Don't Lose Your Marble(s) - Bathroom Counter Top

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Other bathroom remodel posts:

Bye Bye Bye to 80s Tile - How To Remove Trim and Tile, Bathroom Renovation Part 1

She Only Wants Me For My Beadboard - Bathroom Renovation Part 2 

Trimming and Caulking and Painting, Oh My! - Bathroom Renovation Part 3 

Paint That Funky Mirror, White Girl - Bathroom Renovation Part 4

It's official: we are over the hump. The worst is over, the tub is back in place, and the walls are painted, beadboarded, and caulked.

But then there is that nasty countertop...

It actually looks inoffensive with the rest of the bathroom finished, but let me give you a reminder of what that baby looks like up close.

Have you ever tried to clean a tile-and-grout countertop? What about after putting on bronzer and blush powder, which unavoidably spills a bit and ends up - you guessed it - on the grout.

Bust out that toothbrush, my friend. You're gonna be scrubbing.

When we finished the rest of the bathroom, we decided to save the old vanity but replace the countertop with something that fit the room better and made it feel more upscale. 

We looked at marble composites, granite, solid surface, and regular marble. In the end, we liked a honed (i.e. not shiny) carrara marble that is white and gray, and pulls from the whites in the floor tile.

The first step in getting this bad boy in place was to remove the existing countertop. For the most part, this wasn't too difficult. Just a process of pounding upward until it broke free.

You may notice, however, that there are some gaps in the beadboard because we cut it to fit around the old counter. Thankfully, because the wall is beadboard behind and next to the sink, we knew we would be putting in a backsplash, which would cover the gap.

The counter top came pre-cut with the hole for the under-mount sink, which was separate. First, the countertop was glued onto the vanity, and then the back splashes were installed as well. We had free installation from Duca Tile, so they took care of gluing it down and caulking the corners.

They also used a two-part epoxy glue to mount the sink underneath the countertop.

Here is a close up of how the marble backsplash looks next to the beadboard we installed.

And here is a farther away shot that includes the sink along with the beadboard, trim, and mirror. 

And now for the fun part... before-and-afters! 

And another angle...

We still have a few tiny projects left - like replacing the beige outlets (we replaced the outlet plates, but the outlets themselves are still a darker color) and installing the hardware for the vanity. But, the big pieces of this bathroom are finally finished.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• Would you use marble for a bathroom sink, or a different surface?
• Have you ever remodeled a bathroom? Where did you splurge vs save?

Paint That Funky Mirror, White Girl

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Other bathroom remodel posts:

Bye Bye Bye to 80s Tile - How To Remove Trim and Tile, Bathroom Renovation Part 1

She Only Wants Me For My Beadboard - Bathroom Renovation Part 2 

Trimming and Caulking and Painting, Oh My! - Bathroom Renovation Part 3 

When we started remodeling our bathroom, I knew from the get-go that we would be replacing the medicine cabinet mirror. My husband and I are very different heights (1 foot, 3 inches difference), so we need a large enough mirror that will allow each of us to see ourselves.

As it was, I could really only see my collar bones and up in the old mirror. That wasn't going to cut it for me. So, I was on the hunt for something better, and something that would add some more detail to the space. 

Please ignore the mis matched socket plates!

For a while, we considered doing a gilded gold framed mirror. But, over time, I realized it wouldn't quite work. We already have brown, white, and gray going on in that bathroom, and we planned to use silver for the faucet, so I didn't want to throw things off by going a completely new direction with the mirror.

I spotted this gem at Eastown Antiques and was immediately smitten. We have a large mirror above the fireplace that is a similar shape, and the stairwell stained glass window has it, too (see this post for those pictures). So, I liked the idea of pulling that shape into the upstairs.

I took it home and held it up against the beadboard, and was satisfied that it would be a good fit. Unfortunately, with the rest of our bathroom being a grey-tone white ("Satin Snow"), this cream-tone baby was going to stick out. So, I taped her up and, you know, painted her.

Once she was ready, I picked up some high-weight-bearing anchors. The fellas at ACE set me up with this guy:

We measured it out and drilled a hole in the wall, then sent the anchor through (with those wings at the bottom, folded in, going into the wall).

Then, we tightened everything up until just the right amount of hardware was poking through.

And it hung beautifully.

(Note: The trim is not nailed on behind the toilet in this picture, so the shadow looks a little bizarre)

Once the counter and faucet are swapped out, along with the beige light plate covers, we will be in good shape!

(Note: The trim is not nailed on behind the toilet in this picture, so the shadow looks a little bizarre)

Before and after:

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• Do you like medicine cabinet mirrors for their storage?
• What would YOU have done for a mirror in this bathroom?

Trimming and Caulking and Painting, Oh My!

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The bathroom is finally wrapping up, and you'll notice in this post that it's actually starting to look somewhat finished. 

After we finished putting up the beadboard, the next step was to put some trim up. We considered adding the old trim back in (which you can see in the image above), but ultimately we decided it would be too conspicuous. We didn't want to break up what would otherwise be a completely white wall.

We found some trim at Lowes that was real wood and already had a notch in it so that it would be flush against the wall and the beadboard. 

First, we measured it and cut each piece to size.

Next, we painted it with two coats of the same color as the walls (satin snow). I didn't prime it because at this point, I just wanted it to be finished and I was pretty sure that since it was untreated, raw wood, it would easily soak up the color.

Then, we brought it into the bathroom and put it in place. Because it was a tight fit and it has a ledge cut into it, it simply sat on top of the beadboard and would hold itself in place.

For the first few days, it wasn't even nailed in, because we were waiting to borrow our neighbor's nail gun. You might notice that, behind the toilet, there is a bit of a shadow under the trim. That's because the wall is curved out behind the toilet, and since the trim wasn't nailed in, it actually  left the wall there for a bit.

