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Tag: powder room remodel

Powder Room Remodel Reveal

The powder room remodel is finally complete!

I hope you weren’t holding your breathe because it’s been 2 + months since my last progress postBoy, did I surely leave you hangin’…

BUT (and it’s a big but), it’s all worth it because this is the result >

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

Big Time Awesome!

And just to remind you where we started, here is the before >

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

And before that (when we moved in to the house), this is what the space looked like >

Before Powder Room Remodel

A bit scary, don’t ya think?!

Back to the progress…

Since the last post when I shared the steps of fixing the wall from the previous tile and hanging the wallpaper, we were busy with >

  • Hanging crown moulding (1st time ever, wow it was tough)
  • Hanging the new light (twice because the 1st one that I thought I loved, I really didn’t)
  • Painting the crown moulding
  • Putting together and installing the vanity
  • Installing the toilet
  • Hanging the mirror
  • Choosing and changing the pictures
  • Designing and installing the custom roman shade
  • Touch ups!

O, well now I know why it took me 2 months to show you the reveal.  That was alot.  Here are some progress pictures along the way…

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

Alot happened to this small space.  The most challenging was absolutely the installation of the crown moulding.  It was the first time that the Mister and I ever tackled installing moulding and it was tough.  We made lots of mistakes day after day, and in the end called in a friend who has major talent for woodworking.  He’s not a professional woodworker, but someone who does it as a hobby and is quite knowledgeable and maticulous.  Anyway, he really made the bathroom what it is because without, the space wouldn’t have the same depth and pizazz.

If you’re familiar with installing moulding, our crafty guy used the coping method, which results in really tight corner joints.  Once the moulding was installed, there was very little need for wood filler.  With the time it took to do this simple bathroom (about 3-4 hours), I couldn’t imagine doing a large room or an overall house.  I’ve been drawing mouldings for client homes for years, but now I have the appreciation of how difficult it is to actually install.  Not sure I’ll be doing that again any time soon…

Want to learn more on the coping technique for crown moulding? Check out this post I found.

Anyway, it’s complete and I’m in love with the overall space.  Want to see more of the reveal?  I bet you do.  Go…

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

The vibrant and eye-popping Amy Butler wallpaper sets the tone for the room.  It’s surely the statement of the space and the one element that started the design.  From the mirror to the vanity to the framed pictures on the wall, everything is very simple so the wallpaper can ‘speak’.

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

Pretty white accessories fill the space, along with black and white framed images from my travels.  Both are beautifully set against the deep blue walls.

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

The new roman shade is another amazing element in the room.  I designed it and the creative folks at Tonic Living fabricated it.  They are amazing. They offer an array of services for creating window treatments, pillows, futon covers, and more.  Their offering of fabrics is huge and very much in-trend.

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

This was the sketch I sent them and you see the result…Window Treatment sketch

The top of the shade sits right under the bottom of the crown moulding and when fully lowered, you see the full border design.  The fabric is a heavy white linen and the border detail is a 2″ thick navy ribbon.

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

The mirror was definitely the most difficult selection to choose.  I wanted something that was interesting, but minimal so the wallpaper behind would still shine through.  I finally decided on this mirror from Lowe’s and am thrilled with the overall look.  I like it’s round shape that emulates the flowers in the wallpaper, as well as it’s frameless design.

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

The vanity and faucet are another element of the room that I adore.  The Moen faucet is the same style and finish that I used in my master bathroom.  It has great lines and works beautifully in the space. Plus the major awesome part is the finish doesn’t leave spots.  Read more about it here!

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

More details…

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

The light fixture is a $17 steal from Lowe’s (on their website it’s more $$$).   I had previously chosen another light, but wasn’t thrilled with the look once home.  Actually this fixture is also hung upside down.  When I held it in place before install, the junction box was very high on the wall and a fixture hanging down was more appropriate.  My genius husband came to the rescue and said, “Why don’t we install it upside down?”  And that’s what we did.  You would never know and it looks great!

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

And I think my most favorite part of the new space is how I can enjoy it from so many other parts of my home…

This is my view from the office / family room looking through the foyer and into the new powder room.

Powder Room Remodel {REVEAL} #powderroomremodel

Here is a recap of all the elements in the newly created powder room:

Thank you for taking the tour of my new powder room.  What a refreshing new space to see and enjoy when you enter our home.

