Master Bathroom

Minor Tweaks, Big Impact

Published on January 6, 2014January 8, 2014 by Our Humble Abode25 Comments

I know there’s been a lot of bathroom talk and updates. But the good news is, we’re nearing the end. Ben grouted the shower and floors last weekend and they look fantastic! He used unsanded grout and matching caulk because the lines are under 1/8 inch wide.

Update: We received a few emails wondering about the corner in the photo above. This was after grouting, but before we filled the edges with matching caulking. After allowing the grout to dry, we filled the edges, let it dry, and we’re ready for use.

While not a dramatic difference, it makes the shower functional. And that’s huge.

Well, almost usable. Shower curtains are in order. I ordered these 96 inch shower curtain liners and got them on Thursday, but I’ll get to those in a second. Here’s the bare shower after grout with the stainless steel shower pan:

And the grouted floors.

And here’s the shower now:

For the pretty tile to be the star, I wanted a super simple, low profile curtain hanging system. One that didn’t use a tension rod or drilling into the marble tile. I think we accomplished that, and for about 25 bucks! We started with three heavy-duty eye hooks, screwed into the tongue and groove ceiling, as close to the walls and post as possible.

Then we strung a galvanized steel wire rope (30 cents per foot at Home Depot) through, along with a curtain clip (I used two sets, but wished I had gotten two more to bunch the curtain tighter). Clamps hold the wire rope in place. We decided to keep a clip inside the loop, so the curtain would always stay close to the wall.

More curtain clips and a clamp on the other end.

At the corner, we pulled the wire rope tightly through.

I know I’m not the only one looking for an extra long curtain, so here are my opinions on these. After reading product reviews, I worried the curtain wouldn’t be completely waterproof, but they are. Vinyl curtains drive me nuts because they aren’t washable, but this fabric is. Which is a big plus. Decent looking material, too. The description said it has a weighted bottom, but it’s just a rope sewn along the bottom. Regardless, I had to hem the curtain a few inches to allow it to hang without pooling and bunching.

After sewing along the bottom, I make a pocket on each end for stainless steel washers to tuck in. Unfortunately, after using the shower, these weren’t heavy enough to hold the curtain with the convection current the shower created. But they do make the curtain hang nicely when open. So, I’m on to plan b, suction cups. Wish the shower pan was magnetic!

In other small news, I found these wooden drawer pulls at Hobby Lobby. At $2 each, I thought they would make cute hand towel hooks. A tight-fitting anchor in the wall worked perfectly to hang these dudes.

I love how the wood picks up the branch color of the towels. And adds a slight touch of warmth to the dark walls.

We’re still missing a vanity, but we’re all so happy with the progress. Even the boys; they said black and white are their favorite colors. Such funny opinions.

My Dark Side

Published on December 30, 2013December 30, 2013 by Our Humble Abode34 Comments

Thank you for all the paint help and suggestions!! I went with my gut and painted the bathroom walls nearly black Wrought Iron.

And I love it! We used extra deck stain on the corner post. Because it might get wet, we like that it’s outdoor grade, but colors the plain fir beam.

But back to the walls. I already preferred Wrought Iron over the Blue Sage and decided to go for it. Even when I painted the bedroom Blue Sage, I didn’t love the color. What I really wanted was a darker version of the old guest room.

Why use something I didn’t love? I debated getting a sample of the Sea Green (guest room color) at 200% tint. But I didn’t want the bedroom and bathroom to look like they should match, but didn’t. I’m happy I took the Wrought Iron risk, because our towels and accessories stand out against the black.

With a bright white ceiling, trim, lower wall planks, and plenty of light from the window, this room can handle dark.

The dark pops against the white trim and makes the marble shower more of a focal point. And after all that tile work, that makes me happy.

I’ve found white 96 inch curtain liners (just need to order), but I’m stuck on the outer, decorative curtains.

In my head, I picked out these Mallard Velvet Curtains from World Market. They’re not in stores, so I checked online. Hmm, not listed in their stock either. Booooo! The color is perfect and the velvet would look ultra luxurious, but also function on the windows.

Now I’m not sure what to use. While velvet might not hold up in a humid bathroom, the color and price were right. Back to the drawing board. The sconces are perfect, though.

Fingers crossed we can grout the floor and shower so we can get this bathroom almost completely functional. Then Ben can work on the American Walnut vanity.

If you’re on team Wrought Iron, what do you think? Any original team Blue Sage converts?

Blue Sage or Wrought Iron?

Published on December 26, 2013December 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode33 Comments

Wanna see some master bathroom progress?! When we last left off, the bathroom looked like this:

Freshly installed tongue and groove planks on the ceiling and most of the walls. Pretty slate tile on the floors and marble herringbone on the walls. Certainly a far cry from the 70’s yellow and brown tile we started with;

Over the weekend and even over Christmas Eve and day, I spent some time mudding, filling holes, sanding, caulking, priming, and painting. And here we are this morning.

No more Franken-walls. Or cabin-y planks. Just lots of fresh, clean, bright white. I still have to put one more coat of paint on the ceiling and wall planks, but they’re looking good. After that, we can grout the shower and floors. Which means we’re only a few steps away from installing the clawfoot tub and toilet. And having a finished, functional shower. Though the vanity has to be built.