Once we nailed it in, we pushed it into place so that it was attached tot he wall all the way around. Since we needed to bend it a bit behind the toilet, we used thicker nails. This left us with somewhat large holes in the trim.

I used leftover caulk to fill the holes. One at a time, I would squeeze the caulk onto my finger and putty up the hole, making sure to fill it. Then, I used a wet rag to gently go over the hole and clean up and remove any excess caulk.

As you can see in the image above, it looks pretty good, but you can still see the holes a little bit.

Once the caulk had dried, I touched it up with paint. This helped disguise where the holes were. Also,  caulk tends to attract dirt, and I didn't want to end up with some dark spots where the caulk was. So, painting helped to solve that problem.

I used pretty much the same process on the corners, using caulk to fill the gaps where there was some darkness visible between pieces of trim.

It is by no means perfect, but for someone who is not a professional and has never really done a home renovation before, I am pretty satisfied with it.

I got a little caulk-crazy and also used it to fill a hole underneath one of the electricity plates. We had cut the hole in the bead board just a little bit too low, so there was a dark area underneath the plate where you could see through to the wall. I filled it in with caulk and then used a flat head screw driver to make lines in it so that it matched the beadboard. Then, I painted it just like the other areas. 

Yet again, it is not perfect, but it is pretty darn close, considering the circumstances.

Lastly, I also caulked where the beadboard met the door trim. Before caulking, this was a dark spot because there was a little crevice there. Now, it's smooth and white.

And that, my friends, is how you trim and caulk beadboard. Up next is some marbley countertop beauty...

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Have you ever done trim? Did you find it difficult to cut or easy?
• What about caulking? I had an easier time since everything was white, but if I were trying to caulk something that was not white on the background, I think it would have been awful!

House Update - Meet The Project!

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As some of you know from reading this blog, my husband and I recently moved to Michigan to renovate and sell a house he has owned for 7-8 years. We stayed with my in-laws while we made the changes and then quickly listed the house. Things ended up moving faster than anticipated, so you may know from Instagram that the house is already sold.

We actually sold it at the end of February. So, we moved, updated, and sold the house within two months. We move fast, people. So fast that it was all over before I got a single blog post up. Bad blogger!

For now, here's a bit of an intro of how the house looked before we made changes:

My husband bought this house when he was pretty young. It's about 1,500 square feet, has three bedrooms, and 1.5 baths. Not too tiny (especially moving from the Chicago rental market!), but also not quite the amount of space we wanted for two people who work from home and need two offices.

The home is bungalow style, built in 1926. It has a few features that were considered 'upgrades' at the time, such as brick all the way around the home (lots of homes during that era of building skimped on costs by doing brick only on the front half of the home instead of all the way around).

It also has porches both on the front and back of the house. On the front of the home, there is a large, well-protected 3 season porch with a fabulous view of the park, which the house sits right across from.

The porch at the back of the home functions like a mud room, and allows for a large entry to the back from the garage.

Note: I took these images before our old renters moved out, so please excuse their furniture and clutter!

On the first floor, there was a large living room, small dining room, and kitchen, as well as a very small bath. We didn't alter the layout, but we did make some changes, such as exposing the gorgeous wood floors (coming soon!).

Note: I took these images before our old renters moved out, so please excuse their furniture and clutter!

There was also an appliance situation... I have no idea how old these are, but they were clearly not cutting it. We debated the Great Appliance Crisis of 2014: whether to really splurge on nice, stainless steel appliances, or to go for white appliances that were cheaper but simply way more updated than these.

Go ahead and wonder what we chose, cuz I ain't spilling the beans until its own blog post. :)

Note: I took these images before our old renters moved out, so please excuse their furniture and clutter!

Upstairs is a full bath and three bedrooms. There was beige carpeting through most of the upstairs, but the master bedroom had a pretty hideous shade of purple. This crap was a major headache to remove, but we'll get to that in another post!

And there you have it... the starting off point for our house. I'll be updating soon with some much more drool-worthy images of the final product that we sold. I will be sharing a few of the quick-and-easy updates we did to get that sucker sold...

• Removing carpeting and exposing natural wood floors
• Dealing with stubborn old brittle carpet
• What to do when you reveal floors only to find they are completely nail riddled
• Super cheap appliance swaps

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Have you ever done small changes to a house to sell it? What made the biggest difference?
• Have you ever done a home renovation? What gave you the biggest headaches?

Speakeasy Party Part 1

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Speakeasy Party Part 1 (You're reading it!)

Speakeasy Party Part 2: The Decor

This weekend, my fiance and I had a Speakeasy Party at our apartment. Early February seemed like the perfect time for it: Christmas and holiday festivities have ended, Chicago is chilly and frequently dreary, and people are looking for something fun to do to break up the season.

Your wish is our command :)

Just before our slew of guests arrived, I snapped this pic of my cousin and me.

And then this little gem with my handsome fiance.

We thought we looked pretty damn good, but then Clara's friends Ryan and Matthew showed up. Let's just say they're both makeup wizards, and they brought this huge box of tools:

Gasp. Perfect timing. Before the rest of our guests arrived, we were pampered and beautified.

And by the end of the night, we had gotten everyone sufficiently sloshed. Mission accomplished, I guess. It's a Speakeasy party, after all.

P.S. I love this man...

I have a bunch of amazing images from the set up and decor, and a delicious 1920s recipe for Champagne punch, all coming at you this week! :)

P.S. I just got nominated for a "Best Healthy Cooking Blog" award! If you like my recipes and want to show me some thanks, head on over to this link to vote for me! You just have to sign in with Facebook or Twitter, and then click Vote next to "Createlive." :)