Bathroom Renovation... Complete?

 It has taken all weekend,  But I finally have my Toilet back!   With a brand new floor to boot!   I knew if I finally have an entire weekend to complete it,  I could...  "complete" it.   Meaning,  I could complete all of the things that "have to get done!"  in the time allotted. 

I knew that once I tackled this project, I would essentially be out of a bathroom for at least a week.  And I was pretty much correct on all fronts.  My planning went like this:   #1   Use the shower.  #2 use the local Kwik Trip.  And it worked!

But eventually the folks at  Kwik Trip started to look at me funny every time I walked in with a roll of toilet paper and a newspaper under one arm.   And the 2-3 hours of work I could complete before heading off to Haribo during the week  were just not enough to make any progress.   I had the opportunity to work this Saturday, but decided that being able to go to the bathroom in my own house took priority.   So I started Saturday with the goal of fully completing the floor.   It was the perfect time, because it rained all day!   nothing to do but work on the project....

It was not as easy as you might think....  For me anyway.   You would think that some simple math and measurements could easily solve all of your problems.   I already know how to use the tools.. And I have a make-shift work area in the basement where I can make the cuts as needed.   

But alas,  there are techniques that an Amatuer like me can not discover until they face those hurdles.   One of the bad things about YouTube is that sometimes they treat you like an idiot.   Other times they treat you like you have been doing it your entire life.  (Um,  yeah!  That is why I am watching a "how to!" video)  And there are  lots of redundancy.   

Somewhere along the many hours of videos,  you have to glean what is true,  what is opinion, and what will work for you.  

After finally installing the final subfloor ( Out of three subfloors!)   I was able to move on to the laminate flooring.   I tried my best to match the stuff the rest of the house was done in, but I think it is off my a slight shade of gray.  Either way,  I doubt anyone will notice.   Nor do I really care.  

I have done laminated flooring before.   So you would think I was an expert or at least "experienced" in the handling of such material.   However,  I discovered something about an acquired skill set that has not been used for over 15 years.....  

You forget!

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I completely forgot how to install the floor!   All this time I have been watching plumbing videos instead of flooring videos figuring I had this  part of the job in the bag!   How wrong I was...

I will admit that working in such a small area was more than just a "challenge".   The room I had previously worked on was a 12x 12 room with fairly squared up walls.   I also had an assistant to help me with tools and remembering stuff.  

This time,  I had a cramped area where I had to climb into the tub to lay the boards.   I had to switch directions with my legs each time too!  Because I could not simply spin around  without my lower legs binding up in the tub.  it was a very time consuming operation. 

I set the goal to finish the floor (at least)  for Saturday.   And, if all went well, I would instal the toilet on Sunday.  By the end of Saturday,  I was bushed!  And there was still a little bit left to go!  But by that point,  I simply acknowledged that any further effort would only be wasted as my attention to detail was shot!   So I figured I would finish up the trim areas today (Sunday) and hopefully the toilet would be a simple set up and done.

Today,  after I finished church and took a short "nap".  I began the task of finishing the floor.   I probably made it more work than it needed to be.   I knew I needed to cut some of the smaller strips to fit along the tub.  And in doing so, they would be free floating and would need to be "glued" down somehow.   What better way than with Bath and Tub Caulk?    The idea is to waterproof as much along the edges anyway.  And Hide any unsightly sections under some moulding.  ( Once I find the right mounding that I can afford and will work in a bathroom...)  Did I mention I am not very familiar with using Caulk?   

Well,  it should be ok once the walls are completed.   (Am I doing the walls too?)  And to be honest,  by that point, I really stopped caring.   The floor is covered,  clean, and looks presentable.  And it should stay put for a while without letting moisture through to ruin the subfloor.   

Now on to the Toilet!

I decided to spring for the American Standard Round Bowl toilet.   There was a cheaper Chinese version for $89 bucks;  But nothing says America like an American made toilet!  ( Do they even have toilets in China?)   And I liked the look of this one better.   

