope you win!
Monica
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Stacey Collins
15 years ago
Yes you are. I would be worried about the health consequences of all that mold, personally. Yuck.

Cast iron tubs are removed by first sawz-all-ing them into pieces. It sounds like you're not really equipped to do that yourself and will need to find a handyman sort to help you with that. My guess is you could find someone on Craiglist you could pay $20/hr to remove the tub and moldy drywall for you. Then pick up a bathroom renovation DIY book at Home Depot and you can might be able to do the installation of a new acrylic tub yourself. Of course if you tile it this time, you'll use the proper cement board, etc, right?

Good luck with your contest!
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If you want timeless, then do white for your fixtures and tile and forgo the blue and brown except in the paint and accessories. Maybe do the vanity in the chocolate, but with a white vanity top and sink. 4K isn't a lot to spend on a bath, even if you are DIY on the labor. The vanities will cost you around $1500-$2500 if you do the more custom double vanity with the drawer base in the middle, and that imprisons you to a more expensive custom counter as well. You just went over budget, and you've only got as far as the vanities. Despite the expense of redoing the plumbing, I think you can stretch the budget further by having 24" individual vanities that you can find as stock at one of the box stores and individual mirrors above them. You can probably do that for $1000, including the tops. FOr the tub, to be able to use it as a shower, it needs to have an integral tile flange on it to seal out moisture infiltration from behind your walls. You'll need to tear out the current tile to ascertain if it has that. If it doesn't then replacing it with a nice, slightly deeper soaking tub can be done for around $400. If you want a jetted tub, American Standard sells a $699 one at HD with a lifetime warranty and the new system that angles the internal jets downward so that all the water drains out when you empty the tub. That keeps it from sitting there getting yucky. It's a great buy, and can be used as a shower too. The real necessary expense is updating the tub faucet with a tub/shower valve that contains the new anti scald technology. A thermostatic valve is the better but more expensive choice here. Classic subway tile mixed with some classic 4x4 and 6x6 for the shower walls would let you do an interesting tone on tone pattern but not break the bank. White tile for the floor may seem "boring" but it lets you use any color accessories that you want to liven it up. And, using the layout to add pizazz just like the shower will work to add interest also. Paint the walls a pretty silvery blue and put in chocolate and blue towels and your vision is complete--and on budget!
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jjaazzy
15 years ago
As for the how too, come here and skip the book at HD I think there is bad info in that book from what I have heard. Everyone here has held my hand every step of the way and is all to eager to help out. As for the DH.. I would be gunning for something to pin on him.
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User
15 years ago
So, dear hubby is totally PO'd that I let it get like this and refuses to fix it.

It's not your fault the builder cheaped out and put tile over drywall. There is no amount of caulking that could have prevented that from happening.

Is the tub in decent shape? If so, stripping out the rotten stuff and installing new tile is not too difficult.

If the tub is crap and it's cast-iron, buy a sledge hammer, put on a helmet with full-face transparent shield, and long-sleeved pants and jacket, close the bathroom door and give the tub a few whacks with the sledgehammer. They are brittle and will break into chunks in a spectacular mess of flying shards. Whack it until you have it in small-enough pieces to haul out.

If it's enameled steel, it will dent instead of breaking. You'll need to get a SawzALL with a metal-cutting blade and appropriate protective gear to cut it into 2 or 3 pieces to haul out.

When the demolition is done, you'll need a plumber for the drain and faucet hookup ... it's not easy.
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tom_p_pa
15 years ago
Why are you being blamed for letting it get like this? It is his home too. Why did he let it get this way?

He wants you to fix/redo the bathroom and he refuses to fix? I have some bad words I want to say, so I will refrain. Geesh, sounds like you have bigger issues than this bathroom. After reading this I feel sorry for you. This is no way to treat your wife. I personally would never make my wife do something like that. Call me old fashioned, but I would never let her lift a cast iron tub out of a bathroom.
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wrighthouse
15 years ago
Lazygardens makes a good point about the sledgehammer. When it came time to remove my old one, my plumber asked me for my sledgehammer. No idea it was so easy--but make sure to use ear protection.
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Pray for me and my butt ugly bathroom

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