So demo time is always the most exciting/worst part of any remodel. You’re on a major high because now you know…there is NO TURNING BACK. Plus you know major changes are about to happen: you’re on your way! But it is also messy, dirty work. So what’s a girl to do? That’s right-we called my wonderful in-laws to take the our three kiddos for overnight and my hubby and I had a hot date night. In our house that means ripping out tile. The hubs tore out the tile while I took buckets of it to our dumpster.
Now let me tell you, these were not ordinary tiles.
These were special tiles. Like cemented to the ground in an inch of concrete. (That may be why he looks so grumpy here):
We also had to remove all of the tile around the mirror.
Want to know a REALLY IMPORTANT tip when you are taking a sledgehammer to the wall?
Check the other side of said wall for breakables, like hanging photos. Two of our frames bit the dust when the hammering got a bit much. Oops, add that into the budget. After sweeping up the broken glass we kept on with the demo:
After a couple of hours, the clay floor tile was finally gone! Because our tile was so thick we will have to put down another layer of plywood.
We ripped out our towel bars and toilet paper holder-as you can see they were here to stay! The former owners had framed them in with wire mesh. When we tore this out it left a huge hole in the wall. Guess we will have to take care of that during drywall!
As you can see, none of this tile came out easily! We are keeping the actual vanity cabinet, but everything else-the countertop, backsplash, and cabinet hardware are set to go!
So after all of the tile was torn out, it was my turn again. My Diet Coke & Β I spent a cozy six hours one Saturday afternoon removing all of this wallpaper. Although it was a complete pain, I did luck out that it did (finally) come off cleanly. For anyone who has a wallpaper removal job to tackle:
I started off by scoring large sections of the wallpaper with a tool.
Then doused the whole wall in loads of water from a spray bottled.
I worked ahead so the wall would have at least 15 minutes to soak, and I would reapply the water every five minutes.
Then I used the scoring tool again to soften up the paper.
Finally, I scraped the paper, applying even more water as I went along.
When all of the paper was seemingly off, I went back with a wet washcloth and wiped away any paper or glue residue.
This is a lot easier to do when the paper is still wet as opposed to trying to do it later! Basically wallpaper removal comes down to two factors:
OODLES OF WATER
ELBOW GREASE
There aren’t a lot of ways you can cheat around it or speed it up. I got to hear more Pandora than I have ever listened to at once and was only interrupted about 72 times by my (sweet) children…
The mirror and tile surround are finally gone! We knew pretty quickly that we were going to have more drywall repair than we originally thought. So we decided to hire it out and have a professional do all of the repair work. Drywall work is a slow and messy business! But before the drywall contractor came in, I had to schedule our electrician and plumber to come in and do their rough-in work ahead of time.
So it’s not looking too pretty at this point, but I’m beyond excited to have all of this progress made! The next steps for the following week:
-Have an electrician take out the existing light fixture and rough-in for two sconces instead
-We will install a new sub floor and install my marble hex tile floor
-The tile installer will also install new bullnose tile around the shower (since the existing tile is so neutral we will keep the field tile, but we are swapping out the painted decorative tile)
-Re-install the existing vanity in the same location
-Have the new counter top installed (there is a long lead time between when the counter company measures and installs-usually over a month! So I had them come out a few weeks earlier to template for our new top since we were re-using our vanity cabinets
Follow along with the 20 Featured Designers over atΒ One Room Challenge! And I would love to be friends with you, we can hang at so many different places-so pick your fav:
Next week I tackle the vanity makeover! I’m keeping the existing cabinets and using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for the first time. I walk you step-by-step through the whole process, I’ll see you next week!
Jen @ Noting Grace says
WOW ! Huge progress! That before is no bueno! I am loving your inspiration board and can’t get over how much you’ve accomplished so far! I can’t wait to see the final reveal!
PostboxDesigns says
Thanks so much Jen! The bathroom can only improve from where it was!! π
Jen says
This is going to be such a great transformation! I feel you on that demo work- aren’t you always cursing the people that came before you for those fun extra surprises like giant holes you get to repair now? π I can’t wait to see this space Kristin!
Lizzie @ Living Pretty says
This is gonna be so good when you’re done. You’ve made so much progress already!
Jessica Davis - Nest STudio says
Can’t wait to see the complete bathroom! Looks like you already have hardware but keep us in mind for future projects!!!
Tee @ Beauteeful Living says
I feel your pain about removing wall paper. We had to do that in several rooms in our house when we first bought it. I love your mood board for your bathroom makeover. Look forward to seeing how this room comes together!
Jenny @ Refresh Living says
OH MY GOODNESS! I have removed my fair share of tile and wallpaper, so I am sweating (and maybe shedding a little tear) for all the work you put into this bathroom so far!! Keep up the good work – I can’t wait to see how it turns out!!
Maria Brittis says
I love total makeovers, its been my dream to get a fixer upper, all my homes have been brand new, “where is the fun in that” lol, I am making the best of it. My daughter is planning to get a fixer upper next year so I will be helping her. YAH!
PostboxDesigns says
It can be overwhelming when the whole house is a fixer upper BUT always worth it when it’s done!!! π
Sarah Sofia Knepp says
Kristin, I’m loving your inspiration so beautiful! I am beyond impressed with all your DIY! We’ve done similar work to our bathrooms for this ORC but not removing tile on our own. Looks like we are at a stand still. Can’t wait to see how you transform this space! XOXO, Sarah