The Tulip Poplar Bathroom is Finished!

The Tulip Poplar bathroom construction is complete – actually it has been finished for a couple months. I can’t believe I hadn’t shared that exciting news with you all. I have neglected the blog these last few months, but as it’s a new year and a time for fresh starts, I plan to get the blog posts going again!

We are really happy with how this new bathroom turned out. The shower is spacious, and the main area of the bathroom with sink and toilette has such an efficient layout. We had a smaller space to work with, but the finished product doesn’t feel that way at all. It’s perfect.

Remember what this space used to look like? Take a look at the demo and construction, electrical, and plumbing, and the shower, beadboard, and tile posts. This space wasn’t a bathroom at all but began as two bedroom closets. After a lot of work, we now have a bright and cheery bathroom. We used large, white porcelain tiles for the shower walls and beige-white marble tiles for the floor. The shower head is a square waterfall design – so wonderful! It’s like showering under a little rain cloud.

For the main area of this bathroom, we installed bead board on the lower section of the walls and painted the upper section a buttery yellow – like the yellow in tulip poplar flowers. Josh built a small mantle that runs the length of one wall, above the sink. This ledge will be handy to place toiletries and also a lovely spot for a small bud vase.

It feels great to be making progress on renovations, and we can’t wait to share  spaces like this cheery bathroom with future Ridgeside guests.

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Tulip Poplar Bathroom Renovations: Shower, Beadboard, and Tile

During this phase of the Tulip Poplar Bathroom renovations, we installed Kerdi waterproof membrane on the shower walls and floor, sloped the shower floor, installed and painted beadboard, and laid tile. Whoa! A lot goes into building a bathroom, and we’re getting close to completing this one.

We painted the walls of the bathroom a creamy yellow, and we painted the beadboard white. Josh installed a shelf above the beadboard – it will be perfect for holding toiletries or a small bud vase. A big thank you to our friends who helped us paint!

Josh spent a lot of time carefully installing Kerdi membrane – this material covers the shower walls and floor to waterproof it. It uses the “fleece” of either side of the membrane to adhere to the drywall, or backer board, with the help of unmodified thin-set mortar. Advanced putty knife techniques are helpful, but it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it. He also finished a shelf that’s built into the shower wall, and he carefully covered it with Kerdi membrane, too.

Next, Josh sloped the shower floor with “deck mud,” which is about a 1:6 mix of cement and sand. This base will ensure that the water will properly flow into the drain. He calculated, measured, and pounded the mortar into shape with a wood float.

For the floor, we chose a cream colored marble tile and for the shower walls, we selected large white ceramic tiles. The ceramic wall tiles are a neat shape – not your typical rectangular subway tile – these have a more obtuse shape.

Lastly for this phase of the project, Josh installed the cabinet, toilet, and sink. He connected these to the newly installed plumbing. These additions really bring the bathroom close to completion. We’re almost there and are really excited to share the finished product with you!

Sycamore Bathroom Renovations are Finished!

The Sycamore Bathroom renovations are complete, and we are excited to share photos of the finished product. This last phase of renovations consisted of putting the bathroom “back-together-again” and installing the important pieces that make up a bathroom: toilet, sink, bath and shower, etc. We also added finishing touches like a shower curtain rod and curtain, mirror, lights, and decorative vent cover.

Here’s the before and after:

Josh installed a new handle and lid to update the toilet, and we had the claw-foot tub professionally refinished (exterior and interior). We wanted the tub to be the highlight of the bathroom, so we had it painted black with silver feet. Now it pops against the clean, white wall tile and the natural gray marble floor.

We chose an old fashioned looking faucet for the tub. I love it!

To make the tub usable as a shower, Josh made a copper shower curtain rod to wrap around the tub. If you missed the post about how he made it, check it out here. Above the tub, Josh installed a waterfall shower head:

Next, we replaced the cabinet-style sink with a sleek pedestal sink and hung a simple mirror above it. Also, we installed new lighting.

And for an extra detail – we found this pretty, silver air-vent cover:

It took a lot of time and hard work, but it was fun and it is very satisfying to see the finished product. We’re so happy with it and can’t wait to have guests enjoy it one day!

If you missed the first phases of the bathroom renovation, you can visit them here:

• Sycamore Bathroom Renovations: Phase 1
• Sycamore Bathroom Renovations: Phase 2