Completing the Transition
The bathroom remodel continues (and will conclude) this week. This weekend we took time to do any easy but important step to getting the bathroom done, and that was to add the transition strip between our hardwood floors and the tile in the bathroom. Initially, when we had the floors installed, the company put in a transition piece that went from the floors to the laminate, but when we added the tile, that strip no longer worked because the tile sat much higher than the laminate. At first, we hemmed and hawed over if we should cut out the old one, but in the end, we decided that would make it look the best. So, here’s what we did.
After tiling the bathroom, we were left with a large section of grout because of the spacing between the tile and hardwood, that looked like this:
I know, it’s not pretty. Knowing we were going to cover this up meant I didn’t carefully grout here, so it’s uneven and just plain bad. Adding the threshold was actually pretty easy though. We went to our local Home Depot and picked up an oak floor strip that had a very small elevation, since the floors were pretty even to each other. Then it was a matter of measuring and cutting it to fit.
Once that was done, it was the tedious process of sanding it lightly with 220 grit sandpaper, then applying two coats of stain. We used the same stain and color that was used on our floors, Minwax “golden pecan” wood finish, followed by two coats of Mixwax’s polyurethane.
After letting it dry 24 hours, next was to make sure that the strip would fit in the doorway. I had measured the length, but still had to notch out a small section of the door frame so the strip would slide in easily. I could have cut it shorter and left the frame in tact, but we already had notched a small section of the door frame when we were laying the tile. It was the only way to get a stubborn piece of tile to fit. First I took a coping saw and cut around the frame, but two things happened. One, I couldn’t cut it all out, and two, I started cutting into the frame. So then I got out my handy-dandy Dremel tool that my father got for me way back when I first moved out on my own. I bet he thought I never used it, so here I am to prove him wrong.
(Ignore the fact the frame started to separate, that will be fixed and painted). Once that was notched and ready to go, I easily slid the new strip into place, and using a friend’s nail gun, secured it into place with 6 small finish nails. So, let’s see that before/after money shot, shall we:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Much better, and really it gives it a more natural and clean look. I’m glad I installed it under the door frame because I was able to hide most of the nails down there. I did have to put two nails in the center of the strip, but unless you look really hard, you won’t see them. I should also mention that I did have cut down the door about 3/4″ to get it to close, but we’re installing a new door this week, so I wasn’t overly concerned with it. With the bathroom almost done, let’s take a look at the original checklist and see what’s left:
replace the light fixturepaint the ceiling and wallsinstall triminstall the toiletinstall the sink and new faucetreplace the outlet with a gfi switched outletstain and install the new threshold- hang a new door
Rattle (Buzz) and Hum
During the renovation of our half bathroom, I had originally mentioned that we installed a new GFCI outlet (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter), but what I forgot to mention was that I ended up removing it and putting a regular outlet back in.
So why the change? It would seem on paper that having a GFCI switched outlet in a bathroom is a smart idea, especially with a water source nearby. The outlet is designed to “pop” and cut the flow of electricity in case of a surge (such as water into the outlet) and will help prevent a circuit from causing a fire.
The odd thing was that after I installed the outlet, we would hear an occasional buzzing, or humming noise coming directly from the outlet. At first, I thought it may have been a loose wire rattling, so I flipped off the power and took it off to tighten the wires, but when I flipped the power back on, the buzzing was still there. I called my dad, who knows his way around an electrical circuit and he was stumped. I know that a buzzing usually means a faulty connection, but when I used my outlet tester, everything came up normal. I also noticed that when the refrigerator fan would kick on, that’s when the buzzing would start. When the fan shut off, there was no more buzzing. I thought it to be odd that the fridge would be on the same circuit as the bathroom, but it wasn’t impossible.
My dad suggested calling Home Depot’s electrical department (since that is where I bought the outlet) and asking them. Mind you, when I called it was nearly 9pm, so I was surprised that they were open (and more surprised someone answered right away). They told me that it was unlikely it would be the fridge, but that two GFCI switches were on the same circuit. He said that most of the houses built in our area around the 80′s all had one GFCI in the master bathroom, and that the rest of the bathrooms were on the same circuit. This way, if any water hit any of the outlets, the one in the master would pop and cut the current to the rest. He also informed me that having two GFCI outlets on one line is bad, and the best suggestion would be to re-install a normal outlet. I trekked over to the Home Depot (at 9pm), picked up a new outlet and installed it as soon as I got home. No more buzzing.
I will say that the best way to check all of this would be to test the one in the master bath and seeing if the others shut off, I know that. The other test would be to flip the breaker and see what other outlets are associated with this, I also know that, I just haven’t done it yet (since our shower fiasco). On our list to do (VERY) soon is associate every outlet and fixture to a corresponding breaker, since on the breaker panel most things just say “general lighting.” That doesn’t help at all. My plan is to draw a detailed map/outline of our house, and go through each outlet/light one by one and plot them. It will take a while, but we’ve learned that it will come in handy in a pinch.
Read MoreTron tape
I bring this video gem to you for two reasons.
