The back bedroom and bathroom floors

Last week we got the corian shower wrapped up. It looks great! With the shower complete, I was able to start on the floor tile work. In the front bedroom bathroom, I had to level out the floor by nearly 1/2″. Fortunately, since I reframed this floor, I made sure it was level. That means I could get right into the tiling work! Over the subfloor, I opted for a layer of Schluter Ditra. Sounds fancy, right?! It’s a sheet that allows the floor to flex slightly without breaking the tile or grout joints. I mixed up some thinset and then installed the Ditra on top.

Setting the tile

After the thinset under the Ditra had cured for a bit, I started laying out the tiles. I laid them out working from the shower out. I was a few tiles short but nothing a quick trip to Lowe’s couldn’t fix. I got back and mixed up some thinset and started setting the tile. There were a few tiles that the color was slightly different on. I opted to set those where the toilet goes and under the vanity. That way they’re hidden. I got the tile set and then let the thinset set up over night.

Sanding the bedroom floors

After getting the tile set, I switched gears and got out the grinder for sanding the bedroom floors. I sanded off the old finish from the floors and flattened the boards out a bit. I got about 1/3 of the floor done before calling it a day.

Nearly enough grout

The next day, since the thinset had cured for the tile, I was able to grout the tile. I mixed up the batch and started spreading the grout. I got most of the floor done but then ran out. Doh! I knew it would be close. Oceana and I headed to Lowe’s for a quick run. We got back in time before the first batch kicked off. If the grout cures on the surface of the tile, it’s a real pain in the butt to get off. Fortunately that didn’t happen. I mixed up more grout and finished grouting the tile. After letting the grout set up for a while, I sponged off the still wet grout from the surface of the tile. I sponged it off 3-4 times which will just leave a slight haze after everything cures. The haze is easy enough to wipe off with a dry rag.

More floor sanding

With the grout done, it was back to grinding the floors. I kept on grinding until I had finished with the first pass. I did the initial sand with 40 grit, which is super course. It’s great for material removal but it leaves big scratches behind that will show up in the finish. To get the big scratches out, I have to sand it all again with 60 grit, then 80 grit, and 100 grit. You can keep going through finer grits but 100 grit is ok for a floor.

Trim time

After finishing the first round of floor sanding, I needed a break from being on my knees so I opted to install the trim around the perimeter of the bedroom ceiling. I had made the trim a while back, but I was waiting until the drywall and paint work was completed. Since that’s done, now’s a great time to do the install. The install was more or less uneventful. It does make the bedroom look much more finished! Since I was in the trim mode, I went ahead and installed the door casing on the pocket door. Lastly, I installed the door stop around each side of the pocket door opening. This cleans up the look and gives the door a finished appearance.

Oceana the painter

After the grout had set up, Oceana didn’t waste any time in getting the bathroom primed and painted. She got the bathroom painted in no time! It looks great! As soon as I was done with the pocket door trim, she got the new trim primed. Once the primer set up, she puttied the nail holes and caulked the open joints. Once the caulk set up, she got two coats of paint brushed onto the trim.

Toilet install

With the wall painting complete in the bathroom, it was time to install the toilet. I waited until Oceana had finished painting because it’s so much easier to paint without a toilet in the way. The first step was to finish the drain piping. I glued in the remaining piece of pipe and then fastened the toilet flange to the floor. Next I set the toilet onto the flange with a wax ring for sealing. I snugged up the mounting bolts then hooked up the water line. Done! I let the tank fill up and gave it a test flush. All good.

Termite treatment

Back to the floors. Over the next few evenings, I sanded the floors with progressively finer grits of sandpaper. I also used a smaller sander to get around the edges. Before the last sand, Oceana mixed up a batch of termite pre-treatment. She soaked the wood floors in the bedroom with the spray. This is the same stuff they use to pre-treat new construction homes. These floors show minor bouts with termites in the past, so while we have the opportunity, we want to make as much wood in the home unappealing to termites as possible.

Vanity build

The next night the floors were just a touch too wet for the final sand. I changed gears and started building the bathroom vanity. The timing worked out well on the vanity build because I’m in the middle of a custom bar cabinet build and I had enough leftover pieces of plywood to build the inside of the cabinet box. After building the box, I got the faceframe parts and pieces cut to size as well as the door frame parts. I glued up the faceframe and left it in clamps overnight.

Final sand and board replacement

The next evening the floor was good and dry. I gave it one last sand with 100 grit. There was one board that had rotted out in a large enough spot to warrant replacing the board. Fortunately it was on the outside edge of the floor which meant relatively easy removal and replacement. I took out the old board and was able to salvage enough of it to get measurements for the new board. I made a replacement board out of yellow pine and installed it in place. It fit the first try! Although I used yellow pine, it sure looks white compared to the rest of the floors. I sanded the new piece into the surrounding floor and then vacuumed off the entire floor.

Floor finish

With the floor thoroughly vacuumed, I applied a coat of Bona sealer to the floor. It looks good. It has a smooth appearance (from flattening the floors with the sanders) but yet has all the character of the old floors. I really like it. I’ll give it a few more coats over the next few days. We’re nearly finished with this bedroom and bathroom. Slowly but surely the house is coming together.

That’s all, folks

That’s all for this week. As always, thanks for following along!