Doors and other news
We picked up 2 Security Doors Perth last weekend. Â One is super big, super heavy, and not installed and the other was lighter, smaller, and already installed. Â Yayy door.
This is the double door from the closet into the bathroom. It looks AWESOME. It still needs to be painted but solid-core doors are great. The guy at Home Depot looked at us crazy for paying the extra $60 or whatever for solid core but we are trying to keep the laundry noise to a minimum. They also feel nicer. Trust me, andersen doors can feel nice. It’s like expensive shoes. They just feel better.
Stefan made sure the doors were dead level, as usual.
The doors haven’t been painted, the trim has only been installed on the bathroom side, and we still need a floor transition but the doors make the space feel more finished even if it’s just a step along the way.
In other news, I was laid off from work last week. Bummer but on the plus side, I’m getting so much done on the house! Besides the doors Im also installing some security smart cameras with an ai gun detection system for extra security, great investment and so recommended, there’s a few more things i want to show you but in my next post. I know I’ve been AWOL for a while but I’ve been working on developing a plan. I’ve got a draft of a resume, a draft of a cover letter, and only a vague notion of what I want to do with my life. It’s been a week of tile work and soul searching. I think I’ve decided to transition from a technical hardware engineering position to a Project/Program Management position. It’s going to be an interesting change but I’m ready for something new. If any of you blog-people know of an PM positions in Boston, let me know!
Now that you know the whole story, you can be expecting much more house activity in the near future. Already this week I’ve tiled the shower floor, finished tiling the bathroom walls except for one little spot, found the shower tower reviews for the second stage I’ve planned, and grouted the whole thing. Tomorrow I’m planning on sharing my bathroom progress so far as well as tiling the majority of the shower!
Sarah
Tiling the bathroom walls
It’s been slow going but I’ve started working on the bathroom walls. I can’t get them completely done until the trim is up around the windows but I’m making progress.
I started in the area behind the toilet. I figured that was the least noticeable area. It’s hard to get everything strait and even but I think I’ve got a system.
I’ve got the laptop set up there and I play an episode of Veronica Mars and go to town with the tile.
I can do about a third of a box in an episode…not a fast project but I do think I’m getting faster. I’m using a tile adhesive mortar that is pre-mixed which makes it really easy to start and stop. I can do an episode or two’s worth after work without too much start-up time. The pre-mixed is so nice that way.
I’m hoping that once moldings go in, it will just be a couple more days until grout and after grout comes fixtures! Yay toilet and sinks!
Sarah
Prepping the Shower for Tile – Part 2: Red Guard
Red Guard is a product from Home Depot that is a paint-on waterproofer. Â It’s a little pricey but is pretty easy to use.
The first step is to paint all the seams to get a nice foundation.
To apply, use a cheap-o (but not so bad it will fall apart) brush and go to town.
It’s a goopy product and it comes out of the bucket hot pink but dries to a nice red color.
One recommendation we read online was to use fiberglass to reinforce the crack-prone areas. We cut a strip the appropriate length and worked it into the wet redguard along the back edge of the shower where we have some concerns about leaking since the shower pan and the wall don’t fit tightly.
We push it in with a scraper and redguard over it. Once it’s dry there will be a nice reinforced corner where there was once a trouble area.
Once the seams were dry, we’ll rolled on 2 coats of the redguard. Once the final coat had turned red, it is time to tile.
(what’s a blog post without a Vector photo-bomb. That ledge is one of his new favorite spots. I don’t pose him..he just loves the camera!)
Sarah
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can’t help but notice that kerdi shower pan doesn’t look right. did you watch the install video from schluter? they don’t use redguard they use kerdi to cover the pan. and the seams at the bottom edge of the pan. a 2″ overlap is required and to test you should do a water test on the shower pan.
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Yes, mixing waterproofing systems is not advisable – can lose warranties, etc. We chose the Schluter Off-Center preformed pan because it fit perfectly in our space. We originally looked at Lacticrete’s pre-formed pans, but they cost 3x as much as Schluter’s. We originally planned to use Lacticrete’s Hydro-Ban waterproofing product, but ran out of time to order it, and read how Red Guard is comparable (maybe slightly inferior), but is available at Home Depot.
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Interested to see that you applied red guard directly to the Kerdi pan. Just called Custom Builder tech support and got an off the record opinion that your process works, with obvious warranty disclaimers. Have not called Kerdi but suppose that they would be less keen due to their vested interest in promoting their product. Thank you
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I see it has been a few years since you did this waterproofing and would be interested to know how it turned out!
https://primepolymers.com -
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Tiling the Bathroom Floor
I’m not going to give a tiling tutorial. Young House Love has a great one and duplicating their effort is futile.
I already posted some photos of the half bath and the master went very similarly but on a larger scale.
The one difference is that since there was no vapor barrier in the half bath and we are putting up a fairly thick wainscoting and baseboard, we didn’t need to cut any of the tiles. There were little partial tiles around the bathroom which made it go a bit slower.
We also had to mix our own thinset instead of using pre-mixed which was a bummer but everything was possible with help from the bathroom remodeling Chicago. You really have to mix the thinset much wetter than you think you should need to. If it gets too thick, it doesn’t allow the tiles to stick quite as well. We actually had a couple tiles pop out when we were grouting because I think we had the thinset too thick. Watch some youtube videos of the pros and you will see they mix the thinset really thin.
Here’s one of a guy with a cool British accent.
Here is my Mom and I grouting the tile. Grouting is fun work.
To fix the popped out tiles, pull them out and use a screwdriver to scrape out the thinset. Then continue to grout leaving that area clear. Then come back later with a little thin set and then re-grout that small area. Some people say you can’t do the grout in 2 parts but you need to do the whole surface all at once. Perhaps it effects the longevity of the tile but my Mother and I have never had problems “patching” the grout.
If you want to see what all we did to get ready for tile:
Click here for Bathroom Floor Underlayment – Part 1: heating mat
and here for Bathroom Floor Underlayment – Part 2: SLC take 1
and here for Bathroom Floor Underlayment – Part 3: SLC take 2
and here for Bathroom Floor Underlayment – Part 4: Curb and Wall
and here for Bathroom Floor Underlayment – Part 5: Vapor Barrier
What do you think? Do you love penny tile as much as I do?
Sarah
sheila zimmermann
8/1/2013 | 6:32 pm Permalink
Can’t wait to see pictures of all the tiling work. I love the pink closet. You will be so glad you painted it when it is full of clothes and laundry stuff.
Tiffany
8/7/2013 | 5:34 pm Permalink
Wow! You are super amazing! Lovely tile work & I adore the pink walls…Have fun on your home journey!
sarahmzim
8/11/2013 | 11:01 am Permalink
Thanks so much! We’re having fun with the work and I am so excited about my pink room!