Master bathroom

The master bath is the last actual room that is not finished to any degree.  It has drywall and paint, but no fixtures or tile at this point so is nothing but dead space so far.  We've been working towards picking out tile and the tub as the last couple items, and now have that settled so work was beginning around the end of March 2017.  This July was 4 years since we broke ground.

We got the tub ordered but when it came in, the box was totally trashed so I was expecting the worst.  Well it appeared OK at the store so I got it home and that was when I found that it was indeed cracked.  So back to the store and they ordered up a new one...  While waiting for that to show up, I started in on the shower tile work.  The shower tile was probably the worst part of the whole project.  The combination of the waterproofing being very hard to handle plus the linear drain that was not installed correctly due to an error in the instructions and the large format tile made this thing a real pain.  I'm not totally happy with how it came out, but it will have to do.

The first step was the Mud base.   Since we were using a linear drain, the main bed only sloped one way - towards the drain, so that was easier, but then there was the section closer to the door that I had to slope at a compound angle. A little harder to do but not bad.  I drew guidelines on the walls and made a tapered board as a screed guide. Linear drain is covered in tape.

Those photos were a bit misleading as I had to tear it out and redo it since I miscalculated the slope very badly.  It was so steep that it was going to be a safety issue, so all that nice work came out and I did it again, essentially the same way, but at the correct slope.  That was fun.


Next was the waterproofing membrane.  This was very difficult to handle and install.  The pan is all one piece, so it should be leak free, but the walls were the real challenge to install without wrinkles.  Wrinkles were unavoidable, so I ended up having to slit them and fill with sealant to make it sit flat.  The thing in the far corner is a pre-made bench that is nothing more than styrofoam.  You might think that it would not be sturdy enough, but you cannot tell that it is not solid rock after tiling.  You can see the linear drain at the left.

The corner by the door presented a challenge as it was an odd shape that was not usable.  I found another corner niche, also styrofoam, that fit in there perfectly.  The foam is coated at the factory with some spray-on stuff that is made to stick to thinset mud.

After the membrane was in, I put in the radiant in-floor heat.  Now we have radiant in the whole house, but there is no tubing in the shower as that would have been very difficult to do.  So I added this electric heat in the shower and just outside it so the floor will be more comfortably warm there in the winter.

Progress shot showing the floor tiled:

And finally all tiled and grouted:

I was short a few of the trim pieces, so had to order more to finish:

All completed with the door installed.  The door was only just installed near the end of Aug, so this has been going on all spring and summer.

Whereas the shower was a non-stop fight from beginning to end, and I feel it only came out OK (at best), the tub was much better.  I think the tub came out great.  I still need to make a panel to cover the bottom of the tub area for access to the motor.

And a look at the main floor tile.  These pebbles are cut and polished into a thin section and then stuck to a fiberglass backing in 12x12" sheets, so it goes down fairly easily.  Biggest problem I had with the floor tile was trying to hide the lines between the sheets.  The pattern was not overlapping enough, IMO, to make the lines disappear, so I did a lot with pulling off pieces and repositioning them or replacing them with other tile pieces.  I still did not feel that the lines fully disappeared, even after all that effort, but in the end after grouting, it does not seem too obvious.

And after all the tile was done I made the vanities and a shelf unit for the center and got those installed.  I also put the lights up before the cabinets were installed as it was a lot easier to work on them with the cabinets not in the way.  They were unusually heavy, too.  I put a pair of lighted shaving/makeup mirrors on the end of the shelf unit, and added a night light down by the floor.

And finally the countertops and faucets were put in the day after labor day.  The whole spring and summer 2017 gone on this one bathroom project...

From the entry door:

Tub and shower door: (Still need to make the cover panel for the tub skirt - it will match the cabinets)

Tub and toilet room:

2 shots of the vanities:

I still need to do doors for the toilet space, closet and the main bath door, but those are a ways out.  The tub cover panel will probably be done alongside some other trim work in the kitchen and other bathroom that still needs to be wrapped up.  That may happen over the winter.  I put in shelves in the linen closet to the left of the vanities shortly after the photos were taken, so that is done too.

The last of the unfinished rooms is now finished!  Woo Hoo!