A) Duct tape will fix just about anything in your home. Seriously. So when doing any home improvement project, have a roll of duct tape around for that quick and easy (probably never to be undone) repair.
and B) I’m a video editor. I do graphic animation for a living. And I am a nerd. So I applaud the people over at Duck Brand Tape for combining my many many joys.
And now, without further adieu:
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So much for planning
Yesterday I made a small note about being almost done with our bathroom, sans the threshold, door and mirror. Today, I’ll expand a bit more on the mirror issue. When we decided to overhaul the bathroom (which originally started from a leaky toilet), we were very planned out. We saw the mirror we liked, the style of faucet and accents, and went in with (somewhat) of a plan. It was a silver/brushed nickle plan, having seen TONS of silver/brushed nickel mirrors everywhere, and while we saw the one we liked a lot, we figured why rush it. We should have known that it never goes according to plan.
This past weekend, upon finishing the sink, we set out to a few stores to find said mirror. First Home Goods…swing and a miss. I love me some Home Goods, because their inventory changes so much and you can always find something new. That being said, the mirror we originally saw and liked was gone. No biggie, onto Bed, Bath and Beyond. We had also seen a similar mirror here:
But they also no longer had it. They had it in a oil rubbed bronze, along with a ton of other mirrors in that style, but not the silver one we liked. Hopefully we can order it from their website still, and that they have it in stock. Side note, we wanted to go with the oil rubbed bronze look, but didn’t see any mirrors in that style, anywhere…
Now, they are everywhere. Doh! Our trip took us to about four other stores before we finally ran out of steam. Still, no mirror. It’s hard when you are so close to finishing a project, and all you need is that ONE thing that you’ve seen a bazillion times, and for whatever reason, cannot find it anymore. The lesson here is that while planning to have a certain style for a room, if you see something that you like and it will be the basis of that room, buy it. Buy it right away, because as soon as you want/need it, it will be gone.
Read MoreUp on a Pedestal
After almost a month since we first started a project that I thought would (at most) take two weeks, I am happy to report that half bath is now fully operational thanks to the addition of a new pedestal sink. Before I go into it all, lets just take a moment and observe.
(Cue angelic like music here). Okay, now onto the story, and what it took to actually get this in. We all know about the story of the brace, which was a task all by itself, the rest was just as difficult. The sink is held together in two places, the brace, and the pedestal bolted to the floor. That bolt was more than a pain, thanks to bad instructions/wrong pieces. I had gone out and bought a drill bit to go through tile, and according to the instructions, all I had to do was drill using a 1/4″ bit. So, after about 10 minutes of drilling, I finally bored my way through the tile and was ready to screw in the bolt. The problem was that they sent me a 5/16″ bolt, and in case you aren’t a math (and fractions) whiz, 5/16″ is ever so slightly larger than 1/4″, which means my bolt didn’t even come close to fitting in the hole. I should have, at that moment, gone to that hardware store and bought a new bolt, but no, I am stubborn, and I tried to ratchet that thing in. I tried for hours and banged up my hand pretty good (since the space to work in allows you a quarter turn and knuckles scraping on porcelain), and finally gave up and went to the store for a new both. Of course when I put in the new 1/4″ bolt, I had made the hole slight larger thanks to my earlier ratcheting, and now the hole was too big for 1/4″ bolt, and too small for a 5/16″ bolt. FUN! Let’s just say I eventually got it in, knuckles be dammed.
Once the bolt was down and the pedestal secure, I put the top on and hooked up the plumbing. I should also mention that I had to cut the existing PVC drain pipe and put together a new one because the drain didn’t line up with the pipe. Okay, so new pipe was in, a new drain ready to go. I should also mention that I have now taken the top on and off of here about 20 times, which is not advisable as porcelain will chip away the more you do that. Once I finally everything hooked up, it was the moment of truth. I turned on the water, and ran the faucet. Holy moly, it worked, it all worked…except for a slight drip, which I couldn’t find. Turns out, I forgot to glue one PVC section together, so I had to take everything off (again) and glue a tiny bit of pipe together. Once that was done, I put it all back together AGAIN, and ta-da, all fixed. So, how long did it take me to install the sink…about 2 full weekends, thanks to a lot of trial by error. In honesty, if I could do it all over again (and I won’t), I would have put a new vanity in their over a pedestal sink. It was so much work, and while I really do love the way it looks, it’s such a small space.
That’s the other bit I failed to mention, the sink is pretty big, bigger than I thought. When I dry fitted it in, the toilet wasn’t there, so my perspective was off. In the end, it’s the same distance from the wall that the vanity was, so it’s no big deal, but it’s a small space so it looks large.
The bathroom is now 90% done. The only bits left are to add a mirror (more on that tomorrow), install the threshold and the new door. The bathroom is 100% functional now, which is the important part, it just needs a few aesthetic updates.
So, let’s do a top down before and after shot, shall we:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I’m very happy with how it all looks, but I am not going to redo another bathroom for a while. I need a break. To say that this project was much harder than I had anticipated would be a huge understatement. At least we don’t have to go all the way upstairs to use the bathroom anymore, so my knees appreciate that.
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About Matt and MC
We just recently bought our first home, and we decided to share our story of our adventures with you. The ups and downs of home ownership, and all the fun we'll have in between. Ignore the typos and just have fun, that's what we're here for. 
