My bathroom repair project

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Most of the stuff in there are tools and things I use. Although, there are quite a few boxes I need to eliminate. And I've got at least five 5 gallon buckets in there. Most of them are holding tools. I suck at organizing. My dad was much more organized. He had things in specific places and labeled them. I picked up Mom's packrat/disorganized methods.

Also, I'm a bit of a hoarder so its hard for me to get rid of stuff.
 
@Zanne - I still love that blue striped wall paper you did. And I have troubles being a 'saver" of many things.
 
Oh! It uses "the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sums of the squares of the other two sides" rule. I do know that one. I just wasn't visualizing what you were describing because I didn't realize you you meant to measure from the corner and then measure the hypotenuse. (And I didn't even have to use spellcheck for that! Woohoo)

I always remember that rule because I know a joke about a mathematician going to an Indian reservation and the punchline is "The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides".
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Just in case anyone wondered...

The Planes Indians practiced polygamy, and one chief had three squaws.
The first squaw lived in a teepee of elk hide, the second in a teepee
made of buffalo hide, and the youngest in a teepee of hippopotamus hide.
Then he slept with each wife on the eve of his great hunting trip.
He was gone nine moons and when he returned, he went into the elk hide
teepee and found that his wife had borne him a son. Likewise, in the
buffalo hide teepee, that squaw, too, had borne him a son. So, imagine
his surprise when he found twin baby boys in the hippopotamus hide
teepee.

This just proves that …

The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sum of the squaws of the other two hides.
 
@Wrench, that isn't wallpaper and I can't take credit for it. That is circa 1970s factory printed plywood that was there when we bought the place. Not sure how they did it, but they printed that pattern on the wall panels somehow. My mother's bathroom has that same style but in green. I used to dislike the wall panels but I've grown to like them. The addition to the house was done in the late 1940s but they remodeled in the 70s. Toilet used to be over where the vanity is now (I only know bc I looked under it and could see there was still a closet flange- and carpet). The 70s toilet was installed over the carpet as well. So, I don't know if carpet was from the 40s or later or if they installed it in the 70s and then put everything else (except the tub) on top.

@RonVan, good to see you over here as well. I heard a slightly different version of that joke. It was a mathematician visiting an Indian reservation. There he met 3 squaws sitting on different types of hides. The squaw of the buffalo hide said "My son is so strong, he can wrestle a buffalo to the ground!" The squaw of the mountain lion hide said "My son is so fast he can run to the mountains and back before sundown!" The squaw of the hippopotamus hide said "I have no sons, but I can wrestle a buffalo to the ground and run to the mountains and back before sundown". It was then the mathematician realized that the squaw of the hippopotamus was equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.

As an aside, I learned something new about plumbing. I never noticed that the bend for a P-trap is not symmetrical (I know, not very observant of me) so I never realized that there is a wrong way to install that bend. The correct way is so the long sweep curvy part is on the drain side and the slightly straighter part is on the vent side. I'll have to check my kitchen sink to make sure I didn't reverse that. It's so the water flows more smoothly through the trap and that the trap weir is in the right spot. I'll keep that in mind when we remove the S-traps in my bathroom, mom's bathroom, & kitchen.

I have come to the conclusion that messing with plumbing in the wall between my bathroom and Mom's bathroom might be a lot harder than anticipated previously because of the tongue-and-groove board behind the wall panels. So, I might just take an alternative route and go through the linen closet instead. We'll have access to it when we open up the wall from Mom's bathroom. We have to adjust the studs for the side of her shower. While it is open, we can run vents into that closet.
 
@RonVan, good to see you over here as well. I heard a slightly different version of that joke. It was a mathematician visiting an Indian reservation. There he met 3 squaws sitting on different types of hides. The squaw of the buffalo hide said "My son is so strong, he can wrestle a buffalo to the ground!" The squaw of the mountain lion hide said "My son is so fast he can run to the mountains and back before sundown!" The squaw of the hippopotamus hide said "I have no sons, but I can wrestle a buffalo to the ground and run to the mountains and back before sundown". It was then the mathematician realized that the squaw of the hippopotamus was equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.
I like your version better!

I have come to the conclusion that messing with plumbing in the wall between my bathroom and Mom's bathroom might be a lot harder than anticipated previously because of the tongue-and-groove board behind the wall panels. So, I might just take an alternative route and go through the linen closet instead. We'll have access to it when we open up the wall from Mom's bathroom. We have to adjust the studs for the side of her shower. While it is open, we can run vents into that closet.
Post pictures of that project!
 
@BlueSkyHigh No. No hobby shops nearby. Nearest decent ones were an hour away but most have closed down now. I'm going to try to see if the primer I have will cover the blemish at least enough that I don't notice. If it keeps bothering me, I'll find another solution down the line. I thought about getting a device that I can press against the wall to get the color and then take it to a paint shop but the device itself is really expensive and there is never anyone working in the local Walmart paint department to custom mix paint anymore. I would want to get the blue and the white colors. I might end up painting some design or something to hide it though.

@RonVan I think I like the mathematician version better as well. I told that joke in town & it didn't go over well bc they have no clue what Pythagorean's Theorem is. That project is down the line after I work on the laundry room reno. I think I have a separate thread for those projects-- or at least one of them.
 
