Half Bath [Redux]

We honestly didn't mean to keep you waiting so long for the reveal.  We actually finished at some point in early-December, but have struggled to find time to pull this post together in the weeks that followed.  It feels great to have completed this project! As we've said before, it took a lot longer than we expected, but thus is the story of any DIY remodeling effort. Of opening up what another created in order to make it your own. A transformation. A redux.

Before you begin, take a second to remind yourself what we started with (i.e. the before shots).

Here's a quick rundown of the elements that make up the new half bath...if we forgot to address something, please drop us an email or a comment.

Toto Aquia II from National Builder Supply
Not only do we think it's the best looking toilet around, it has a great water-saving feature with the dual flush design. We found that most online retailers claim free shipping; but exclude freight items (such as toilets). National Builder Supply actually ships this toilet for free, making it $50-70 cheaper than other online retailers. This is the first toilet that I ever installed, so the process was slow, but completely manageable, as long as you follow the instructions carefully. For instance, when they tell you to turn each tank bolt equally, they actually mean equally -- as in a full turn on the left, followed by a full turn on the right...and repeat. As for the function and performance of the toilet -- we love it, especially the soft-close seat.

The sink and sink cabinet are both from Ikea's LILLÅNGEN bathroom system. 

The faucet is the Ikea DALSKÄR.

Since the faucet is chrome, we wanted to go with chrome accessories. Picked up the towel ring (not yet installed) and TP holder from Smedbo.

The lights are the ET2 Flash from All Modern. The medicine cabinet is also from Ikea's LILLÅNGEN bathroom system.  During demo we framed out the cabinet and countersunk it to keep the profile as clean as possible.

Finally, you'll notice we used drywall around the majority of the window frame, instead of using wood to trim it out. Since it is such a small space, we wanted to keep the lines as simple and clean as possible. The large window provides great light to the space and keeps it from feeling claustrophobic. At the same time, privacy is of utmost concern. Again, not wanting to add additional materials (such as blinds/shades/curtains), we opted for the Gila Privacy Frosted film. We think it adds a finished, modern look to the room.

Also, don't be afraid to use spray paint on your existing metal window frames and hardware that feature that oh-so-late-80s factory bronze finish.  For legal reasons I must point out here that the use of paint on a window frame may cause you to void your warranty.  So if that's something that concerns you, take head!

The Forbo Marmoleum Click flooring was covered in a previous post; as was the wall tile. 

So...our first major renovation project is behind us! We learned so much and hope to carry a lot of that into our next project...the kitchen.

Stay tuned...

Window Trim

Just when we thought our painting woes were behind us, it came time to paint the knotty pine window trim in the living room and dining room. I can't even tell you how long I put off the task. Give me a roller and I'll paint any room, any time. I'll even trim out the corners and ceilings. But painting multi-layered trim around our four windows in the living room and two in the dining room is not my idea of remodeling fun.

Backtracking for a second...we decided to highlight the archtichtual aspect of the sloped ceiling by painting a geometric shape on the walls that lined-up with our windows using Behr's Dark Ash, the same color we had used to paint the beam that divides the two rooms. Here's the best "before" shot I have of that:


Our plan was to paint the window trim surrounding the windows that same color. I spent one Saturday morning prepping the job, which included taping, removal of the window hardware and filling the holes that are natural to knotty pine. I spent the next Saturday painting. I started off with an oil-based primer, much like I did with the stair risers.

I put on one coat of the Dark Ash and just wasn't feeling it...


Much like the steps, it was just too dark and all blended together. I consulted with Angie and it was quickly decided that we needed to go a few shades lighter, but yet not as light as the wall color. We also needed to step up the sheen. We decided on Gray Area in a Satin Enamel sheen.

Here's what it looked like at the halfway point:


And now we come to this:



Lessons Learned:

Painting the frame around the window itself can seem like a daunting task. For one, you have to be careful not to fill up the channel where the window travels up and down, so that the window will still work properly once you've finished. And then you have to mess with the hardware, which may or may not be easy to remove. Hopefully you don't have to mess with multiple layers of age-old paint and stripping them off. And then, on top of all of that, you have the window glass itself to worry about. Do you tape it? Will the paint come off my window if I accendiently get some on it?