Powder Room Remodel: Repairing Wall and Hanging Wallpaper

Between baseball, a birthday party, and celebrating Mother’s Day (shout out to all the moms out there – hope you had a great day), there was very little time to actually get anything major accomplished on the DIY homefront this weekend.  BUT, somehow with 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there, I was able to squeeze in a few trips to Lowe’s (for supplies) and a few moments to hang wallpaper.  And thankfully with those spare moments, I actually got alot done and I feel like I’m making progress – even though it’s slow.

owder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

Since announcing the plans for the powder room and sharing details on the removal of the toilet and pedestal sink, the room has really taken a drastic turn – for the good. When I left you last, there was a huge hole in the wall from where the tile backsplash was removed and the wall colors were still orange and beige.  Well not anymore.

Before I could even think about wallpapering, the hole had to be repaired.  I’ll admit, I haven’t had the best of luck patching holes and achieving a flawless finish.  It’s definitely an art.  I’m good, but not great.  (need a great tutorial on patching holes in the wall?  check out Sawdust Girl).  THANKFULLY, most of the hole will be covered with the new vanity, so I wasn’t super obsessed with making it perfect and smooth.  To start, I grabbed  a 2′ x 2′ piece of sheetrock from Lowe’s, cut it to fit tightly in the hole (a tight fit is key), and spackled the edges.  This isn’t the best way of patching a hole, but it’s the lazy way I took – again because I know it’ll be covered with the vanity.

It took a few days for multiple thin layers of spackle and drying time before I could give the wall a good sanding.  The hand sander gave a really nice smooth finished surface.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

Once the walls were smooth and clean, I was able to paint and wallpaper the room.

I started out with painting the corners and edges at the window and door of the 3 non-wallpapered walls.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

The color is Blue Mystery by Valspar and it’s almost an exact match to the background color of the wallpaper.  Even though it’s blue, it has a deep purple / violet hue.  It’s actually a very different blue than my office, but with the foyer in between the two spaces, you can’t notice the differing tones.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

Once the walls were done, it was time to get down and dirty with wallpapering!

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

How-To Wallpaper using Paste

I had thought the wallpaper I chose was a pre-pasted wallpaper (wallpaper that has paste and is activated with water) but when I added water to the back of my sample piece, I quickly learned it wasn’t.  So this was my first time wallpapering using paste.  I was apprehensive at first, but it actually wasn’t at all as difficult as I thought it would be. I wrote a tutorial a long time ago on How-To Hang Prepasted Wallpaper, if you want to check that out.

Supplies:

  • Wallpaper of your choice.  I chose Amy Butler Lacework in Midnight.
  • Wallpaper Paste
  • Smoothing Took
  • Sharp Razor or blade
  • Other handy tools for wallpapering are: a tape measure, a laser level, a pencil

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

1. To start, I found the center of the wall and made a mark.  Then knowing the width of the roll (20.2″), I determined how far over the edge would need to start (1/2 of the overall which is 10.1″).  I made another mark and used my laser level to make marks all the way up the wall (which will be the location for the edge of the wallpaper).

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

2. After determining where the wallpaper edge would be placed, I added the wallpaper paste to the center section of the wall using a brush.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

* There are several techniques to hanging wallpaper, but I thought it would be best to follow the steps that came with my wallpaper roll.  Another method that is readily used is to apply the paste to the wallpaper back, fold over both ends of the strip (being careful not to crease the paper) so that they meet in the middle.  This gives the paste a chance to activate.  Again, the instructions with my wallpaper said to apply the paste directly to the wall, which is what I did.  If you want to see more on the other application, I found this helpful step by step method.

3. After the paste was applied, I took the end of the wallpaper roll (leaving about 3″ extra at the top) and adhered it to the wall aligning the edge with the mark I made on the wall.  Then continued to roll it out down the wall.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

4. As I was adhering the paper to the wall, I used the smoothing tool to eliminate the bumps, wrinkles, and air bubbles.  It’s best to start at the top and move down the wall, as well as from the center of the paper and smooth out towards the edges.  You want to press firmly, but not too hard so all the glue seeps out.  Alittle glue seepage is okay and expected.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

5. Once the first panel was hung, it was time to hang the second adjacent sheet.  The same steps should be taken, but this time it’ll be key to align the seams so the design / pattern matches (especially with the paper I was using).

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodelphoto credit: my 7 year old!

6. Once the paper is up and in place, it’s time to trim – the ceiling, edges, and base. Using a sharp blade / razor, follow the crease / edge and gently cut the paper.  It might be damp from the paste, so try not to pull the paper because it’ll rip.  Scissors also help.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

I also had to trim around the light fixture…  that’s to come.

