home sectionhome sectionA bathroom shell, also known as a shower or bathtub surround, is a cost-effective solution if you want an updated look and have a tight budget. Replacing the shell is also an ideal time to inspect the walls for water and mold damage, and remediate the problem before it gets worse and more expensive. Giving your bathroom an updated look with a new shell can take as little one afternoon, but it can take up to 24 hours or more for the sealants to cure.
Peeling or buckled flooring, spots that feel spongy as you step on them and a distinct musty odor often indicate a rotted subfloor. Simply replacing the rotted floor covering is not enough; the subfloor beneath must be replaced to eliminate mold growth. There is only one method to properly repair a rotted floor, and it requires that all rotted material be removed and the source of the moisture repaired.
Greenboard is a type of drywall material that is used in bathrooms, as it performs better in a moist environment. If you have a hole in your ceiling or you are redoing the entire room, the old greenboard can be torn out and replaced with new panels. Previous experience drywalling is helpful, but not required for this project. Depending on the size of your bathroom, this project can be completed in a few hours.
Grout sits between the tiles or stones on your walls, linking them together into one solid surface. Grout can crumble and crack over time, requiring it to be dug out and replaced. If you are using grout between stones, whether they are real stones or fake, you will need to use a grout bag, rather than a grout trowel, because the rough texture of the stones will snag the grout if you try and spread it over the whole wall. A grout bag allows you to put the grout only in the lines between the stones.
Flagstone is a type of flooring that uses large, flat rocks with wide, irregular grout lines between them. Unlike standard tile, you can't grout flagstone by simply spreading the grout over it, as the surface is too rough and the lines too varied in size. The solution is to use a grout bag, which allows you to target the grout so it goes only where you want it to. If the flagstone surface you're grouting is going to be outdoors, make sure to get grout that is formulated for outdoor use.
Shutoff valves turn the flow of water to bathroom and kitchen fixtures on and off, allowing you to repair or replace a fixture without turning off the main water supply. There are two basic shutoff valve designs: straight stop and angle stop valves. Straight stop valves are installed on water supply pipes that protrude through the floor or cabinet base. Angle stop valves are installed onto water supply pipes that protrude through walls. Plumbing contractors and home builders commonly use compression shutoff valves, in which a compression ring crimps the pipe to create a water-tight seal.
When replacing sheetrock in a bathroom, purchase sheetrock with a thickness between 1/2 to 3/8 inch. This is an ideal size for sheetrock that will be nailed directly into the wall studs. In addition, there is sheetrock that is mold resistant. Greenboard is most ideal for bathrooms because of all of the water sources in bathrooms and the potential for mold. Before getting started, remove all extra items sitting out of cabinets and on walls like pictures, toothbrushes and trash bins.
Pendant lights hang from their electrical cords and add a decorative touch as well as provide adequate lighting. Pendant lights work well as supplemental lighting in a bathroom. Over time, light fixtures start to look out of date. For example, gold plating popular in the 1970s has lost its appeal for some homeowners. You can quickly replace an old pendant light in your bathroom with a new pendant light.
Putting another bathroom into your home can make things more convenient for a growing family. It can also increase the market value of your house and make it more appealing to potential buyers. The challenges of a new bathroom included finding the space in your floor plan and extending your existing plumbing.
Because water is a major component to bathroom fixtures, the flooring and subflooring is subjected to water leaks and damage after years of exposure. If you have a damaged subfloor around the bathtub, toilet or sink, it is essential that you remove the material and fix the source of the leak before replacing the flooring. It's important to repair damaged subfloors, as damage could increase and even compromise the foundation of the home.
A good grout job can last for many years, but over time, the grout may become cracked, brittle and discolored. It is possible to remove the grout but leave the tile intact and undamaged, which will allow you to put in new grout and give that area of your home a fresh, new look. There are different tools that can be used, depending on your comfort level with them.
Linoleum flooring is typically installed in a single large roll, although more modern versions also come in smaller tiles as well. It is a durable floor material that is more resistant to water penetration than other types of flooring options. Although a large roll of linoleum flooring can be intimidating, installing it is a very basic process that most people can do without professional assistance. Just make sure you have plenty of work space to unroll the flooring.
Linoleum is a green product developed over 150 years ago that homeowners enjoyed laying on their floors as a soft alternative to wood. Linoleum was popular in kitchens and bathrooms as glass objects were less likely to break when they fell, and it was waterproof. Vinyl flooring swept the country in the 1950s, and linoleum sales dropped until the population realized that the old linoleum was actually a natural product and better for the home and environment. Laying linoleum in the bathroom is one of the easiest floor coverings installations so long as your bathroom is small; larger rooms require…
Taking out your toilet and bathroom flooring and replacing both is a big job, but one you can do yourself with the right materials and some patience. The toilet is the complicating factor in the project, as you first have to tile around the toilet drain and then install the new toilet over the tile. If the underlying structure of the floor is rotting or appears weak, you should have a contractor assess it before you continue.
