Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Around The House). This thread is read-only.
Whew! Bathroom number 2 of 3 completed! This one was LOTS of work, but I am VERY happy w/ the finished results. Here is the prior topic w/ the completed Master bathroom.
The vanity faucets both had difficult operation, even after lubrication.
All three bathrooms in my gorgeous new-to-me 33 year old house have extensive usage of synthetic marble. As-expected those surfaces have random wear scratches and blemishes, detracting from the appearance.
The bottom edge of the large vanity mirrors in all three bathrooms were resting on the 4” tall vertical vanity backsplash. That configuration permitted damage to the bottom edge of the mirror, where water creeped up the back surface, from capillary action, causing the bottom edge to be black instead of reflective. I had the local glass company remove the next bathroom mirror when they replaced the completed bathroom mirror. (My pool bathroom now doesn’t have a mirror, waiting on me to complete that bathroom.)
As expected, the walls had random blemishes and had an orange peel texture from having been repainted several times. I also didn’t like the appearance on the door trim and the baseboard molding.
The hallway bathroom had the last closet where the wire rack shelves had wooden trim on the face surface still had a pickled finish.
Replacing the dated bathroom light fixtures and correcting the non-conforming wiring installation was one of the first house projects, so that was / is already done.
Sooo, w/ all this stuff removed: the vanity mirror; the vanity faucets and drains; the vanity light (temporarily replaced w/ a dangling light bulb); the vanity doors and drawer faces; the entrance door; the closet bifold door; the toilet; the sliding glass tub doors and frame; the closet wire shelves and hardware; the A/C grill; the exhaust fan grill; the shower recessed light cover; the baseboard; the door trim; the window shutters and the electrical receptacle / switches were pulled to dangle from the wall, the REAL fun started.
All the walls were vacuum sanded smooth, using my Festool RO180FEQ 6” (150mm) random / orbital vacuum sander w/ their Granat 80 grit paper, paired with my Festool Cleantec CT36 EI AC HEPA dust extractor. All the holes and blemishes were filled with joint compound, then sanded smooth, this time using my Festool ETS EC 150/3 EQ Plus finish vacuum sander w/ their Granat 100 grit paper.
The ceiling has a knock down texture. Blemishes were also repaired using joint compound, this time worked into the crack w/ my finger, followed by sanding after dry / hard when required.
All three bathrooms are getting a Kohler 38484-0 Transpose tall, elongated toilet. This has an internal cannister that holds a chlorine tablet, running the refill water through the cannister. It is also listed to have a special coating that keeps clean. I really like the smooth sides near the floor, instead of the typical curved water passage shape. This toilet is wider at the floor / wall region, making the existing fresh water supply pipe valve too close. My solution is to cut out and remove a rectangular section of Sheetrock so I could relocate the water pipe to be farther away from the centerline, about 6” from the centerline. I then replaced the Sheetrock and finished w/ joint compound.
ALWAYS safety first! I keep a pump spray bottle of water nearby when soldering and use a heat blanket to keep from burning down the house.
The toilet image shows my old school preference of a hand formed and cut rigid chrome-plated copper water supply riser, from the newly installed ¼ turn shutoff valve. Back in the Dinosaur Days there were plenty of those rigid chrome-plated risers hanging vertically for selection and purchase in the plumbing isle of the local home improvement stores, now they’re getting as rare as hen’s teeth.
A chrome Moen 26100EP Engage with Magnetix Handheld Shower Head was installed using their chrome S113 Waterhill 14″ Shower Arm. IMO this long arm is required to permit angling the water flow downwards instead of sideways, because the Magnetix attaches at the head, not the hose end base.
The plan was to replace the tub / shower valve using a Pfister Willa 8P8-WS2-MALSCC polished chrome 1-handle tub and shower faucet. Changing the shower valve requires removing a rectangular Sheetrock section from the adjacent wall. Of course, once again, the vertical water supply pipes are routed to be adjacent to that original narrow 33 year old valve, leaving negative clearance for the new wider valve, forcing me to again relocate those ½” copper supply pipes to be spaced farther apart.