Problem solved with this great tip I found over at 1951 Ranch Redo. When it came time to paint my window frames, I was just about to tape the glass when I remembered reading this at one point. I was sick of taping anyway...so I just jumped right in and painted the frames without worrying about any paint that got on the glass. Using an exacto knife and a razor-blade scraper, the paint easily scrapes off the window. The key to the process is scoring the glass right along the edge of the window before scraping.

Saved by a gentle rain

As I mentioned in a previous post, we bought our paint from Home Depot during one of their big sales. Thus, I certainly didn't buy too little (and ended up buying way too much). As for the colors in the major area of our house -- the living room and dining room (both of which have sloped ceilings) -- we selected Manhattan Mist (main color) and Distant Thunder (accent color). We had actually chosen two different colors at the store, but when we brought the sample strips home, we decided they were too dark for the space and not exactly the look we were going for. When all was said and done, we purchased 7 gallons of the Manhattan Mist.

So fast forward a number of weeks. My parents were cool enough to take a couple days off work to come up and help us paint. We prepped all Friday morning and began painting just before Noon. My dad and I were trimming out and I thought the Manhattan Mist was going on good. It was about an hour before my dad picked up a roller and started on the major portions of the walls. About a half-hour later, I remember looking back at the wall where he started and thinking that the color looked a bit on the purplish-side of gray, which was not the look we were going for either. The more and more paint that went on, the more and more purple came out. It took the rest of the afternoon to finish the second coats of trim and rolling.

I expressed my concern a number of times, but always managed to talk myself out of the expense and work that would come along with changing the main color. I mean, it wasn't looking like Barney purple or anything, there was just a slight purple hue to the gray. It wasn't until later that evening, when the sun went down and the lights came on inside the house that my worst fears were realized. The entire area looked like something an 8-year old girl would choose for her bedroom; albeit a very sophisticated 8-year old. Not that I have anything against 8-year olds, it just wasn't right for the main living area of our house.

Saturday morning rolls around and as we all gather to begin the day, I finally make the call that Angie and I need to take some time to think about and discuss our options for changing the color. So we pulled out all of our samples and dialed up Behr.com. We narrowed it down to two colors and walked around the house looking at them under different light conditions. Finally, after seeing it all, we both decided on Gentle Rain (main color) and Dark Ash (accent color). And it proved to be one of the best decisions we've made yet!

We jetted off to Home Depot and bought a gallon of each. Came home and rolled it on a wall and waited for it to dry (paint always dries darker). It dried just as we hoped and Angie returned to purchase 3 more gallons. Although we lost a day of painting, we gained a color we love!

Capturing accurate representations of paint hues in a digital photo is nearly impossible, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Walls are Gentle Rain. Beam is Dark Ash. Ceilings are Ultra Pure White.

And now we come to this -- our lessons learned:

1) Sample strips are NOT enough, especially for the main areas of your house. Buy a sample container or quart of your desired color, slap it up on a good-sized area of your wall, wait for it to dry and then observe it during the day time (natural light) AND the night time (artificial light). We almost could have lived with the Manhattan Mist during the day, but the night brought out the true nature of the beast!

2) Make the call. As I mentioned, if you're feeling a bit worried about the look of the color when it first dries, chances are it's not going to get better with time. Conduct a "team meeting" and decide before you waste more time slapping up a second coat while hoping for a miracle. And don't just take my word for it. Note: This may not be true of some colors because sometimes its hard to see the true color without a second (or third) coat.

3) Don't get caught up in the hub-bub of a big sale. Although we did take our time in originally selecting a color, we bought way too much and didn't have time to test paint our rooms.

4) Your turn -- please share any similar lessons you've learned in the choosing paint colors and/or painting areas of your home.