Removing bathroom grout is a messy job, but the right tools can make it neater and less physically grueling. You must break the grout into dust for removal because prying up chunks of grout can damage the surrounding tiles. Some tools are adequate for removing a small amount of grout, such as when you are replacing a few cracked tiles. But for larger jobs, such as repairing the damaged grout throughout your bathroom, power tools are more appropriate.
Cracked or corroded grout in the bathroom makes the whole tiled surface look bad, and the problems actually can be much more severe than that. Grout is supposed to prevent moisture from getting under the tiles. If the grout is damaged, sometimes moisture can get through, causing the tiles to crack or come loose. Repairing the grout requires digging out the old material and applying new grout.
Leaky toilets are usually caused by the shutoff valve not attached tight enough to the copper inlet pipe. Also, the toilet flange--also known as closet flange--can crack around the top lip where the screws hold the flange to the floor. This results in a pool of water around the toilet base, as well as a toilet that rocks slightly from side to side. Before replacing the floor, find the source of the leak so that it won't happen again after the new floor has been installed.
Grout is the cement filler between shower tiles, tying the tiles together and sealing out moisture. You apply it after the tiles have been mortared and have dried, with proper spacing between them (generally 1/8th inch to 1/4th inch). You apply it with a grout float, which is a flat rubber trowel that you scrape across the tile surface, forcing the grout into the lines.
Grout is the cement filler that sits in the spaces between tiles. While grout may look solid and impenetrable, it is much more porous than the tile itself. When grouting a bathroom wall, it's important that the grout be properly sealed against moisture. You should wait to seal grout after it has had several days to set, as it moves a little during the drying process.
Grout is a porous material which over time can become discolored, marring the appearance of otherwise spotless bathroom or kitchen tile. If the tiles themselves are in good shape, replacing the grout gives them a brand-new look with minimal investment of time or money. You can replace just a small section of stained grout, but it is difficult to find an exact color match to the older grout, so it may be worth the extra time to remove all the grout and start fresh.
Replacing linoleum in a bathroom will add a fresh new look to the room, especially if the old linoleum is worn, damaged or moldy. This large project will take a few days to complete. The bathroom will not be usable during much of the removal and installation, but the results will be worth the work and inconvenience.
Marble tile is a frequently used material in many bathroom designs. Marble's clean lines and highly polished surface can make a bathroom seem elegant. For this reason, many homeowners may wish to avoid grout lines between their marble tiles, suggesting that it will detract from the beauty of their marble. Marble tiles should always be installed with grout lines, however, though both to seal out water and to stop potential damage to the tiles.
Replacing bathroom walls allows you make repairs. Once those walls are removed you can get to what is behind them, fix leaks, and kill mold. Mold can be toxic and can make your family sick. Once the walls are replaced, your bathroom will be healthier and will have walls ready to be finished and painted. Do this renovation yourself, or with a friend, for just the cost of the supplies.
Removing grout from a tiled bathroom seems an overwhelming task. Poorly sealed grout and/or older grout, especially when cracked, needs to be replaced. Cracked grout allows moisture to leak in and damage the surface behind the tile. Give yourself time and an extra dose of patience as you tackle this worthwhile project.
Bathrooms boast an optimal place for mold and mildew to grow with the humidity from the shower along with the dirt and grime that you think gets washed away. Mold and mildew are fungal growths that travel by air as they make their way to an ideal spot. Grout is a common victim of these fungal inconveniences as they settle in and begin to spread. Since mold and mildew are neither pleasant to look at or sanitary, prompt action is a necessity.
With age, a bathroom vent fan can get noisy or simply quit working. When that happens, you have a few options. You can live with a nonworking or noisy fan, replace the motor of the current fan, or replace the entire unit. If your fan has always been loud, now is your chance to replace it with a quieter, more efficient unit. This project can be completed in less than a day with supplies available at home improvement or hardware stores.
An easy way to update your bathroom is to replace your current mirror with a more modern look. If your current bathroom mirror sits in a track and takes up the majority of your wall above your vanity, then it's probably time for a new one.
If your bathroom tile looks great now, don't take it for granted. Protect it while it's still in good condition, because grout doesn't last a lifetime. What hurts it most is the bleach in common bathroom tile cleaners; while the bleach can effectively kill mold and mildew, it can also erode grout over the years, causing it to crack and crumble. But if you coat it with clean silicone while it's still fresh and new, you can keep the tile sparkling with bleach without having to worry about the accumulated damage to the grout.
You want to remodel your bathroom by adding new flooring. However, due to water damage or dry rot, you may have to replace part or all of your bathroom subfloor first. Replacing your bathroom subfloor will maintain stability and beauty for your new hardwood or tiled floor.
When you're remodeling your bathroom, one of the most cost-effective changes you can make is to replace the floor. You may have old linoleum that's bubbling or peeling up, or maybe you have broken tiles with mildewed grout lines. You can choose from a variety of tile flooring to give your bathroom a new look.
Moldy caulking in the bathroom not only looks cruddy; it can be a health hazard to those who are sensitive to mold. If you've scrubbed and cleaned the moldy caulk to no avail, it's probably time to replace it. Here are a few tips to help you replace moldy bathroom caulk.