But I really need your help. I’m somewhat torn on a wall color. In the left corner, we have Blue Sage (color matched to Restoration Hardware) and in the right corner, the heavyweight champ Wrought Iron by Benjamin Moore.

Both have pros and cons, so let’s discuss. Pros for Blue Sage: 1. I have enough paint left over from our bedroom. 2. It matches the bedroom, for a seamless transition. 3. If we used this color, I would use a plain white curtains on the shower and window (maybe jazzed up with trim). 96 inch long white curtains are easier to find.

But, this color does have cons: 1. More green than blue, which is what I’d really want. At the point we replace the windows, I’ll probably repaint the bedroom, so the bathroom would get changed then.

Pros for Wrought Iron: 1. I love how dark and dramatic it is. I’ve dreamed of dark, black walls for a while now. With the big window and all the white, I think this room can handle dark walls. 2. The high contrast of nearly black against the white planks is beautiful. 3. Colors would pop and look crazy awesome against this color. 4. If we used this color, I’d love to use solid, colorful curtain panels to bring in some color. 5. The exterior of the clawfoot tub is also this color. But the con is, I don’t have enough paint left over from the tub.

So, dear readers, which would you choose? Cozy green or dark and dramatic nearly black?

Walk the Plank

Published on December 18, 2013December 18, 2013 by Our Humble Abode15 Comments

You guys, I’m so, so excited with the progress we’ve recently made on the master bathroom. Like seriously, grinning from ear to ear happy. Because we’ve got tile on the floors and shower.

With the floor and shower walls 90% done (we still have to grout), we turned our attention to the ceiling and walls. When we demoed the bathroom, the ceiling had holes from the old shower structure. And orange peel texture under, while the rest of the ceiling was knock down. Neither of which we’re fans of. To remedy the situation, we installed pine tongue and groove boards.

We wanted the boards to run the length of the room, but that parallels the ceiling joists. So Ben cut old siding scraps to nail in place, and then nail the T and G into.

Knowing we’ll add the claw foot tub we pulled out of the main bathroom, we wanted a little extra to protect the sheet rock walls. Here’s the tub’s current condition:

After tossing around a few options, we settled on tongue and groove boards three feet up the walls.

We’ve still got a few boards to install, but it’s looking rather rustic and cabin-y in there. Which isn’t my favorite look, so we’ll paint the ceiling and walls glossy white.

I spent a few hours last night filling nail holes and sanding down drywall. I’m hoping to get everything primed over the weekend. After that, we can grout and put the tub and toilet in place. Then build the vanity. Already, it feels like we’re moving faster on this than the main bathroom. What projects are you working on? Any tongue and groove in your house? My father in law is pushing for natural wood.

Good Marathons

Published on December 16, 2013December 17, 2013 by Our Humble Abode20 Comments

I’m not talking about running. That, I’m definitely not good at. If you follow us on Instagram, you probably saw our weekend tile marathon.

On Saturday, we (as usual, mostly Ben) laid out, cut, and installed the staggered brick slate floor.

We used this same tile on the family room fireplace and love it. The price is right, too. We couldn’t find the same size ceramic or porcelain tile we liked within fifty cents per square foot.

Ben loves working with it as it cuts easily with a wet tile saw.

Sunday morning, we geared up for a long day of shower tiling. Everything was installed and ready to go.

Our stainless steel shelf and plumbing controls.

We laid out a few starting options and settled on starting on the corner and wrapping the design around to the other wall.

With the first few tiles in place, working off was a breeze. Seven hours later, we had the shower tiled.

That included cutting every 12 by 12 tile in half to create the rectangle shape. After searching every local tile and home improvement store, we couldn’t find a rectangular tile we liked in our price range. Instead, we saved some money and cut standard (easy to find) Grecian White marble tiles. It’s strange, because the colors were pretty consistent within each box, but box to box were vastly different. Ranging from Carrara-looking gray and white veins to golden tones with dark flecks.

As I dried each cut tile, I stacked gray then gold to mix the colors. If I saw an area that had too much of one color, I picked out the opposite for the next tile. Once the lines are grouted, we’ll pull the protective film off the shower pan. The shelf just needs a cleaning.

But it’s so, so exciting to see a nice, clean, open, and bright shower in here.

That corner post isn’t structural, but necessary. We’re hoping two shower curtains (one on each open side) will work to keep water in. If not, or we don’t like them, we’ll add glass to the longer wall. Until then, I’m dreaming of using this beauty. In the mean time, I stare at and pet my favorite tiles. Yes, I’m strange and pick out my favorites to put in highly visible areas.

That top horizontal is one of those. Ben does think I’m crazy for that, by the way. If that’s crazy, I don’t want to be sane. Are you as in love with the new tile as I am? I can’t stop looking at it.

P.S. We’ve gotten several questions about the tile. The shower tiles are 12 by 12 Greecian white marble from Home Depot, cut in half and laid in the herringbone pattern. Floor tiles are Montauk Black 12 by 24 inch slate tiles, also from Home Depot. Both tiles are available in our local store; hopefully yours stocks these as well.