I have never "unboxed" a toilet before, but I have to say...  There was definitely a certain level of excitement I have never felt before.  It was almost like unwrapping a Christmas Present!  At it was HEAVY!  I think it was over 100 lbs.  but it came with all of the bells and whistles that are normally sold separately.   

I did spring for a rubber/wax ring for this one.  after watching a lot of videos, I felt that a basic wax ring was not going to cut it.   In fact, I kind of think that it was the Generic $3 wax ring that caused all of these issues in the first place!  (That, AND the fact that the Previous "Landlord" probably did not want to spend money on this place to fix the issue properly. )     

One other things I was concerned about was the location of the toilet.   I wanted to  turn the toilet 45 degrees so my knees would stop hitting the wall in front of the bowl.  (there was only a 15 inch clearance!)  But the orientation of the Flange was not set up for any adjusting.   However,  one of the things I gleaned from the numerous videos was that you can "make your own hole!" in your flange.  As long as it was structurally sound.   

This flange was Cast iron!  And SOLID!  So I used one of the other holes for the flange bolts and spun the toilet 45 degrees.   I checked to see if the back tank would touch the wall... and it just barely makes it! 

And so I set it all up.   Bolted it down.  Hooked up the water.  And finally...  Checked for leaks!

Uht ohhhh!  

Did I mention that it rained all day Saturday?   And it has been raining non-stop all day today.   I think I have a new swimming pool in my basement. 

But hey!  At least the water did not come from the toilet! 

There is a small leak coming from the water valve, but  with a little jostling,  I got it to quit.   I will most likely replace that valve when I update my entire plumbing system to PEX.  (another project!) 

And tomorrow I will be working on bailing out the basement... again.   The original reason for this entire list of projects was the last time the basement flooded.   And the goal was to put in a Sump Pump.   To do that I had to remove the rotted walls and fixtures that were in the way.   But then the toilet jumped in line  for Priority...  But now that that is "fixed"...  I can get back to focusing on that Sump Pump issue.   I'm glad God gave me a little "reminder" that now helps me focus on that issued again...

In the mean time,  I feel like Al Bundy  with his Legendary Ferguson Toilet!    A king of his own realm on his own throne!  A throne he can be proud of!   

    

           As much as I would love to tackle the other parts of the bathroom,  the basement is calling!  And that will be a pretty big job as well.   So I had better stay focused,  get to bailing,  and do as much before I head off to work each day...  To make every second count!

Enjoying Those "Old Man" Moments....

 Dad used to have them....  And it bugged me.   He would forget or mislay a tool or pencil somewhere and spend time looking for it when he "Just had it!"  Whenever I helped Dad with some job,  My job was to basically hand him tools and make sure he could find them after he set them down.  You would think that is not really an important job...   I mean,  Even a 7 year old can do it.  But looking back now,  I sometimes wish I had  a second set of hands to help me.  If nothing else, than to keep me from losing things "I just had!"  

And so I have been thinking how every every time now, when I misplace something,  I call it out:

"I'm becoming my Dad!"    And there is nothing I seem to do that can help it. 

And that does not seem like such a bad thing.   

Mom used to yell at us all the time and tell us we were "Just like your Father!"  And in case you were wondering, it was never in a good way.  (She would also point out how much we were like her whenever Eric or I would do things "Right.")  And Dad would often prove,  in small ways,  Mom's point.   He would forget this or that.   And he certainly had his flaws. 

But he did thing that I now think were GREATLY unappreciated by Mom.  Looking back,  I find it rather sad that she never seemed to notice those things.   Those little "fix it" projects that he would take on with a mysterious  internal knowledge of how things worked and how things were put together.  He was an electrician!  Not a plumber or Carpenter or Mechanic....  And yet he did all of these things to a positive outcome.   And this was before YouTube!  

