[want to read from the beginning about my bathroom redesign? then click this post!]

Things that confound and confuse me during this endless bathroom redesign:

• How do I wear a mask without my glasses fogging up?
• Why is the pouring of the paint from the can to the tray the most awkward, messy, lame experience? Why hasn’t this been troubleshot generations ago?

Things I’m grateful for:

• The dumpster at my place of work
• My amazing friends, Jeanie and Carla — the “handy friends” mentioned throughout this process. They are clever, experienced, patient, and kind. And have lots of tools!
• The hot dog stand outside of the home improvement store; often, it’s the only way I can motivate myself to spend yet more time and money in that godforsaken place.

Go and get some grout and then you can have a meaty treat.

Remember when I complained about how messy painting was? Tiling a floor is like painting, except instead of paint everywhere you have a sticky, mortar-like adhesive everywhere that must be quickly wiped off. And instead of a simple plan (prep, paint) there are complexities (cutting tiles to fit weird spaces) and complications (tiles break instead of being cut, weird angles, NEVER enough tile bought).

Adhesive treats on my feets!

This stuff gets everywhere. Everywhere.

Laying out, trying to minimize weird angles to cut. Not a good idea to step on the tiles in this state. Crack!

Scoring/cutting device decided to break tile instead. Crack! Getting closer to another trip to the home improvement store!

It’s not like it’s the most complex task in the world, but it’s just so chaotic, chaos with a ticking clock. Jeanie did a very good job of keeping me moving, keeping me from going catatonic and/or loony.

And then, just like that, it starting looking like this.

I know, right? Just like my most beautiful dream.

Oh, but so not done. We’ve got odd-size tile cutting, more adhesive, then grout, then caulk.. then.. then..

I think I’ve decided to keep the toilet out of the room and just do my business in this hole.

Then of course there’s the matter of my prison shower. But I may have a solution: as long as I don’t ever open my eyes when facing north while in my bathroom, I’m totally cool. Let’s go with that.

Update: and here we sit, broken hearted. There’s been a delay in progress, due to Jeanie and a rhinovirus colliding hard. Two-week delay, at least! Here’s hoping that we can get grouty soon!

Master Timeline (new and improved)

1. Remove hardware and buy replacement hardware (knobs, TP  holder, hook, curtain rod, towel rod, switchplate, shelves)
2. Paint drawers and cabinets, walls
3. Replace hardware  (knobs, TP  holder, hook, curtain rod, towel rod, switchplate, shelves)
4. Rip up carpeting, assess what kind of prep floor needs for tiling (handy friends will help)
5. Remove toilet (handy friends will help)
6. Purchase last round of expensive crap for the floor (adhesive, threshold, seal, grout)
7. Tile floor (handy friends will lend tools and set me started)
8. Touch up drawers, seal
9. Grout tile
10. Install baseboards
11. Install new toilet (again with the handy friends)
12. Seal tile
13. Buy material, make curtains
14. Artwork and decor
15. Figure out an affordable way to make shower stall look better (replace glass only?)
16. Have shower stall power cleaned (hire expert — they use acid!)

• Go to bathroom redesign 04
• Check out the full redesign photoset

Previous bathroom posts:

• bathroom redesign 01
• bathroom redesign 02