We finally started work on our master bathroom this week. We’re doing most of the work ourselves, but brought a contractor in to help with removing the old tub and installing the new one. He’s also going to take care of the electrical stuff. The awesome thing about working with this guy is that he’s letting us work with him, so it saves us some money.
In case you missed it, this is the direction for the bathroom. I go into more detail in THIS POST.
I did make a last minute, cost-cutting decision. I love the mini beveled subway tile, but it’s going to be labor intensive to grout, since the edges of the tile are beveled, creating deep grooves. When you’re paying for the labor, labor intensive = expensive. The tile was also about $10/sq ft. I decide to go with the 3 x 6″ marble subway tile instead. I get a very similar look for just over $5/sq ft. minus the labor intensive grouting.
Our contractor was coming early Wednesday evening, so I decided to start the demo in the afternoon. I could get as much of the demo work done on my own, so we had more time to get the specialty stuff done.
I worked for a couple of hours and removed about 90% of the tile from the shower walls. The picture below makes it look like the guys did it, but they hopped in when I was pooped and I got behind the camera. Demo is fun for about the first five minutes and then it isn’t fun anymore. I had pieces of tile in my shoes, socks, hair…I just kept reminding myself of the end result and the calories I was burning!
It was great watching the pro work. I’m sure he’s done this hundreds of times, so he had it down to a science. While I was hauling out tile in an overloaded, torn at the bottom contractor bag, he was using 5 gallon buckets. Duh. While I pried off the tiles one-by-one and then the pieces of cement board, he pulled off the entire piece of cement board…tile and all. Duh. Well, I did try that and just made a crumbly mess, but he knew just how to do it. So, not only were we saving money, but I was learning a lot, which is gold to a DIYer.
The three of us worked the old tub out, which was a 350 lb cast iron tub, and maneuvered the new one into place, which was also a 350 lb cast iron tub. Whew!
The new tub is in with the plumbing all hooked up. We’re now working on repairing the drywall that had to be removed, building a front panel for the tub and demoing the rest of the bathroom to get ready for the tiling to be completed. While we’re waiting for the tile, we’re going to install the skylight tube (hopefully on a cool, dry day) and get the antique dresser-turned-vanity ready to go. It’s coming together nicely!
After a day of demo and tile shards and drywall dust (all after doing P90x Shoulders & Arms), I took the next day to do some shopping. Some of it was tedious shopping for things like cement board, drywall screws and 2 x 4’s, but some of it was milling around…looking for inspiration or for something to catch my eye. Well, two things caught my eye.
First was this over-sized metal clock face at Hobby Lobby. I was on clearance for $50 (originally $160.) I leaned it up on the dresser in my family room until I figure out exactly what I want to do with it and where I want to put it. I’m thinking some chippy white milk paint might be in order…
I also fell in love with these curtains at Target. Of course, they are blue and white, which attracted me immediately…
…and they are a pretty woven fabric with a cream crewelwork design. At $20/84″ long panel, I thought this was great fabric to make pillows or to use for upholstery.
I swaddled it around a pillow just to see see how it would look…
I’m picturing it with a white linen pleated trim and ironed, of course…mom. I know you were looking at those creases! (She actually bought me a really nice iron a couple of years ago, because the wrinkles and creases in my photos were bugging her.) I’m not sure where I’m going to use the fabric, yet, but it’ll work in several rooms in my home, so I’m looking forward to finding the perfect spot.
Speaking of fabric, I’ve been hunting for the perfect fabric for my family room French daybed. I want to use a blue & white toile and I can’t see to find the kind I envision. Either the pattern is right, but the color is wrong or the color is right, but the pattern is wrong or I like the overall look, but the subject of the toile (like roosters or fishing) just isn’t right. I thought I found the right fabric and ordered it, but just learned today that it was discontinued. Bummer! So, I just ordered a few more samples. I’m replacing the geometric blue curtains (that are a little too modern for me) with a cream linen, so I really need some kind of pattern. I picture something with an antique European vibe… hopefully, I’ll find it.
The fun never stops…
…and I like it that way.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!…. For the great photos of the curtains!! I’ve been looking at them online trying to decide if I want them, and of course the pics online aren’t great so I was struggling with myself! Lol. Now I know!! They ARE what I imagined and want. So excited now to place my order. The new bat broom is going to look great!! 🙂
Did you try Decorator’s Best for the fabric? Sometimes the discontinued styles show up for years on different sites. Like eBay. Also, find out what day your Target marks things down. It is different for every store or region. You might find extra panels of those curtains at a discount. When the price ends in a 4, like $8.44 that’s the lowest price. When it ends in an 8, like $16.88, there’s one more reduction. Don’t give up on your dream fabric. Something will turn up. Ann
I was going to suggest the same thing I found some material that I really liked and found out it was discontinued and kept looking for it on Etsy eBay and the internet and found it from a small shop online..
