Before & After: Guest Bath

We started the remodeling process on this bathroom the day we got the keys; before we even moved in, I found myself joyfully peeling off wallpaper. I don't think anything could have wiped that grin off my face! I was excited because the floral wallpaper came off like butter - it was a sign! This had to mean that I was right in insisting on remodeling this nasty bathroom first.

Thanks for the picture, mom! Anyone notice there are
two (different) knobs on the right side?

After the wallpaper, we removed the vanity, the self-adhering tile, the tile trim, the light, the furdown, and Sheetrock around the vanity area. We'd hoped to just paint over the existing Sheetrock, but contrary to my hope, the existing Sheetrock was not water-resistant and had not resisted water well. it warped like crazy once we tried painting it.

Goodbye, Sheetrock!

My dad helped/showed Austin how to hang the Sheetrock, and my parents, wanting to make sure the job was done well/correctly, paid for the taping and floating of the new Sheetrock. We were still a little daunted by the amount of money we just put down on the house, and felt determined not to pay anyone. We're so glad they gave us this housewarming gift!

Yay! Water-resistant Sheetrock all taped & floated.

When the Sheetrock was in, Austin textured it (also something my dad showed him how to do/supplied tools for). I painted it with a zero VOC/low odor paint, and then installed the tiles - very nerve-wracking. The flooring cost a whopping $16 (yay, peel and stick!) and was steal my parents found on clearance.

We went through three bathroom vanities. I knew I wanted the decor to be gray, red, white, and black, so I tried to get a modern, cherry vanity set from Lowe's. When it arrived and we got it home, I knew it wouldn't work, and I was very disappointed. We returned it and opted for a vanity from Home Depot. That one was brown, not black as we'd believed, and we took that one back, too. We finally ended up with a beautiful black vanity and a modern white top. I'll note that this sink is not easy to clean because it doesn't slope water toward the drain, but I still like it a lot. It does wipe clean rather easily, and it was fairly inexpensive.

View when you walk into the bathroom.

The only thing I don't like is that the top "drawer" is
really just a facade. I wish I had the drawer! The others
are plenty deep, so that makes up for it.

I just finished painting the trim around the doors white in this bathroom a few weeks ago. And, for some reason, the upper shower curtain rod will not stay hung - it likes to spontaneously fall down. Someday, I'll either buy a new one or permanently fix it... but I do love my double curtain rods!

This project took us at least two months to complete (if not longer) and was the first project that made me cry (it was also the first project we tried at all). It was a big project, and when it wasn't going smoothly or quickly, it made me feel like the entire house was impossible. We finished it in March (except the trim, which happened in July!) and I still use it as motivation to upgrade/update the rest of the house!

Now if only remodeling our master would be this inexpensive...

love,