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

And the result is…

…a beautiful, bold focal wall!

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

The quality of this paper is amazing.  Comparing it to the previous time when I wallpapered, this paper is alot heavier which hides many of the imperfections on the wall – score!

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

Not to shabby going from this…  to this…

Powder Room Remodel: Patching holes and hanging wallpaper - Follow along on this bold transformation #powderroomremodel

Plan of Action for #powderroomremodel:

  • Choose and buy sink
  • Choose and buy toilet
  • Choose and buy faucet
  • Remove sink
  • Remove toilet
  • Repair hole with new sheetrock
  • Repair floor @ sink and toilet
  • Hang wallpaper
  • Paint
  • Add crown moulding (yes, my 1st moulding ever)
  • Assemble sink
  • Install sink and faucet
  • Install toilet
  • Accessorize – mirror, pictures, etc.

7 items crossed off the list since last time.  Now that’s progress!

But there’s still more to come. Stay Tuned.

Have you ever hung wallpaper?  What method did you use?  Was it pre-paste or the kind where you had to add the paste?

Powder Room Remodel – Phase 1: Removing the Existing Toilet and Pedestal Sink

My feet are sore and my fingers have a few blisters, but it’s well worth the pain for how much work around the house was accomplished this past weekend.  It was the first days of really nice weather and aside from a baseball game and a birthday celebration, much of the weekend was spent cleaning out the garage, sprucing up the exterior, and starting the powder room remodel.

I shared details of my plans for the powder room a few weeks ago and was thrilled to finally get started. To begin the process the old had to come out before the new goes in, so the Mister and I got our tools out and got to work on removing the existing toilet and pedestal sink. I actually didn’t know the process of how to remove either plumbing fixture, but thankfully the Mister has done this before and helped me out – of course with a few bumps along the way – can’t be a DIY project without…

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

Do you know where and how to start the process of removing a toilet and sink?  If not, this post is for you! Keep on reading, but I’ll worn you, this tutorial is ultra detailed, but the pictures aren’t pretty.

Removing an existing toilet.

1. Turn off the water supply.  The oval valve at the side or back of the toilet is the water supply.  Using a vice grip or adjustable wrench, turn the valve so you turn off the water.  Then flush the toilet a few times to empty the tank.  Using old rags, put them in the tank and/or bowl to soak up any left over water.  It’s best to use gloves during the process as the toilet bowl isn’t a pretty place.

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodelYup, that’s a closeup of my toilet… Not something you probably expected to see on a Monday mornin’

2. Remove the tank bolts. Remove the (2) plastic caps on each side of the toilet base.  Once exposed, you will see the tank bolts, also sometimes referred to as “Johnny Bolts”.  Remove the nut, which is easiest to do using a vice grip or adjustable wrench, and the bolt will be exposed.

Then carefully loosen the toilet, rocking it from side to side to loosen the wax seal, and lift it up. Residual water may spill, but that’s fine.

 Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

I warned you this post wasn’t pretty, BUT it sure will be helpful when you want to upgrade that sad looking toilet.  There surely isn’t a need to hire a plumber because you CAN do it yourself.

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

3. Remove the old wax. Once the toilet is lifted, the existing wax will need to be removed.  Using a putty knife, scrape away the wax from the pipe flange. It’s definitely important to use gloves too (of course we didn’t, but I suggest you do).

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

We also removed the tank bolts and plan on replacing them when we install the new toilet.

Here is the hole, free and clear of wax.

Pretty sight, right?

NOT! But at least you now know it’s not that difficult of a process.

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

If there is a time lapse between removing and installing a new toilet, it is very important to plug the drain opening with a rag to prevent sewer gases leaking into your home.

Removing an existing pedestal sink.

Toilets are toilets, and are fairly similar, but there are a range of sink configurations, so I’m sharing the details of my situation, but yours may be different.

The process of removing our pedestal sink was tricky because we could not get our hand in the back to turn off the water supply.  After years of wear, the valve had rusted making it very difficult to turn off.  So what did we do?  We broke the sink.  Not what we anticipated doing, but it had to be done.

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

After that we…

1. Turn off the water supply. Just like the toilet, turn the oval valve at the back of the sink so the water is shut off.  Remove the nut from the water supply.  Then put a bucket under the drain trap to collect any residual water, and loosen the nut to remove the trap.