I love the clock and the curtains that you are going to make into a pillows! I love blue and white as well. I can not wait to see your toile fabric. I have toile curtains in my living room and they are of a picnic scene. They are blue and off white. I would like for them to be blue and white, but I like what I have as well.
Blessings,
Shelly
Chippy white is exactly what that clock needs! It’s amazing the things that you can find at Hobby Lobby on clearance.
you had me at crewelwork 😉 going to have to start stalking the curtain aisles for upholstery fabric now!
Oh you are talking to the right person about a blue toile! I have had blue toile in my office for 10 years and I am still not tired of it. Have you tried going on line and looking at Kravet? Here is the one I have. The background is cream, not the yucky yellow the picture shows. I can email you a picture of mine in my office if you want to see the whole scene and the true color.
http://search.kravet.com/Kravet-Print/PROVENCE5-400/CoverInformation.aspx
Threshold at Target is the bomb. I love all their stuff!
Staphanie, You would not believe it, but Provence 5 by Kravet is the one I ordered and it’s been discontinued. I can’t find six yards of it anywhere!!
I just put 6 yards in my cart at insidefabric.com and myfabricstore.com….don’t know if it will come up discontinued as i try to purchase it. but i thought you might try these. (I am going to dump it from my cart…well, because, I like you a lot. but not that much. ;~)
i mean, myfabricsonnection.com
Yep, I had ordered it from My Fabric Connection and they e-mailed me a few days later letting me know it’s out of stock. I called a few other fabric places and they said the same thing. They don’t keep it in stock, but order it when it’s ordered. It must be recently discontinued, because a lot of sites still have it listed. I tried calling Kravet, but they don’t have any left either and couldn’t/didn’t help me out.
Oh well, I figure it was not meant to be and I’ll find something better. I did love that toile, though…
Wow Target made those just for you! There are so many times when I’ve had a vision for fabric but I am not able to find it. I came across this site a while back called Spoonflower.com where you can have your own fabric made from your design, then you can sell it if you want. So cool to see everyone’s designs! Make sure you have some time, which I know right now is hard to come by for you! Good luck with the reno. Looking forward to the vanity tutorial. I’m sure everything will be beautiful.
Lol, the mom comment cracked me up – that’s me (the mom). Those curtains are beautiful. I’m wondering if they’re washable, maybe in cold water with one of those Shout color catcher sheets that prevent color run? Otherwise, I could see the blue rubbing off on your neutrals….
Bathroom is going to be amazing, based on your choices. I always wondered how contractors did demo’ing in such short time….you’re right, learning from the pros is like gold to a DIY’er.
I am with mama… I iron everything. good luck with the bathroom reno,
I took me a while before I understood this post. I was thinking ‘why on earth is she doing a demonstration with the contractor in her bathroom’? Demo-demonstration? And than I got it, demo-demolition. I need some sleep :-).
haha…yeah, that makes a difference.
I mis-read the post title and thought you were going to give us a demo on shopping! lol But, still enjoyed the bathroom demo photos and your shopping finds at HL and Target. 🙂
Hi Marian!
I work at an interior design shop in Indianapolis and recognized the fabric you want!
It is an old Waverly pattern called La Belle Campagne – color: Wedgewood… I found it on Ebay if you search for the pattern name.
Hope they have enough left for your project!
Heather
I enjoy reading your blog since I love to reupholster and redo furniture as well! I can’t wait
to try your milk paint! Have a wonderful day!
She’s right! That does look like the identical pattern (not sure about the colorway — might be different than what you were looking for.) Happy hunting! Hope you find what you’re looking for. Maybe this is the magical tip you needed!
Oh my goodness!! You’re right that it’s the same. That’s actually one of the toiles I just ordered a sample of. The blue looked a little brighter in the Waverly sample. Yay! AND it’s a LOT cheaper. Like $20/yard less. Woohoo!
I’m in the middle of redoing my own bath. I’ve been removing floor tile for days– what a miserable job. After removing the tile and the hardibacker underlayment, there is quite a bit of thinset that just refuses to leave the plywood subfloor. So out comes the plywood, too. Looking forward to what your going to do with your tub face!
Oh man! Thankfully, we just have linoleum on the floor that was barely glued down, so we’re just pealing it up. I’m with you in demo land, though. 🙂
I’m dying to know what kind of finish you are putting on the dresser turned vanity to make it water proof? I’ve decided to paint my kitchen table- I want to use milk paint, but I know the wax is not going to hold up against spilled milk and lots of moisture and being wiped off 10 times a day (that is no exaggeration! I have 5 kids and this is the only table in the house, so it gets a LOT of use!)