The old valve was installed dangling in the air, supported by the pipes. The new valve has mounting ears so I used my table saw to make dado cuts at different depths on a 2×4 cross board, so I could properly attach the valve at one level and attach the pipes at a different level.
The new valve includes a circular cover, used during installation, so that the valve may be installed at the correct depth. Of course, the circular synthetic marble wall hole was just a little too small, so I used some 24 grit sandpaper to increase the hole diameter so the cover would fit.
Once I removed this Sheetrock I was able to properly examine the tub drain to permit selection of a proper replacement. The existing white plastic overflow drain pipe was incorrectly installed w/ a diagonal angle at the tee fitting because the drain pipe in the ground isn’t aligned w/ the tub. A terrific Kohler Clearflo K-7259-CP copper / brass / bronze drain was selected because of the corrugated upper section, permitting proper routing in this offset installation. That corrugated upper section permits hand-bending so it conforms to unusual installations. It worked great! One really nice feature is that the overflow cover is smooth, w/o any marks or logo. That is useful because my cover isn’t vertical due to the offset installation. This is a very high quality part.
The sloppy concrete covering the ground under the tub around the drain was removed and replaced w/ new concrete. Now it also looks nice.
The Sheetrock in the closet that was cut to work on the tub / shower plumbing was replaced w/ a new piece and finished w/ joint compound.
The vanity, tub, tub enclosure and windowsill synthetic marble were sanded, then polished, to restore the appearance. This was VERY time consuming. I used my 3mm throw Festool ETS EC 150/3 EQ Plus finish vacuum sander w/ Granat paper to 1,500 grit to remove all the usage blemishes possible.
THEN it was time to get the HIGH GLOSS finish. To that end I used my three Griot’s Garage polishers. I have / used a G13 700W mini 13mm long throw orbital polisher, a G21 1,100W 21mm long throw orbital polisher and a GR3 700W mini rotary polisher. After experimentation I found that their BOSS Knitted Wool pads w/ their Fast Correcting Cream, followed by their BOSS Microfiber pads w/ their Complete Compound permitted me to attain an AMAZING shine. I used the 3” extension on the GR3 when polishing the sink bowl and the detached wall soap holder.
The matching synthetic marble wall soap holder was reattached using Loctite Power Grab Ultimate Construction Adhesive. I used a long board and a shorter board to press / hold the soap holder in-place while the adhesive hardened.
Throughout the bathroom, the synthetic marble corner panel edges had previously been “sealed” using silicone. I scraped out every last bit of that old white sealant and forced in as much off white grout into all those edge cavities. It was VERY important to remove the old silicone to NOT have both white and off white visible along the edges. This was also very time consuming.
Both this hallway bathroom and the upcoming pool bathroom have similar glass / polished aluminum sliding doors on the tub and on the shower. In both cases they were installed incorrectly 33 years ago. The correct installation is to place the bottom rail, attach one side rail to the wall, slide the second side rail into the loose top rail, slide that top rail into the already attached side rail, then attach the side rail. What they did instead was to attach both side rails first, making it impossible to slide the top rail into both side rail tabs. Their solution was to fold over one side rail tab. When I straightened that incorrectly bent over tab it snapped off.
My solution to repair was to use West System epoxy w/ fiberglass on the hidden side to reattach the tab. It worked great.
The glass doors and aluminum frames really showed their age. I used NEVR-DULL on the polished aluminum frame to attain a very high shine. I used the Griot’s Garage Fine Glass Polish w/ their Glass Polishing Pads to restore a new appearance to the glass. After the glass was polished I used Rain-X water repellent on both surfaces.
