Master Bath

One key requirement during this project is that at least one bathroom remain functional at all times.  This means that the guest bathroom couldn't really get started until the master bathroom was in a usable state.  And since the guest bathroom was rapidly deteriorating, getting the master bathroom going was a major priority.

First, we painted the walls.  Next up, I began work on the tub surround by lining the walls with cement backer board.  Cardboard protects the tub during the tiling work.  The tiles are some low-budget marble that I found at Home Depot.  It was an agonizing process trying to pick out decent tiles individually, involving trips to multiple stores around the area just to obtain a sufficient number of quality tiles.

I bought a tile saw to cut the tile and got to work, laying the tiles in thinset one row at a time.  Plastic spacers between the tiles help to keep them aligned while getting the proper spacing for grout.  I constructed some built-in shelves by cutting tiles in half diagonally, trimming the corners, and sandwiching them with some thinset.  These were a nice touch.

The tiles along the edge of the surround needed their edges polished.  This was accomplished by starting with 100-grit sandpaper to smooth and working my way up to a wet sand at 600-grit to obtain the proper shine.  I applied grout to the seams and a grout caulk in the corners.  Then I rubbed down the marble with a natural stone sealer.

Next, I installed the sink.  I had to slightly modify the cabinet drawers due to the positioning of various pipes and valves.

Here is the installed sink, showing little sign of the hackery involved in its installation.  Next up were the 4-foot vanity cabinet, medicine cabinet, and lighting fixture.

After that, I installed a new water-efficient toilet.  A towel rack and toilet paper holder rounded out the accessories.

I installed the shower fixtures and caulked around the seams.  Once it dries, the bathroom is ready to go.  Pretty spiffy!  The floor will have to wait until much later in the project though....

With the master bath in order, it was finally time to tear out the old guest bathroom.  Here's the resulting pile 'o trash.  The rusting tub, wrong-sized vanity, and aging toilet were all sent off via Craigslist.

This made room for a new tub to be installed.  Nothing too fancy, but at least it can't rust.  The rest of the guest bathroom is on hold for now though, as having a single bathroom will suffice until some other exciting projects are complete.