So Dad was actually pretty Awesome!  And he managed to go through life... Bumbling his way along with all of his flaws and still managed to keep a roof over our heads , the lights on,  the water running, and the cars functional.   And this was before YouTube!  

And so it goes that I find myself following in his footsteps.   Mostly the ones were he bumbles and fumbles with things.     I forget my tools in the other room.  Forget where I was going,  Forget what I was going to do next.   "Why am I at Menhards Again?  I know there was something I needed....." 

For a More recent Example:   I went to Church last Sunday.... And I wore my baseball hat inside.  And I didn't notice until I had sat down in the Pew!

Now you may be thinking that that is not a big deal.   Until you realize I was wearing a suit!

Oh come now!   God doesn't care how you dress.   Adam and Eve were Naked in the Garden of Eden, after all....   But still, it can be a little embarrassing after you realize your social faux pas!  And that reminds me that that is something Dad would have done. Am I destined to follow in his footsteps?

Well,  it does make me chuckle sometimes.  And I remember how it bugged me then.   And it still bugs me now!   But now, instead of watching him,  I have to watch myself!   I wonder if He had those moments and thought about Grandpa Allen.  

All that to lead into what I have been doing the last couple days.  I have been working on building back the Sub-subfloor.   And I took a lot of pics n how I cut out this section of plywood to fit the zig-zaggy  hole I made Sunday.  But it is getting late and  my Goal is to finish up the Subfloor tomorrow before I heard out to work.    I still have a small section of Sub-sub floor to fill in,  And hopefully,  with the subfloor fully finished, I will be able to begin work on the actual floor on Thursday!  

That is a lot of flooring layers to chat about.   But bear in mind,  I have never done this before.   And I am constantly thinking about how or what will go wrong if I don't instal things properly.  Eventually I have to stop thinking and actually do  something.  I just want that something to be good. 

And I'm sure it won't work out exactly as I envisioned.   But that is ok as long as it works and looks presentable.  It doesn't help that I have those "Dad Moments" tossed in along the way.    Personally, I wish I could have one of those Good "Dad Moments"  where he knew exactly what to do and how to fix it. 

And instead of an insult,  I would take Mom's accusation as a Compliment.  Dad was a frugal DIY-er who welcomed doing things and building things his way.   And when he finally got Mom out of the house,   He was able to renovate it to a level that was almost unrecognizable!   I lived in that house for nearly 25 years and it was always in a state of  unfinished or "perpetual renovation."   Mom complained about the noise and smell of "Chemicals" whenever Dad would try to fix things. Or she would tell him he was doing it wrong and that it should be done this way or that way.    Which means it never got completed.  

But with her gone,  Dad was able to unleash his true potential and skill set.   I can only hope that I can follow in those footsteps while living here.  In the few years I have left.  And try to make ever second count. 

When A Bathroom Renovation Is Required...

 I worked yesterday.   And I was planning on making this blog post about Mushrooms.  However, the bathroom issue has been pushed to the front of the line this weekend.   I have been thinking and planning on tackling the project for a few weeks now....  Ever since I learned that the toilet was leaking.    From there,  It has been a:  "What do I do first?" type of thinking.   

The problem must have been an issue for a long time.   And, after watching lots of plumber videos on You tube,  I'm pretty sure I know how it has come to this:   A rotted Subfloor under Tile!    The story goes something like this...

Landlord gets complaints from tenants.   Landlord hires a plumber to "stop the Leak!"  Plumber tells landlord that a leaking toilet will probably have subfloor issues and they will need to replace the subfloor before it gets worse.   This includes the expense of ripping up the tile!  

Landlord refuses fixing the issue and demands the "band-aid" of making the leaking stop.  Plumber lifts up toilet and puts on another wax ring.   Buttons up the toilet...   And leaves knowing he will be called upon in a month or two.  

So that is probably the reason why this place has been neglected for so long.  