The aluminum bottom and side rails need to be sealed to the tub to keep in the shower water. I didn’t want / like an exposed and visible silicone sealant bead, so I applied that sealant to the internal edge that is squished against the tub and against the walls, then cleaned up / removed the sealant that became visible after installation. This was satisfactorily tested for leaks after the silicone set up (two-person operation). IMO it looks waaay better w/o the visible bead.
When I attached / sealed the bottom rail I used stacks of free weights and the temporarily attached side rails so that the silicone sealant would set up w/ the bottom rail tight to the tub, especially in the middle. Then I unscrewed the side rails, applied a bead of sealant to the hidden inner cavity and reattached to the walls.
None of my tubs / showers had safety grab bars. I selected and installed this Moen R8724PS polished stainless grab bar. This one is terrific because of the mounting hole pattern. Instead of three holes, 120° apart, this one has a waaay cool pattern that permits placement of three mounting screws into the 1½” wide 2×4 board within the wall. This one is ADA-rated and withstands a 500 lbs load. VERY handy that the soap dish was removed to aid locating the stud.
IMO, now that the tub is again highly polished AND because it is required to step high to get into and out of the tub, adding a grab rail is required. An image shows that anti slip flowers were also added to the polished synthetic marble tub.
The vanity faucets were replaced w/ these chrome Pfister LF048PDCC Pasadena two handle 4” faucets. I again (always) used hand-formed and cut rigid chrome-plated copper risers on new ¼ turn shut off valves. One interesting thing is that the instructions specify to NOT use plumber’s putty on the drain. That worked fine on one sink, but wouldn’t work at all on the other, probably because the hole was at a slight angle, so I used plumber’s putty on that drain. My solution for leak detection on finished bathroom vanity sinks is to place a cardboard box under the plumbing for later visual inspection. SUPER easy to spot slowly dripping plumbing.
Most of the closets in my house had wood covering the vertical face on the wire shelves. That wood had a pickled finish. That finish was sanded off and the wood was varnished because I like that appearance change. This was the last closet in my house that needed that change. I marked the parts at disassembly to permit identical location replacement, so all the existing holes would match up.
The style on vanity cabinet doors and drawer faces was very dated. The local big box home improvement store sells custom Shuler Cabinetry cabinets. They also sell just their doors and drawer faces at custom sizes. I ordered and installed the Manhattan style, in maple wood w/ the Sea Salt white color finish. These are terrific parts and are highly recommended. These doors arrive w/ hinges that are appropriate for their cabinets, but wouldn’t / couldn’t work on my cabinets, so those hinges were discarded and I used these hinges instead. One nice thing about these new hinges is that they’re two piece, permitting door detachment by just pressing a release button.
My DeWALT DW03601 red beam 360° cross line laser level and my tripod were used to properly install these new cabinet faces. One REALLY NICE feature on this tool is that it is EASY to toggle from automatic / continuous level to instead being locked at any off level angle. My cabinets are slightly off level, so I first set my laser at that angle, then used it for precise placement of all the new parts. It worked great.
The laser level was also used to mark the correct location for the closet shelf hardware hole in the newly replaced Sheetrock.
FINALLY time to paint the bathroom. I selected / used Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint Interior Acrylic Latex flat paint in Extra White on the ceiling. Sherwin-Williams Emerald Symmetry Interior Acrylic Latex satin paint in SW 6288 Rosebud color on the walls and Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel semi-gloss paint in High Hide White on the trim. These are great paints. One thing I really like about the trim paint is the interior / exterior rating, making one less paint required to have on-hand. I like to paint the walls prior to attaching the trim and baseboard wood. The Rosebud color was selected to go w/ the swirl color in the synthetic marble.
My new wood door trim and baseboard molding is first painted on saw horses, prior to cutting and installing. I use my DeWALT DCN660 16 gauge finish nailer to attach the wood. After installation the nail holes are filled with wood putty. The method I use to fill the random small gaps between the wood and the wall is to use joint compound. I again paint / touch up the wood trim to cover the filled nail holes and the joint compound.
