Let there be grout!

As if installing tiles with millimeter precision was not challenging enough, now all the tiny spaces between the tiles have to be filled in with a concrete-like compound called Grout that comes in a bewildering variety of colors and textures.

So we went from tiles with dark gaps:

to blue/white grout in the gaps:

The floor and tub deck also got their shares of grout:

Of course grout should not be confused with mud, which is something else entirely and is used to level out the surfaces of the walls and hide the less than masterful work of the original drywall installers:

Next step is installing the trim pieces, paint, and reinstalling all the bits and pieces that were taken out, such as the toilet and the cabinet doors.  I guess they are taking their time to do it right, and that's good, but we would all really like to have the bathroom back.

The progress so far

For the busy readers who don't have time, or attention span (Squirrel!) to read all my rambling entries over the last two weeks, here is a quick recap.

Cured and Covered

Never fails.  Just as the beauty of the concrete is fully blooming, someone comes along and covers it with something else.  In the case of the bathroom, we ended up with squares of mud cooked at high temperature, also known as ceramic tiles.

The walls surrounding the tub went from this:

to This:

We even got some decorative trim and matching backsplash behind the faucets:

The floor also got covered with tiles:

And while nothing in construction can ever be considered speedy, the progress has at least been steady, if not brisk, none of which I really care about since the entire object of the exercise appears to be to cover the concrete.  

After the chicken wire, concrete, of course!

I was a little surprised when I came home a few days ago and found that the tile-and-chicken-wire cake was covered with a concrete frosting.  I am not sure what I actually expected, since I knew no chickens were being housed in our bathroom, but I was not expecting a layer of concrete over the existing tiles.

Now all three of the loyal readers of this blog know how much I love concrete, and I would have even been perfectly happy to leave the deck and the walls as raw concrete -- just a lot smoother than what we have here - but as usual, more conventional heads prevailed and we are pressing ahead with the tiles.

Before the tiles can go up, the tub's deck had to be installed, and to my surprise, the entire deck was made from a single piece of white marble that fit snugly around the tub.

This is a vast improvement over the prior deck that was patched together from marble remnants laying around the shop using water permeable grout that leaked like the proverbial sieve.  I guess skill does in fact make a difference.

Next step:  Covering all that amazing concrete with tiles.  It's a little like putting white wash over the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.  I will try to bear the anguish with grace and equanimity.    

de-destruction

It appears that we have turned the corner from destruction to the very early stages of construction.  The first step is to cover the bare studs and insulation with solid boards that will provide a solid resting place for the new tiles:

The next step is pretty old school.  The backer boards are covered with waterproofing material and chicken wire:

And when I say chicken wire, I really mean chicken wire.

Even the original penny tiles that have been uncovered through tile archeology are given the chicken wire treatment.  This probably means that these tiles are not going to be seen by human eyes until the real archeologists dig them up sometime in the far, far, future. That's too bad.  I liked the little blue and white guys.

So in the grand tradition of all construction projects since the dawn of civilization, after making some rapid progress, we must halt all activity and wait for the artisans and stone masons to craft the tub deck from a blank slab of marble.

So, we wait ...

Behind The Wall

Time to see what's behind wall #1.  All the tiles and backing came off today to give access to the wooden framing members below.  Time to see what the bones look like.

As it turns out, the framing is actually in good shape and there would be no reason to get into major structural work.  That's definitely a lucky break for us.  There is some evidence of the water intrusion from the deck above onto the top plates, but there is no rot or other structural issues:

This is going to make the repair work a lot easier.  In the meantime, the beautiful, and very expensive, blue marble tiles from the shower walls have been turned into exquisite debris sitting in bags ready to be hauled off.

Can't wait to see what the new version of the bathroom will look like. 

Break. Out.

Just a couple of days into the new project and the house is starting to resemble the set of a Michael Creighton medical thriller complete with a zippered plastic drape blocking access to the bathroom.

 

 I can imagine the workers walking around the house looking like this:

In addition to laminating the house, the workers have started removing the bathroom fixtures and moving them into the bedroom next door.

 And some of the stuff looks more out of place in a bedroom than others.

In addition to all of the protecting, some demolition work has also started, consisting mostly of removing trim tiles, moldings, and cabinet doors, and of course, protecting what is left behind.

So we are officially in the demolition phase of the project.  Let's hope the construction phase, when it begins, goes as smoothly and as cleanly.