Tales of the Brick Beauty: Half-bath Reno

The half bath project started during the last days of October and we put the finishing touches on it in the last days of December. We love the way it turned out!

I didn't realize how bad I am at taking before photos until I went looking for them. I get so excited about the project, I don't even think to take a photo first! These first few photos are from before we even moved in. As you can see, the pink curtains gave the entire room a pink look! The toilet seat cover wasn't doing much either, that was the first change we made!

Before.

During.

As we did in the master, we used a handy steamer and scraper to remove the wallpaper.

Messy, but so much faster than a spray bottle.

Another amazing coincidence. Although - is it still considered a coincidence the second time it happens!? This room has been our 'next project' for months. I wanted to get it done last summer, but grad school had other plans. One night in October, in an attempt to avoid grad school, I began removing the wallpaper. During the removal process, we came across the date the wallpaper was put up. The same month we began taking it down, 22 years later! This is why old homes and history are so much fun. Amazing! We are right where we're supposed to be.

Photo on the left: date wallpaper was put up written on the wall.

Photo on the right: photo stamp of the night I started to remove wallpaper.

Decorative scalloping, lights, mirror, backsplash, countertop/sink, vanity - bye-bye!

Avoiding grad school pt. 2, prime!

We used a tinted primer (dark gray-ish color).

Decision time! Could not find the mirror size we needed, so we decided to make our own. 1st step, custom framing from Hobby Lobby. We chose the most simple frame with no detailing. For a 21x21 frame it was $56 (and that is with the 50% off discount)- a little more than we wanted to spend, but we didn't really have a choice. We took the custom frame to our local glass company, Webster Glass and they fit a piece of mirror inside the frame for $30ish.

Lights are from Menards. We chose a base type which was sold separately from the glass. This allowed us to piece together the exact light we were looking for. The glass is completely clear with Edison light bulbs, also found at Menards. I couldn't find the exact base, but it is similar to this one, only chrome.

Countertop was ordered from Onyx Collection through my Aunt Becky, who works for Ogden and Adams in Cedar Rapids. The Onyx Collection will send free samples which is so nice! We ordered 2 and ended up choosing pepper. Of course our vanity/opening is a custom size (gotta love old houses!), but Becky was able to get a custom order for a reasonable price. Here is the sample up against the black paint - LOVE!

After tearing off the decorative scalloping, Jack added a smooth edge board for a finished look.

Paint is from Sherwin Williams, tricorn black.

Fourth room we've painted, and we finally figured out how to paint behind radiators. LOL! Use saran wrap to cover the radiator and use a small roller to squeeeeeze back there.

75% done by Thanksgiving time. We were still waiting on the countertop to get in. We made it look as nice as we could for our house guests over the holiday!

Vanity top arrived first week of December - the project continued! We used a vanity from the bones pile at Ogden & Adams. My Aunt Becky was kind enough to gift it to us for free! Luke painted it and Jack cut the back off to fit the countertop once it arrived. Installation of the vanity was interesting because of the tight quarters, but superman Jack got it in! Mirror installation was the final touch - hung today by brother of the year.

After.