The doors, light fixture, window shutters and other stuff were all replaced. I’ve been exchanging all the Decora switches to standard toggle switches throughout the house.
The glass company was called to replace the mirror. I had the mirror installed w/ a 1” gap above the vanity 4” backsplash to hopefully prevent the bottom edge degradation.
The Pfister Karci toilet paper roll holder, 24” towel bars, 18” towel bar and robe hook were all installed using my laser level. The rod near the mirror required blocking the mirror to eliminate a second line from the reflection. The mounting hardware includes the TOGGLER TB Plastic Toggle Anchor. I liked these parts sooo much that I purchased a box to have on-hand for future projects. My laser level was used to get these installed balls on dead accurate.
My laser level was used to properly install the artwork.
Very, very happy w/ the finished result. These remodeled bathrooms REALLY add to this terrific house.
Initial Bathroom
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Toilet Water Supply – Initial Location – Too Close to Drain Centerline for New Wider Toilet
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Toilet Water Supply Relocated to ~6″ From Drain Centerline
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Sheetrock Replaced
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Replacement Sheetrock Taped
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Replacement Sheetrock Smoothed w/ Joint Compound
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Kohler Transpose Toilet Parts
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Installing Toilet Parts
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New Kohler Transpose Toilet Installed w/ Rigid Chrome Copper Water Supply
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Initial Tub / Shower Valve and Overflow Drain (Note Angled Drain Connection at Tee Fitting)
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Unscrewing Tub Drain
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Tub Drain Disconnected
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Initial Tub Drain Connected to House Drain
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House Drain w/ New Concrete
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New Kohler Clearflo K-7259-CP Drain Parts
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New and Old Drain Parts
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New Tub Drain Installed
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New Pfister Shower / Tub Water Valve Installed
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Valve Mounting Board w/ Dado Cuts
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Valve and Pipes Attached to Board
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Replacement Shower / Tub Sheetrock
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Sanded and Polished Tub Synthetic Marble
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Replacing Soap Dish
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Tub Edges – Silicone Caulk Replaced w/ Grout
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Polishing Shower Door Glass
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Repairing Shower Door Frame Tab w/ Fiberglass and West System Epoxy
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Installing Tub Frame w/ Concealed Internal Silicone Caulk
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Installing Moen R8724PS Grab Rail
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Tub Completed
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Anti Slip Flowers Installed
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Initial Difficult to Operate Vanity Faucet
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Polishing Vanity
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New Vanity Water Supply Valves and Risers
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Sanding and Varnishing Closet Trim Wood
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Installing New Schuler Cabinetry Manhattan Cabinet Doors and Drawer Faces
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Using Laser Level to Locate Replacement Hole for Closet Shelf Hardware
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Painting Walls
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Painting Doors and Trim
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Replacing Trim Molding
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Replacing Closet Shelves
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Replacing Bathroom and Closet Doors
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Installing Pfister Toilet Paper Holder, Towel Rods and Robe Hook
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Mounting Artwork
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Windowsill Polished
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Bathroom Completed
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Wow, I have no idea where to start. Bathroom jobs are tough and I feel like they take for ever. I did my one bathroom and while it was a small bathroom, it took a long time. You did an amazing job. That’s a ton of work. Just notching out that 2×4 for the pipes takes a while by itself. Nice job and thanks for sharing. It’s crazy the amount of stuff you know how to do.
wingless wrote:
12 hours ago, wingless said:All three bathrooms in my gorgeous new-to-me 33 year old house have extensive usage of synthetic marble. As-expected those surfaces have random wear scratches and blemishes, detracting from the appearance.
The vanity, tub, tub enclosure and windowsill synthetic marble were sanded, then polished, to restore the appearance. This was VERY time consuming. I used my 3mm throw Festool ETS EC 150/3 EQ Plus finish vacuum sander w/ Granat paper to 1,500 grit to remove all the usage blemishes possible.
