Bathroom Remodel Part I: New floors and baseboards

Wow this post is long overdue. On August 19, 2011 I undertook a few bathroom renos for a family friend.  In a three bathroom home, we created three separate looks using the same basic staples. The faucets, granite countertops and glass bowl sinks were done a few years back and were consistent throughout the house. We (hubbie, myself and my dad) added new flooring, new thresholds and new baseboards into all three bathrooms. The whole process from start to finish took about 36 hours of manpower spread out over three to four weeks. The finishing touches were added later and these were quite simple to achieve with a little time from my part. In this week’s post, I will document the flooring renovation and baseboard replacing completed in all three bathrooms.

First: Choosing the flooring

Considering this is a family home, it was important at least for me to have a dark but neutral floor. I wanted the look of slate without the slate pricetag. After considering many options including wood textures and ceramic tile look alikes, we decided on a charcoal gray, rust accent slate-look vinyl flooring. Each faux tile was a 12 x 12 with textured finish and coordinating grout colour.  

Continuity in the flooring and baseboards was very important for a cohesive look and additionally great for resale. Also this continuity allowed us to save a ton of cash by purchasing a larger amount of material from Home Depot. Furthermore, we were able to use offcuts and irregular pieces from the flooring and the molding from the two larger bathrooms to complete the small square footage of the third bathroom upstairs. We created separate identities by choosing appropriate paint colours and accessories which add personality to each separate space. But first let's deal with the not so fun stuff. 

Here are the befores of the flooring:

 This 1990s linoleum was dispersed throughout all three bathrooms, it was grimy and so disgusting. So glad its gone.

Carpet and Linoleum in Master Bedroom Ensuite

Materials

We planned to replace the carpet and linoleum with Tarkett Fiberfloor  There was no glue required for this flooring, so it was as simple as cutting the material to scale and laying the flooring out. After purchasing the materials, we allowed the material to rest unrolled at room temperature. This allowed the flooring to settle and straighten out. Next, we removed the toilets and measured the space.

Flooring Prep

The whole process began with ripping out the old linoleum in two bathrooms and carpet in the third. Yes thats right! I said carpet! in the bathroom? what were they thinking? We removed the carpet and  linoleum by creating a small slit and peeling away. The old baseboards were removed by pulling them away from the wall with a crowbar. This was a dirty job, we were ready to find molded underlay and subfloor in all three cases. We were pleasantly surprised because the whole job was labor intensive but not impossible. Lots of cleaning was required and a bit of scrubbing. The concrete floor in the basement bathroom was scraped with a putty knife to create a smooth surface to lay the flooring on top. To avoid bubbles and bumps on the finished floor, ensure that the undersurface is smooth.We added new subfloor to the master ensuite which once boasted burbur carpet.

Removing Baseboards with a crowbar

  

Ripping out the Berber carpet

Flooring 

Once you have the dimensions, be sure to plan your cuts. We decided the cuts that were to be made before completing any of the cuts. This planning minimizes the number of visible junctions. If junctions were required in the middle of a room, then we planned to use a whole tile rather than portions to create a cohesive and seamless look.We left the partial tile junctions for the sides closer to the walls which led under the baseboard. The pieces were cut with simple sharp scissors leaving about two cm on each cut to make the final adjustments inside the space.

Cutting the Flooring with Scissors

Flooring Laid out- making final cuts along the vanity

Baseboards

Three-inch Baseboards with 1-inch depth were purchased from Home Depot and 45 degree mitre cuts were used to merge junctions or corners throughout each bathroom. The mitre cuts were completed by my father who has become quite comfortable around a mitre saw. We attached them to the wall with baseboard nails to hold them in place.

Mitred Baseboards meeting at a corner

 This marks the end of Part I of our bathroom reno projects. In a few days, I'll share Part II- Finishing touches on the master bedroom ensuite which includes knotty pine and tons of walnut stain.  But first, here are a few things that I learned about home renovation from this project:

Those walls and edges that seem perfectly straight are in fact not. Some walls have a slight angle and leaving one to two cm of extra flooring on each cut is crucial to create the perfect fit for the flooring. The flooring should not reach the edges either, some room is required for expansion and contraction of the flooring.

Allot more time than planned for any additional trips to Home Depot, Lowes and otherwise or for do overs. There are always new issues and requirements that pop up.