I used wax on my family room furniture, and the few times I had to wipe it off/clean it with a damp cloth, it took a little of the finish off. do I need to use a polyurethane? If so, what do you recommend, and can I still use milk paint under it?
Whenever I see one of your posts I love to read the comments. I get so much education from them as well as your posts. Fantastic that Heather knew about and found your fabric you wanted on Ebay.
Don’t you ever get tired girl? You always seem to have projects to do in your home, what will you do when you run out of rooms? Ah to be young.
Even when I was young when it was summer time I was going to the beach with the kids or a pool. I have priorities and it’s not fixing up my house in summer time, except for now since we don’t do anything else anyway, might as well work on projects. Hmm maybe I could get some painting done in this house after almost 7 yrs. of waiting. Kinda hard to paint inside in the winter.
Looking forward very much to seeing the final product of your bathroom and vanity. Doing all these projects sure makes for great subjects for posts. Happy summer
I. LOVE. TOILE. Made kitchen curtains out of it, blue and white of course, and found a great length of blue-and-white toile ribbon at Walmart of all places, which I will use to wrap my older daughter’s Christmas gifts. I call it the Lilies of the Field fabric (They “toile” not, nor do they spin).
Kathy Bailey
Never commented before but LOVE TOILE.
Marian, how about blue and white toile like this?
https://www.greenhousefabrics.com/fabrics/203412S-Navy
or this
https://www.greenhousefabrics.com/fabrics/203414S-Blue
Hi
Try http://www.myfabricconnection.com – according to their site, they have the Provence 5 fabric.
http://www.myfabricconnection.com/provence-5-from-kravet-basics/
Good luck.
Sharon
Yes, that’s who I ordered from. A lot of these sites have it listed, but they don’t have the fabric in stock. I even called Kravet to see if they have any and they don’t. I asked for the name of the mill, but they didn’t have that information. It’s made in the Netherlands.
LOVE the target curtains. The blue and white theme you have going in your house is inspirational.
I used some gorgeous blue & white toile upholstery fabric to cover this dining chair last month. I bought it at a Spotlight store in Australia though, so not sure if you can find it in the USA. Here’s the link to the chair I covered:
http://www.irestorestuff.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/mms-miss-mustard-seed-ironstone-milk.html
Looking forward to seeing your BR reno’s!!! My BR is in desperate need but I keep mulling around ideas of what to do since it has sloped ceilings!!
Wow! Great job. Renovations are not for the weak. I don’t do them any more. Leave them to the experts. Just had enough. Your bathroom will be gorgeous with the beautif tile. Love the fabric in blue and white also. Thanks for sharing and good luck!!
Dang! I didn’t see those curtains on the Target website! Where did I go wrong??
I saw that Annie Sloan was carrying. Great line of fabric with the toile. Expensive, but pretty
A Target Curtain comment: Although not exactly the same design the curtains I just shortened for my daughter’s house had lots of problems. They appear to be the same manufacturer. Hers are dark clue with a different embroidered cream design. I did 4 pairs, shortening them at the top to avoid the design on hers being too close to the floor. Hers have design that is perpendicular to the floor. These curtains seem to not be consistent in size, so be sure to measure them as soon as you get them home. There are lots of other comments about the curtains in the reviews stating similar experiences. We ended up getting 4 panels that were the same length but it took a couple of trips.
As to above post from me, I meant to say parallel to the floor not perpendicular.
Please show a tutorial on the clock project. I have the same clock and would love to see what you do with it.
I really love the direction your bathroom is going…it is going to look really beautiful! I really enjoy your blog and some of your house reno information has been really helpful!!! I have a question for you…I am looking to put 3×6 marble subway tiles in my shower, and I was wondering if you could tell me the brand you are going with, and where you got them? It would be useful to have a starting off point on what to look for. Thanks so much!!!
I’m using the 3 x 6″ Grecian White Marble subway tile form Home Depot. It’s $5.36/square foot or something close to that.
I’m really liking the direction you’re taking the bathroom. Your choice of the flat vs. the bevelled is more classic and i think you’ll be happier with it in the long run. I might suggest one thing, and that is to put some sort of insulation around your tub. It could be fiberglass rolls or spray-on foam, but if you actually plan to USE your tub to have a soak, it really helps to retain the heat. And I can tell you from experience that you’ll not want to do it after the bathroom is finished!
I did this to one of mine and it’s fantastic, plus it’s more sparring of the hot water. CTD