I thought I had added the picture but must have forgotten. I put in a suction cup towel bar for my washcloth. It falls off after a few days but its so easy to put back on that I don't really care. Eventually I might use the adhesive round thingies that came with it and put them up to see if that holds the towel bar in place better. But it hasn't fallen off while I'm taking a shower.
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Internet crapped out while I was trying to post and lost some of the info.
Today I put up a cheap shelf I got from Walmart on clearance. Need to get an in between size level. I have an 8" and a 48". The former is too short to span the holes where the wall anchors went and the latter was too long to not hit the trim. Shelf ended up being a hair too low on the left, but I will correct that when I do the wainscoting and chair rail moulding.
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Don't worry, I replaced the TP roll now. LOL. That white area will be getting the wainscoting, corner will get cove moulding. I was swearing up a storm bc the metal wall anchor started chewing up the wall panel-- it was splintering. Then it fell behind the toilet and I had hard time finding it. Found it broke off in the wall. My drill bit also fell out of the drill and slipped under the squatty potty. Had to dig around and find stuff. I need to vacuum up the dust bunnies.

Anyway, I am now trying to figure out the best placement for the shattaf. I don't want to have to reach too far behind me, don't want it hanging off the toilet tank. I want it wall mounted. So, I'm thinking above the shelf somewhere, or I can see how difficult it is to reach to the right of the shelf. The shattaf I got looks something like this:
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@Zanne, the bathroom's coming along nicely. Regarding the towel bar in the back, if it's metal and it continues to fall before you attach it permanently, you will get more chips and dings in the tub's finish, but I know you know this.

Kudos for hanging in there and redoing your head!
 
It's plastic coated in a chrome-looking finish. I'll probably eventually do the self adhesive things. I really need to give the tub and shower a good cleaning though.

I think I found the right spot for the shattaf now. I reached behind the shelf and found what height would work for me. Now I need to find the shattaf. It's in a bin somewhere.

I'll have to do a drawing of what I want the cabinets to be like. I want some over the laundry cart. Been watching tutorials on how to build cabinets "the easy way". I'm debating whether I want the under-cabinet paper towel holder to be under the cabinet above the toilet or under one of the other cabinets. Need to figure out height of the cabinets and so forth. I want to maximize storage space. I'm thinking paper towel holder might work above the toilet (if it doesn't get in the way of maintenance inside the tank) because I can grab paper towels and wipe stuff up right away while near the toilet. Maybe I can have two of the holders-- one near toilet and one on opposite wall and other one can hold shop towels.

Initially I wanted a tall floor cabinet like the one Mom has in her bathroom, but wall cabinets should work out better. I want to use the french cleat mounting for the wall cabinets to make it easier to hang them.
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I can rip a 1x6 or 2x6 with a 45° edge and put one on the wall and the other on the back of the cabinets. But I can have the cleat cut so it fits inside the back of the cabinet. After its in place I can screw the top part to the wall. It will be much easier to level a single board than to try to level an entire cabinet.
My super crappy sketch
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this is the style of paper towel holder.
 
@Zanne, you are doing such a good job. I do like the way the paper towel holder is placed.
 
Thanks, Wrench. To clarify, that is not my paper towel holder, but I plan to have one like that in that orientation underneath the johnny cabinet that will be above the toilet. It will make things much more convenient for cleaning the toilet.

Things are crazy at home right now dealing with Mom's health issues so I haven't been getting much more done.
 
Thanks, Wrench. To clarify, that is not my paper towel holder, but I plan to have one like that in that orientation underneath the johnny cabinet that will be above the toilet. It will make things much more convenient for cleaning the toilet.
Also it’s at the perfect height for cats to play with and unroll :) depending on how the roll is oriented.
 
LOL. Mine will be out of reach of the kitties. They aren't allowed in there unless I'm in there. Even then, I sometimes run water over my hand from the sink and shake it in their general direction to scare them out. They don't like random drops of water flying at them. For the most part, they only want in if I'm in there so they can get me to pet them. Yasuke can pop the door open from the outside to come rushing in like he's the Kook Aid man.

I'll get pics later, but today I primed the door. Only doing one side for now. Will have to be able to lock cats out of my room to do the bedroom side of the door. Used a brush and it looks cruddy, but will use a roller for 2nd coat after I give it a light sanding and wipe down. Brush I used wasn't really the best and the arthritis in my wrists/hands didn't help any. The primary coat will be a satin white.
 
This is how the door looks now. I will give it a 2nd coat of primer after a light sanding. Eventually I'm going to spackle the knot-holes, sand, and prime the trim.
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I did like the color of the door before. Never got a full picture of it sadly. Unfortunately, it had some permanent stains on it and the material is some kind of cheap veneer. This is the best shot I have of it pre-priming.
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this is how it looks after a 2nd coat of primer. Next coat will be a satin finish paint and I might do clear poly over that if I'm not happy with the texture.
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That knob will be re-used somewhere else. I'll be swapping it out for a chrome lever (that is polished brass on the bedroom side).
 
Just a question. but If the knob is being removed anyway, why not remove it before all the coats of paint? It is probably my OCD, but the knob takes just two little screws to remove?
 
I wanted to keep it on so it will hold the door closed while the paint dries. Otherwise the furry a-holes would run in. They don't currently go in because the door is closed, but if they see an open door they feel the need to explore, knock things down and sharpen their claws on things. I also have trouble getting at those screws and am waiting on a tool to arrive that has a better angle for removing screws in a tight space like that. I will probably remove it before the final coat and put tape on the door from the outside to hold it closed.

I do prefer to paint it without the knobs on. Tool I ordered should arrive next Thursday, but if I get impatient I can always see if any of my other screwdrivers work for it.

I've decided to try a blue semi-gloss paint I found in a rejected paint section at one of the big box stores.
 
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