Bathroom remodels...

[Greg Cook]

I'm doing some remodeling in my house, and the bathrooms and kitchen are getting new countertops, as well as floors, paint and hardware.

Previously, I changed the top on the laundry vanity, removed old wallpaper and painted. I still have new wallpaper, chair rail and flooring to do.

Before


After



Next was the powder room.

Before




After




The powder room counter top got stripped today.

First the tile came off.


Then the plywood, and I added additional framing. Tomorrow I'll get some 2 x 4s and frame in the cast iron sink.



When the sink is in, I will add a 5/8" plywood sheet, routing out so the sink mounts flat with the panel (an undertop mount) and it will be ready for measuring and template making.

[Ned Bulken]

looking good Greg!

[Greg Cook]

Thanks, Ned. It's going to be a tough ongoing project that I have got to get done in a short time.

Here's the guest bathroom. It's the only one with laminate, so the top was pretty easy to get off. Again, I added some support frames and will frame in the his/her cast iron sinks.







My biggest concern is the mirror. The master and guest have a mirror 80" x 40" that has been attached to the wall with a bonding agent. I am afraid to even think of getting the off, but I want to hang large oval framed mirrors on the walls. I'm thinking I'd better have a pro take them down.... Any thoughts?

In addition, I'll be adding wall paper, a chair rail and re-doing the floor in large tile.

[Art Mulder]

My biggest concern is the mirror. The master and guest have a mirror 80" x 40" that has been attached to the wall with a bonding agent. I am afraid to even think of getting the off, but I want to hang large oval framed mirrors on the walls. I'm thinking I'd better have a pro take them down.... Any thoughts?

You're going the opposite way I did, Gregg. Back in the last house we gutted the main floor bathroom, and getting rid of the old small mirror was a bonus of that job.

I'm 6'3" and I frequently have issues with bathroom mirrors. They are usually too small, and too low, and I end up having to bend to try and see myself, or I'm starying the light in the face.

When I gutted that bathroom, I moved the light fixture up ... I forget, but close to the 7' mark. I then put in a mirror that went down to the vanity and up tot he light, and from the wall on the left, to the end of the vanity on the right.

In addition to now being able to stand up straight when I combed my hair, the big mirror really brightened the room and made it feel much larger.

(the last point was my main one for you, Greg. A big mirror makes a small room like a bathroom feel larger. Just want you to be sure you understand what you'll be giving up by ripping down that large mirror and replacing it with smaller oval ones.)

They glued it to the wall? What a pain. My mirror was just mounted with J clips, which are very discreet, almost unnoticeable, and easy to remove.

[Frank Pellow]

Everything is looking good Greg! Over the years, I have replaced every sink, both tubs, and two out of the three toilets in our house. But, I did it as several smaller projects, not as one bihg project as you have done. You are a brave man!

As to the mirror , I'm with Art in that I like a great big mirror in a bathroom. Why don't you reconsider? If I was faced with removing a big mirror glued to a wall, I would probably (carefully) smash the mirror, then remove both the mirror and the underlying drywall (I assume that the mirror is stuck to drywall).

[Jay Lock]

It isn't that big deal to remove a mirror. My last remodel I went to a glass shop I use and borrowed their suction cup holders/grippers on a Sat afternoon just before they closed, returned it on Monday.

You grab and pull slowly, it will eventually "pop".

The last thing I would do is smash the mirror all you're going to do it create a big mess and a safety hazard. If it cracks when you're pulling it off so be it, but at least you tried and you may be able to reuse it.

JY

[Jim O'Dell]

I'm sure the mirror was put on with mirror mastic. Really gooey stuff. I've never seen if it hardens or not. If it's on drywall, the paper should tear off pretty easily as you pull the mirror. If you are afraid of it shattering, use some masking tape and cover the whole mirror, just get the widest tape you can find, or you may be still taping the mirror when you'r 90! That way if it breaks, it will contain the small pieces. There are sticky plastic sheets that are used on carpet at convention centers, but those are hugh rolls and pretty expensive. Even if you could get some pieces for free, you'd never get it home without it folding on itself and ruining it. Unless you know someone and they have a small piece on a roll left....
But I'm with the others on the mirror in small rooms. Heck, our master bath is long, has a mirror that is 9 or 10 feet long, and 36 to 40" high and I love it! Wouldn't want to take it out. And hope when I get around to doing a bath remodel in there in the future that I don't damage it taking the vanity out. I'm sure it would be too expensive to replace if I broke it.

[Ralph Connor]

Another option to the masking tape that is fairly cheap and easy to get would be contact/shelving paper. My Fire Department used carry it on our rescue truck and if we needed to take out an car window, quickly cover it with contact paper then break window. the majority of the glass would stay on the paper, limiting the hazards to the patient.