DIY Bathroom: The Wrap Up

This weekend I did my first full-on cleaning of the new bathroom and I am quite pleased with how the changes have held up.  It’s not the first time I’ve cleaned in there, the make-over was over a month ago after all, but this was the first time I did more than a quick “people are coming over” clean-up and really got into all the nooks and crannies.  With a lot of big projects, it seems to take a month or so to really get an objective opinion on the result.  You have to get over the “It’s all shiny and new!” blindness and let things settle in a bit.  So, now that the honeymoon is over, here’s what I’ve noticed.

First of all, it’s still pretty awesome.  The no-glue vinyl floor is comfortable to walk on and really easy to clean.  I like the visual impact of the dark brown floor, but it doesn’t show dirt.  This is a pro and a con at the same time.  On the one hand, it doesn’t show dirt!  On the other hand, it’s a little gross when you mop and discover just how much dirt you haven’t been seeing.  As for the subfloor (you know, what started this whole project) it still feels solid.  There are no drips, no dips and the floor doesn’t give when you walk on it anymore.  Even if all my other improvements spontaneously fall apart, at least I know the bathtub won’t end up in the garage.

The Jacuzzi Jet Flush toilet doesn’t really live up to its name.  Instead of a super turbo-flushing toilet like I was hoping for, it is more like a low-flow toilet that has been engineered to flush like a normal toilet.  That said, it still works better than the old one.  And I think it has some sort of surface coating that makes it really easy to clean.  Or maybe I’m just not used to cleaning a toilet with fifteen-year-old stains on it.  All in all, I give the new toilet a B+.  I would like a little more power, but it works and we are saving water.

The paint is holding up well.  The time I spent letting each coat cure really paid off.  Bathroom cabinets can be a bitch because it gets so humid in there.  If the paint doesn’t cure, they stick ALL THE TIME (ask me how I know).  There’s no hiding the fact that they are old, and the middle door still won’t close all the way, but overall they look a hundred times better.  And apparently my color scheme is “in” right now.  I picked it because it reminded me of a fancy cupcake, but I have found lots of options for accessorizing in my palette.  I would like to get new towels and possibly a new shower curtain, so it looks all designer-y, but we don’t really need them so it can wait.

In the beginning I wanted to replace the countertop, but I ended up changing my mind while I was shopping for materials.  I didn’t like any of the replacement options, it was going to cost more than I thought it would, and the process is kind of a pain.  The plan is to give it six months or so and replace the countertop and the ugly shower tiles in another long weekend project-a-thon.  Instead I opted to replace the light fixture and faucet.  The old light strip had not aged gracefully.  In fact, it was rusty and falling apart.  The new one is all clean and fancy and none of the brackets are dangling like zombie eyeballs.  It’s a definite improvement.  And if any of you are interested in a post about how to replace a sink faucet I will be happy to write one, as soon as I actually do it.  I got to the point where everything was functional and painted and pretty and just couldn’t stomach the idea of spending another minute in there.  I was mightily sick of my bathroom by then.  I’ll get to the new faucet soon, really I will.  For now, I hope these posts have been helpful and/or given you some ideas about what you could do around your house.  If you have any questions about DIY stuff around the house, you can ask me any time.  I’m not a professional, but we’ve done all sorts of stuff to our house and it hasn’t blown up yet :).