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

Disconnect any additional plumbing connections and remove the sink.  For us, we had to unscrew the sink bowl section of the pedestal from the wall and then remove the tile backsplash I added a few years ago.  New sheetrock will need to be installed before anything else.

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

And this is the result…

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

Powder Room Remodel- Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

The entire room will look pretty in no time…

Powder Room Makeover Phase 1: Tutorial on how to remove an existing toilet and pedestal sink. It's not as difficult as it may seem. Pin NOW, check out later. @Jenna_Burger, WWW.JENNABURGER.COM #powderroomremodel

Plan of Action for #powderroomremodel:

  • Choose and buy sink
  • Choose and buy toilet
  • Choose and buy faucet
  • Remove sink
  • Remove toilet
  • Repair hole with new sheetrock
  • Repair floor @ sink and toilet
  • Hang wallpaper
  • Paint
  • Add crown moulding (yes, my 1st moulding ever)
  • Assemble sink
  • Install sink and faucet
  • Install toilet
  • Accessorize – mirror, pictures, etc.

That’s quite a list for a little space…

Please tell me you’ve found this post helpful.  The Mister thought I was kinda insane for taking pictures of a toilet, one of the ickiest parts of the home.  I know it’s not the prettiest post ever, but who knows when it’ll come in handy.

Before you read this post did you know the details on how to remove a toilet or sink?  Not to difficult, right?!

Happy Monday to ya!

Powder Room Remodel: The Plan of Action

Happy Hump Day, y’all!

You may have noticed a lack of DIY creations around here lately.  To be honest, I have been knee deep in so many other projects that my personal projects have had to take a back burner.  From E-Design clients, to local clients, to getting the house ready for the BHG crew to come soon, I have been non-stop on the go.  Plus I was away last week on a little vacay, so getting back into the groove of things has been a bit rough.

Powder Room Renovation_SASinteriors.netANYWAY, enough of the chit-chat, I am psyched to share with you that I have decided to spice-up one of my bathrooms.  The powder room to be exact.

It’s pretty.

It’s fine.

But I want it to be dynamite!  So a new (hopefully quick) reno is in store.

Before that, a ‘before‘ shot is a must.

The current space has an orange focal wall – same paint color (glidden crisp autumn leaves) as the family room.  The toilet, pedestal sink, and faucet are original to the house (about 15 years old), but the light and door hardware got a switch-aroo since we’ve lived here…  hence why they are oil rubbed bronze and the faucet is chrome.  The tile floor is new – used to be blue ceramic  – so that will be staying.

I’m pretty psyched about what I have planned for the new space.  After much thinking about how to create a WOW impact in a  4′ x 4′ box, I think I’ve come up with a pretty awesome solution.

So on to the plan of action

The fixture placement will remain – there’s no need to move them, the cost would be way too much, and I couldn’t even think of a better configuration than the existing.  So basically, the fixtures will be replaced, a new vibrant wallpaper will be introduced, and some major awesome accessories will complete the look.

The concept for the powder room reno started with this beautiful wallpaper by Amy Butler.

Amy Butler Graham & Brown Wallpaper _ Powder Room Reno _ SASinteriors.net

Continuing my love for navy, it will be the perfect addition to the powder room which can be seen from my home office / family room that dons deep blue walls.

The repeat is fairly large, so this space is going to be dynamic. Here’s a picture of the wallpaper used in a foyer setting.

amy-butler-lacework-midnight-blue-wallpaper_1320679302

Once I found the wallpaper, I started to become really excited about the rest of the space, but was still at a loss on what style sink would be ideal.  Pedestal? Cabinet?  And then I found this wash sink at Lowe’s and literally gasped when I saw it.

Powder Room Remodel_SASinteriors.net

I’ll be honest, I think it looks better in person than in this picture.  And I think it’ll look even more fabulous against that hot modern floral Amy Butler wallpaper.  Don’t you think?

To complete the bathroom, a few new other details will be added. Here is a quick Creative Vision Board I put together.

Powder Room

Major gorgeousness, don’t you think?  It will absolutely be epic, and continue the classic eclectic style of my home.

So here is the bummer part.  I have the wallpaper.  I have the wash basin (sink).  But I have not started any of the actual remodel yet.  Like I said, I’ve been super busy over the past few weeks, but by mid-April I hope to start tackling all of this DIY goodness.  I hope you’ll follow along for the before-and-after.

Stay Tuned…

Have you tackled a DIY bathroom makeover?  How did you make it WOW and dynamic?