My Bathroom Reno Process

Come share your ideas for sprucing up your property.

Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD

DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

I removed the panel from the front of the tub. There is mold under there, growing on the walls. Under the tub on the bottoms of the walls, on the three sides (well, as much as I can see).

What the hell am I supposed to do now? Rip out the tub and all the walls? I can't reach it to clean it, not to mention that they say (being many websites) you can't kill it forever, it will come back until it's removed. Oh, and wear a respirator while removing it. Like I have one handy.

I am very discouraged. Very. It really (after researching) seems like the tub & drywall all have to be removed and new walls put in. Granted, I have the knowledge how to do those things (less the plumbing), but I don't know that one measly, wimpy girl can do it alone. Not to mention, buying new drywall (and studs?) will be not cheap. Would the tub surround be salvageable?

Stupid mobile home manufacturers - why the hell would you construct a bathroom so shoddily, so there is hardly any waterproofing?
Stupid prior owners - whoever probably noticed a problem and then put up the tub surround - OVER the old MH shower walls (vinyl covered gypsum) instead of putting up something actually suitable for a wet environment.
Denise
Posts: 71
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:27 pm
Location: Finger, TN

OH DC, I'm so sorry....here's an idea that might work for the door. Get the dimensions of your door and have Lowe's cut a piece of MDF the same size. Get some of the iron-on stripping that goes around the cut lines. Use your old door as a template to install your hinges to line-up with the cabinet. Then you can decide if you want to use the old door pull or get yourself a new one and install it the way YOU want. As far as the big mold problem.....that's best left to the knowledgeable ones. It kind of takes the wind out of your sails.... :roll:
DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Actually, the door seems to be turning out fairly well. I sanded it this morning and I think with another coat (or two) of paint, it will be perfectly acceptable.

I didn't do the second coat on the front, because I figured I'd rather get the back finished (both coats), so it doesn't have to sit on the finished front side at all - for painting or drying. I won't mind if the back gets a ding, but I want the front to stay as nice as possible.

~~
re. the mold.. I know, right? I have to go to WalMart tomorrow and pick something up, so I may stop at a hardware store that sells a certain type of recommended-for-bathrooms wallboard (http://www.gp.com/build/Product.aspx?pid=4659) and price it out. Now I wish I'd started somewhere else. Also, I'm scared about my bathroom and what I'll find around the shower. (though we've wanted to put in a bigger shower, there's barely room to turn around in it)
Denise
Posts: 71
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:27 pm
Location: Finger, TN

Hummm, think I'll check this out some more.....hope you hit a home-run!!
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Arlo
Posts: 94
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:42 pm
Location: Central Virginia

Concrobium Mold control. They use it a lot after hurricane flooding. The fogger rents for $25 a day from Home Depot. http://www.homedepotrents.com/moldcontrol.asp Don't know why this isn't showing as a "hot link." Don't try to scrub it or clean it; you will spread the spores. Rent this thing and the liquid that goes in it. Sorry your simple paint job is giving you such fits. But hey, you are learning a lot!
DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

^ Wow. Thank you. I will definitely look into that.
Trudi
Posts: 174
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:28 pm
Location: N.C. Foothills

Looks like things are looking up. One thing I wanted to mention, are you sure it's mold and not mildew? The reason I ask is, the other day I was watching one of those programs on TV about home improvements by the home owner, with the "expert's" advice. The homeowner was upset because she saw mold, but the expert said it wasn't mold, but mildew, and easier to fix. Just wanted to pass that along for what it's worth. Hope you find a good solution :D
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Yanita
Moderator
Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi,

You are doing a good job..I rather like the "journal" type thread that you created! Please continue to keep us informed.

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

^^ I assume it's mold. I'm not quite certain how I'm going to fight it beyond what I've done now, but I'm going to leave the panel in front of the tub unattached for now, so that I can access that area easily.

^ Thanks! There hasn't been much progress this week. I've painted all the coats on the cupboard door, 2nd coated the bottom of the wall (which I hadn't painted because I was going to cover it up with beadboard). Other than that, between having to do a bunch of domestic engineer (housewifey/mommy) type things this week I haven't had much time to even look at the bathroom. I got the panel ($15.xx PolyWall) and cut it to fit last night. Today I'm procrastinating opening the Liquid Nails and applying the wallboard. It's so permanent! What if I mess up? ha.
DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Picture from last Sunday, before I removed the old panel in front of the tub:
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Today's progress. Not done yet, but getting closer!