But it's mine now!  And I want to fix it!    But I'm not a plumber ( yet!)   Nor a Carpenter!  (Yet!)  So I have to learn everything on the fly and pray that any issue that arises will not be catastrophic! 

Hey!  At least I will know it was stupidity instead of malicious neglect.   (Somehow that sounds like a better reason for failure....) 

I have been setting up my plan and was going to begin it this weekend.   But they asked me to come into work yesterday,  so I had to scale back my expectations.   Even then,  I considered the possibility to kick the issue down the line to next weekend. ( Hoping they don't ask me to come in next Saturday either...) But then I thought of it as breaking it down into smaller tasks.   The only problem with that is that once you tug on  any part of it,   you will be committed!

So can I live without a toilet for a few days?   How about a week?   Will I end up replacing the shower as well?   (The thought had occurred to me. )    But no!   The plan is to replace the subfloor, floor, and toilet.  ( at least for now!)   And from there, we will make adjustments after the leaking stops and the bathroom is fully functional once more. 

The problem is the tile!   That Terrible, Awful Tile!   Why?   Why would anyone put that junk on the floor only to let the toilet leak and ruin the floor underneath?   I can tell you one thing,   This job has now fully cemented me into the "NO BATHROOM TILE ON THE FLOOR!" camp.  I mean,   I once paid $250+  for a fancy hotel room.   And the only thing I could figure that made that room so expensive was that the entire bathroom was tile!   It did not make using the bathroom any more luxurious....   It simply functioned as normal.   Maybe I'm missing something....

Well,  as expected,  pulling up the tile was a nightmare!   And took nearly an hour. ( Maybe more,  I was not really keeping track.) And that was just the beginning! 

There was a Floor under that tile!   And it was "Screwed"  to the subfloor.   

A LOT of screws!

I started out trying to remove them with a drill/screwdriver...  But ended up using the wrecking bar.   Any damage I inflicted on the subfloor I would most likely replace anyway.    And I think it went faster in the end.  

Finally!   The SUBFLOOR!

The damage around the Toilet flange was pretty bad.   What wood remained was spongy,  and I did not want to simply screw new plywood over the top of it.   In fact,  it looks like when they put the tile in,  they raised the floor over the level of the existing cast iron flange.   So they put an extension in ( another flange on top of the flange....)  And double or tripled up on the wax seal! (There was a LOT of wax...)  

I ended up pulling out the vanity sink as well.   I knew I would have to if I wanted to rip up that floor.   And the instal on that was was "great" as well.   

The installer glued the cabinet to the wall.   And dumped about three tubes of caulk all around the open areas.   I no longer have to worry about damaging the walls as I will probably be replacing  most of that as well.  

Eventually,  I found subfloor that was still solid.    And that is when God told me I had better be done for the night.   I think God sends you a sign now and then in your ever day routine... trying to tell you things.   I will skip the details and just say the message was something line:  "You accomplished what you wanted,  Now stop before you hurt yourself!"   And My Guardian Angel made sure I got the message!  Loud and Clear!

So,   Clean things up.   Put tools away.   I'm done for the night.   I know I can take a shower tomorrow and can use the bathroom at Kwik Trip before work if I need to.  This week I will try to install the new subfloor.   And maybe build it up to the level of the subfloor before they buried it in tile!   I think I have an extra half inch of clearance.  I just wonder if I will be able to accomplish anything in the 3-4 hours before I have to head to work tomorrow.  

My hope is to possibly use the original Cast Iron flange that is now exposed.   Unfortunately,  it is not orientated in the direction I had wanted... So I may have to insert another flange and secure that.  

 And I was pricing Toilets at Menhards  while picking up the Plywood.    I know the China Toilet is cheaper and virtually identical to the American Standard one...   But I do like the look of the American Standard.  We shall see when I get there.   And hopefully it will not take too long.   I still have to install the subfloor;  install the new floor;  and install the Toilet back on a new flange!   This could take the rest of the week!  

So I had better make every second count!