Fixing the Bathroom

Okay, okay...

I can't make you wait any more. But if you missed the steps, check out part 4 here.

Before, with its pink curtains, pink square tile, shelf mounted too high and utilitarian mirror...

After.

Faucet by Glacier Bay.

Shower curtain from Simon's.

Vessel Sink by Kohler (Vox)

Kitchen rail and hooks by Ikea, modified rail from wood to copper.

Baskets by Ikea

A quick copper sheet applied to the light fixture until I can decide on a light fixture.

Loki approved.

Now, as long as I don't turn around and look at the bathtub... it will look perfect!

That is a project for another day.

Breaking the Bathroom - Part 4

I decided on a sink!!

So the saga continues. If you missed the progress so far, check out part 3 here.

I found a beautiful sink online. It was the perfect height and proportion for my existing vanity. But I didn't like the sticker price. I ended up finding the same Kohler sink for a little less money at Wayfair.

I ordered it on a Tuesday and had it by Friday. Not bad at all.

The main problem is they didn't include the template, which apparently is a common review for this.

Luckily, I like math, did a few quick measurements and figured out the cutout size.

I used a jigsaw on the small cutouts and thanks to the tape, ended up with a nice clean cut.

Under the watchful eye of my favourite supervisor, we plopped the sink in and began to caulk the sink and the spaces where the tile meets the counter.

Maybe tomorrow I will share the full reveal?

Maybe. Maybe not...

Breaking the Bathroom - Part 3

Welcome to part 3 of Breaking the Bathroom. If you missed part 2, you can find it here.

After falling in love with, then waiting for my new tile to arrive for 2 months, the day finally came!

In order to put the new tile on, I first needed to remove the faucet and old sink. 

 

One last look at this old beauty.

Using a couple of putty knives and set to slowly scraping the old sealant off.

This takes a bit more time than you'd think... you need to very gently pry the sides up. Not shown is when I used a small piece of wood trim to hold up the front edge while I worked around the sides and back.

I cleaned off all the old caulk/sealant, and pulled out my mosaic tile. Thanks Ames tile for being amazing!!

Working in roughly 18" sections, I put on the thin-set, then used the notched trowel to take off the extra.

I started with one sheet high, knowing that I would want to fit the mirror frame first to ensure that the tile fit properly. 

I installed the mirror frame, which was super snug and perfect. I put down some painter's tape to protect the new frame, then was able to fit exactly one row of mosaics into the top space. 

Another 30 hours or so, and I started in on the grout. I chose a white on white look for subtlety. 

Then, I needed to look for a new sink. I agonized over this decision, because the lazy (and partly purist) part of me wanted to head to restore, find one that was the exact same size and plop it down. 

Check back tomorrow to see what I decided to do! 

Sorry, I know I suck with these "to be continued" endings.

Breaking the Bathroom - Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of Breaking the Bathroom. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

I found a tile I liked and decided to order it. It is beautiful! I love it.

Turns out the only tile i liked was on back order and wouldn't be in until August. Being that it was June, I had two months to wait for my order to come in. A small part of me died inside. 

Naturally, I can't sit still for long, so I started a new project to complement the tile once it came in: A mirror frame!

I started by installing a half inch wood trim around the existing medicine cabinet, to allow for a buffer around the operable mirrored doors. It perfectly matched the depth of the cabinet.

Next, I bought some lumber and started to measure out my sides to match the height of the existing mirror cabinet, plus the half inch trim on top and bottom.

Then cut them to size.

Next, I sanded them twice with two different grits to make them nice and smooth.

Now with a top and bottom rail, and 4 vertical rails for my frame, I was ready to stain them to match the existing lower cabinet, which I love so much.

The first coat ended up darker and browner than I'd have liked so I had to had to go back and get some cherry to warm and redden it.

I used my corner clamp to screw and glue my pre-drilled holes and assemble my frame.