Almost finished behind the toilet:
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The support in front of the tub. Wow.. that was a pain. Since I'm using a flimsy front panel, I had to add more supports. Did it. Had to shave off some of the 2x4 base to fit it in there. Then I realized that the tub lip/rim/thingy isn't wide enough for 2x4 uprights. I had to shave some off that. It seriously took me forever, carting it back & forth inside. I know now that the tub panel should be done BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. Ha. That way when you're trying to stick it back in, you don't have to worry about banging your painted walls & new plastic wall-panel.

THE BROWN IS CINNAMON (the stuff under the tub on the left), not anything really funky. I sprinkled cinnamon around last week. I didn't clean it up before I took the picture. Whoops. I'd quite gotten to the point I didn't even see it anymore.
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As of right now. I still need to do the base molding in front of tub and on the long wall. The cabinet door can't be hung for a couple weeks, because the latex paint will stick. It's currently living on a drying rack over my tub in my bathroom. I probably shouldn't have hung the one shelf, but I stuck self-adhesive mole skin on the back where it touched the wall. Also, if it messes anything up, I caused it, and I can deal with that. I need to prime & paint over nail heads and misc. other little things. It is coming along, though. I rather think I need to paint the door white, it looks odd when it's closed - but I'm not sure how well the doors will hold paint and I don't currently have the will to fool with the door. I'll recuperate and enjoy having the children not use my bathroom for a while before I pull their bathroom door off.
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DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Okay.... I'm nearly done. There is a need to figure out a type of backsplash thing, to keep the water from pouring over the back & sides of the counter, but there are a few little issues I have to figure out about doing one (like the wall is a bit bowed away from the cabinet side, and can't be permanently attached, because the children slam the door and shake the wall - it's a very short piece of wall and it wasn't apparently made to be very sturdy).

The base molding needs to be finished, but I didn't plan well and cut short pieces all from one piece and then didn't have enough long pieces. Need to go back to Lowes. The edge molding needs to be put up at either end of the tub.

The shelf by the sink has to be hung back up.

I need to prime and paint the nails in the 'chair rail' behind the toilet.

I need to get a toilet paper holder to screw to the side of the vanity. The side by the toilet is just a thin panel, but if I put a scrap of more substantial board on the inside of the cabinet and screw to it, it will hold up just fine. I just keep forgetting to buy the TP holder.

Just a few little things left.


Now:
Image
Image



I wanted a new vanity, but couldn't afford one.
Remember the cabinet before, with my mess on it:
Image

Same cabinet after, with everything the same except the knob on the door.Image



The door turned out pretty well, I think. Considering how chewed up it was. It's definitely not perfect, but it was salvageable. I bought a new knob for the door and then painted the old hinges black and brushed a gold color lightly over them. They actually look quite good together, since on the door they aren't immediately next to each other.
Image
DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Yesterday I bought the rest of the base molding and a toilet paper holder. -- and a shower rod, but I changed my mind. I straightened out the old one and will buy a $2 cover to put on it. The new rod seemed more flimsy than the old and I was afraid the kids would break it if they pulled on the curtain.

Today I:
put up the TP holder
removed, straightened and reinstalled the shower curtain rod
put up the rest of the base molding, along with some molding on the sides of the tub along the wall.
caulked everything (I hope)
painted the nail heads white

~~

I think it's done now except for the back splash, but I still haven't figured out what to do there. I think I'll take a picture of the problem and see if anyone has any ideas for me. --but it may be tomorrow, as the kids are home and it's almost time to start dinner.
DecoratingChallenged
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:27 pm

I put dinner in the oven and took some pictures.

Close-er up view of the hardware on the cabinet door:
Image

Molding on tub. Do you like how the flash accentuates the messy caulking? Honestly, you can't see it in regular lighting. Promise.
Image

Long wall with finished base molding. I forgot I do plan on painting the door eventually.
Image

I put the shelf up by the sink:
Image

~~

AND - the trouble spot. The wall is a very short piece, only the depth that you can see in the picture above. When the kids slam the bathroom door, the wall moves. It's pulled away. There isn't a center stud, so there isn't anything to attach the vanity too and help stabilize it.
Does anyone have any idea on a backsplash? I have a couple of poor ideas I'm thinking of, but nothing decided yet.
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