Thursday, February 28, 2013

Neither Rain, Nor Snow....

Actually, that pertains to the post office, not our tile installer.  After a few snowstorms, Brian was back on the job today.  Here's his progress over this past week: we're nearly at a standstill waiting for a few more sheets of the beach pebble tile to come in.



Above: the Hampton Blonde FloridaTile looks great next to the IslandStone beach pebble border.

Above: incredible work on the edges so far...


Above: First view of the seaglass-colored glass tile.


Above: Brian used leftover floor tile to make "spacers" for where a single row of beach pebbles will go.

Above: "X" marks the spot for the final row of beach pebbles.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Tiling, Day 2 -- the Results Show

Following my dad's example of meticulously documenting each and every home improvement project, I bring you Day 2 of the tiling project:</p><p>


Above: No,Barney didn't sleep here. The purple is the waterproofing.


Above: Brian meticulously followed the curve of the new bathtub. D really has a knack for finding and hiring amazing craftsmen.


Above: The FloridaTile is a great match with the pebble stone. Thanks to Amy at NH Tile for suggesting it!  I can't wait to get home from work tonight to see how it looks installed...

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Worker Bees Were Up Late Last Night

Tile guy did a nice job hanging Durrock(R) in the master bath. Unfortunately, D -- despite knowing I had an after-work event to attend -- committed us to having the ceiling painted by the time he returned this AM, so that work could continue uninterrupted. This meant my schedule was as follows (violin accompanyment, please):
  • Early AM tryst at local Benjamin Moore(R) dealer
  • Work; work though lunch preparing for board meeting
  • Board meeting
  • Opera event at nearby historic theatre until 8ish
  • Work out and hose down at Planet Fitness
  • Pick up wall art which UPS delivered to D's mom's house
  • Paint bathroom ceiling
  • Take progress pix of bathroom
Here's what the bathroom looks like at this point:

Above: D sanded off the shiny finish on the ceiling, which made the room look like an upside-down ice rink. Here's what it looks like after we (OK, mostly "he") applied a coat of Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa(R) matte-finish paint in "Simply White" (off-white with an almost imperceptible green cast).

Above:D did a great job scrubbing the existing window, which we originally wanted to replace with a round one.

Above: Today, the tile guy's going to waterproof the cement board, in preparation for tile installation....

Above: Testing out a proposed wall color. The chip is highly unusual that it picks up the color of whatever's near it. So far, I've made it look ivory, lilac, and mint green.  (And yes, we'll have more sanding to do before the wall paint is applied)....

Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Seemingly Interminable Bath Renovation


Above: View from the hallway. Tub is not usable because shower trim has not been installed and wallboards/tile not yet put in. Check out how shiny the walls and ceiling are... I sense that some chalky Ben Moore Aura Bath and Spa paint is in their future.....


Above: Future location of new toilet and vanity.


Above: We changed our plans to reduce the size of the closet (and create some open shelves) after quickly filling it with towels and toiletries.


Above: We moved the plumbing more to the side because it was not centered over the tub. We also raised the showerhead for D.


Above: L will be happy when the bath vanity is installed upstairs and not blocking the flow of the (retina-searing) family room.