I took the frame inside, put it up against the mirror for a test fit and to double check the location of the inner rails. This ensures a snug fit around the medicine cabinet. Then I filled all of the holes with wood filler, re-stained them.

I'm not actually going to show you the finished product yet until the tile is complete... but here's a sneak peak of the door pull I put on the mirror to ensure we could still open the medicine cabinet. 

See more tomorrow! I promise...

Sofa Save: DIY Upholstery

We acquired this sofa a couple of years ago. It was in good condition and sat in the waiting area of a gymnastics center. And it was almost free!

I got it specifically to reupholster, as it had the simple mid-century lines I was looking for.

BEFORE

AFTER

In the meantime, we put it in the TV room. It was so saggy that it gave me back pain to sit on it for too long. Once I was finally ready to reupholster it, the first thing I did was take off the bottom and check that the structure and springs were sound.

I was surprised to find that everything was a-okay!! The cat began his intense supervision of the whole process. Good frame means that sagging comes from the cushions, which is actually a much easier fix.

Tools/supplies:

-butter knife (for staple removal)

-pliers (for staple removal)

-staple gun

-3/8" staples

-fabric scissors

-upholstery machine needle

-zipper foot

-new upholstery fabric (about $250 CAD)

-matching upholstery thread

-zipper (I reused/repurposed mine)

-new foam cushions (about $275 CAD from Eversoft)

 

I removed the dust ruffle for a much sleeker look.

Then I removed the back panel and put it aside to use as a template for the new back panel. I also reserved the two side metal tack strips for reuse later.

The back has some curves at each corner, so that portion was adhered with special tack strips. I removed them, and put them aside as well.

With the back panel off, I began using scissors to remove the piping from the arms.

I draped my new fabric over the front of the sofa. Starting at the front bottom, I began stapling the new fabric in place.

I continued by pulling the fabric through the space between the seat and the back, pulling it tight and stapling it at the back. The same applies for the seat back. The new fabric was stapled at the back and then pushed through the space and also stapled. 

I forgot to take a photos of the arms, but they are a simple two piece, that I pinned to form the arm. Once I had my shape perfect, I sewed it, then turned it right-side in and put it on the opposite arm. The bottoms are then pushed down into the crevices and stapled within.

The cat seemed to enjoy the new fabric, even without the cushion on it. The final step is to cover all of the exposed staples with the back panel. 

The original cardboard tackstrip was basically disintegrating, so instead, I used old business cards as my tack strip. See! They come in handy for something! Once the fabric with tack strip is in place, you pull it down over the back, and you've created a clean line at the top of your panel.

The metal tack strips that were reserved during the removal, are then put on each side and tapped in with a rubber mallet. Then the bottom is pulled tight and stapled underneath.

I put the reserved bottom (crumb catcher) back on the sofa bottom, screwed the legs back on, and flipped it right side up.

With the frame now fully upholstered, I turned my attention to the new cushions. We went with a new medium-firm 6" cushion. As you can see, it is much thicker than the original 4" cushions. When ordering new cushions, measure you existing cushion from seam to seam, then add an inch to it. This will give you the nice curve to your cushions. 

I created the new cushion covers by pinning the top, bottom and side pieces to one another, and I reused the zipper from each existing cushion in the new cushions.

With the old seat cushions no longer being used, I cut them down, and used them for the new back cushions, taking them from 3" to 4" back cushions. Same process as the seat cushions.

Next, I turned my attention to bolsters. I cut them out to fit some old orange ones I had, sewed them, turned them inside out and stuffed them.

A quick hidden stitch to finish those up, and I tossed them on the new sofa! 

The final step is making sure that some cat deterrent in the form of a sticky clear panel I got off of Amazon, and ensuring a new cat scratch tree is nearby. Check and check.

I shouldn't say "final" as I do still want to add tufting buttons to the back cushions, but that will have to wait for now. Stay tuned!

The cat approves.

If you want to see how this room looked before, check out this post from the gallery wall project.

Thanks for stopping by!