THEN it was time to get the HIGH GLOSS finish. To that end I used my three Griot’s Garage polishers. I have / used a G13 700W mini 13mm long throw orbital polisher, a G21 1,100W 21mm long throw orbital polisher and a GR3 700W mini rotary polisher. After experimentation I found that their BOSS Knitted Wool pads w/ their Fast Correcting Cream, followed by their BOSS Microfiber pads w/ their Complete Compound permitted me to attain an AMAZING shine. I used the 3” extension on the GR3 when polishing the sink bowl and the detached wall soap holder.
Polishing Vanity
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Thanks very much.
Yes, this was LOTS of work and time. I’m “blaming” my Sister-in-Law from northern Massachusetts for my final overtime push to complete this project. She visited months ago while this was out-of-service and was returning for another visit. In my mind there was NO way this was not going to be completed. Everything was DONE for her visit, except for the short towel rod by the door. That part was on-order, arriving after she departed.
It took a long time, w/ experimentation using different tools and materials, to figure out the best way to restore the synthetic marble.
My testing revealed that the Griot’s Garage G21 and GR3 polishers, w/ the listed pads and polishes will restore the amazing shine, even removing some small scratches and blemishes. This alone will provide a 95% complete result and is highly recommended for those w/ this synthetic marble material installed in their homes that want / need to improve and restore the appearance.
My testing also showed that the Festool ETS EC 150/3 EQ Plus finish vacuum sander is required to remove moderate scratches, prior to polishing w/ the G21 and GR3. The deep scratches and gouges are there for the duration.
wingless wrote:
17 hours ago, wingless said:The hallway bathroom had the last closet where the wire rack shelves had wooden trim on the face surface still had a pickled finish.
Most of the closets in my house had wood covering the vertical face on the wire shelves. That wood had a pickled finish. That finish was sanded off and the wood was varnished because I like that appearance change. This was the last closet in my house that needed that change. I marked the parts at disassembly to permit identical location replacement, so all the existing holes would match up.
Replacing Closet Shelves
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In all closets, those white wire racks all had a tacky feel over the entire white coating.
My solution to restore a normal / new feel was to use a toothbrush and paper towels to clean all the surfaces w/ WD-40, along w/ the nooks and crannies, followed by garden hose washing. I purchase WD-40 by the gallon, using that to fill their hand pump spray bottles.
The wire shelves felt new after this cleaning.
Yes and I like the wood front on the wire shelves. I have never seen that before. I have a closet with them and now I want to do that.
Eric – TIA wrote:
1 hour ago, Eric – TIA said:Yes and I like the wood front on the wire shelves. I have never seen that before. I have a closet with them and now I want to do that.
Two of my closets in this house had plain wire rack shelves.
When I was remodeling the Master Bedroom I purchased wood to replicate that varnished wood face on those plain shelves, using my table saw and my router.
Then I found and installed these bamboo shelf covers, instead of creating a set of varnished wood faces, for that small hallway utility closet, next to the Master Bathroom. Each cover is two pieces, a large top flat surface and a small front lip that covers the wire rack front face. These parts are joined together using sliding keyhole fasteners.
Several things were discovered during the installation of those parts.
Even though I ordered the correct size for that closet, when it the closet was built they made the inside walls slightly not square, enabling the shelf to fit at the front but not the back, so I cut the shelf on my table saw so it would fit.
The other thing I discovered was that the back edge would have a “large” gap to the wall because the front lip was stopped by the wire rack side shelf cups. My solution was to cut off the ends on that front lip, shown in an image. Now the shelf slid all the way back to the small wire rack clips, shown in another image. That was close enough for me, so I didn’t make notches in the top shelf at those clips.
IMO these bamboo covers are a great improvement over the plain wire shelves.
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That is awesome. A huge improvement and looks awesome. Thanks for the information. I like having the solid piece instead of the wired shelf as stuff sits flat. I am sure my walls are not square either but it looks awesome. Plus I don’t have the time to build the shelves, i would rather get these covers. Thanks