Let's Potty! Part I - A Water Closet Renovation

This reflooring project really opened a can of worms! And in this case it's having me open a can of whoop-ass on "the can."

When I made that little collage-thingie back when we first moved here, I forgot to include the cheap-ass, NOT EVEN REMOTELY CENTERED light fixture. Apparently, that's a thing up in here.

We have what amounts to a weird little half-bath in the master bedroom. A half-bath that is comprised of a tinier than usual water closet and then a very vintage, wall-mounted, corner sink right outside of that.

The sink area had been carpeted (ick) so I replaced that floor when I did Phase VI: the closet.  As with the guest closet, it seemed like a good opportunity to complete some other projects in the space while it was emptied... i.e. the toilet was pulled.

Phase A: Remove wallpaper, repair/resurface walls

It already looks bigger, just having most of the paper removed!

I didn't get a photo after I painted, but here are the resurfaced walls with a good coat of primer.

Phase B: Paint/VP walls & ceiling.

Since the room itself is so narrow and vertical, I decided to do a very horizontal application to hopefully help draw the eye side to side. Hopefully not so much side to side that anyone misses the center. If you catch my drift.

Phase C: Replace/refinish light fixture.

I didn't find a light fixture that ticked all the boxes: inexpensive, attractive, appropriate finish, replaceable bulbs - so many LED fixtures have non-replaceable bulbs! So I decided to just paint over the cheap-looking, shiny brass-plated base with not-exactly-un-cheap-looking, faux oil-rubbed bronze spray paint and replace the glass shade with this schoolhouse style. I already had the spray paint and the shade was about $5!

Phase D: Install floors and all that goes with that.

1. Remove base moulding.
2. Remove existing hardwood.
3. Pour self-leveling subfloor with Eric's assistance.
4. Install LVP.
5. Refinish and reinstall base moulding.

Phase E: New TP hardware

Soooooo many toilet paper holders are designed NOT to handle a double roll. I'm not going to buy special packages of TP for one of three toilets. Let me admit right here and now that I have a TP hardware style preference. I like the single-sided kind... you know, because anyone who happens to use the last of the roll has NO REASON not to replace the roll. Particularly, because I store a backup roll right there within arms' reach.  [pretends to make meaningful eye contact with imaginary person]

Photo taken outside, because I won't install it until after the toilet goes in. It's already a tight enough fit in there!

Sadly for me, I also have a penchant for rather expensive TP holders. Well, all house hardware, really, but I am also a really thrifty so-and-so. So, I got a good-enough holder at a home center then added it to a decorative storage crate purchased at a craft store. This way we can store a backup roll and a funny bottle of scented spray right there and should someone be inclined to bring a book in there, there's a place to set it!


Part II:
That new toilet!
The installed TP holder!
Another storage solution!
Handmade and vintage decorations!
... and not much more!

Adventures in DIY Flooring - Cutting the Rug VI

Once I got the master bedroom complete, I decided not to wait to do the walk-in closet and water closet. The water closet (i.e. toilet room) had oak hardwood instead of carpet and thank you past owners for that!

This tiny space is the only part of the master that has base moulding. Further supporting our suspicions that it was added after the initial construction. Also, it's oak, rather than the fir that is in the rest of the house - where there is moulding, that is.

The oak was kind of a b!tch to get out, however, and required me to get past my fear of circular saws. I'm a big fan of power tools and that includes most saws, but circular saws kind of freak me out. Nevertheless, I have one that I inherited from my dad and I knew where it was and hot damn, I used that sumgun to tackle that floor!

You may have noticed that the wallpaper has been removed...

After that new challenge the floor went in pretty much like all the others.

There actually was base moulding in the water closet! Another indicator that this was added later. I had to take it out to replace the flooring of course, but it will go back in, just you wait.

I think that the walk-in might be a good place to indulge my interest in round, novelty rugs. We'll see how that goes. So far, the rug shopping has yielded zero rugs. That is probably for the best as the self-leveling products have increased the budget quite a bit. Ahem.

That's right, no base moulding here either. The only space in the master suite that had it is the water closet.

I have to say that after getting the existing subfloor covered with the self-leveling cement product that slight scent that drove this whole project is now gone from all the spaces we removed the carpet from! YES! Two rooms left! The bathroom (not carpeted) and the craft studio/office/auxiliary guest room (carpeted).

Thanks again to Eric for getting down and sweaty to expedite the self-leveling portion of the project! Still, I believe we'll have saved thousands of dollars by installing it ourselves. Well, mostly myself. [wink]

Unforeseen additional steps:

Speaking of budgets getting blown, since I had to pull the 1977 (April 15) toilet to do the floors in the water closet it seemed like the best time to deal with all the other decorative issues in there: wall paper, toilet paper holder, light fixture, etc. Oh yeah, also a new, more practical toilet with lower water use. But this is a post for another time.