Master Ensuite ADA reno- Project #3

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zannej

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My mother's ensuite is one fugly room. It originally had disgusting beige carpet. We had cheap linoleum put in & the installer caulked all 4 sides of the toilet (should have left the back open) so we didn't notice when there was a wax seal leak. We didn't find out about it until one day my brother was on the toilet and I heard a loud scream followed by a crash and profuse swearing. The septic tank had backed up (I mentioned before, tenants swore they had it sucked just before we moved back & told us we didn't need to get it serviced-- turns out out they lied & the field lines were stuffed with crud). Anyway, the floor rotted and gave way. Fortunately that ugly green toilet was partially over a floor joist so it didn't drop straight down, but it tipped over and dumped my brother and it's contents all over the floor (and all over my brother-- I shouldn't find it funny, but I do). My father patched the floor with some kind of OSB or particle board, but he didn't get it spanning the joists properly so there's too much movement to it and he filled gaps with wood putty. This was about 6 months or so before he died so his health had not been the best & he wasn't up to his usual standards of work. The linoleum got torn up and we put in a new toilet (I researched good toilets & we found the Toto Drake- I looked up detailed instructions on installation & helped my father install it).
We purchased sheet vinyl to put in & planned to fix the floor better but that all got sidetracked when my father passed away unexpectedly. We all went through a period of depression & we still miss him dearly.
My mother has since started having more mobility issues. She has difficulty getting up from sitting & she can't get in to the fugly avocado green one-piece fiberglass shower/tub combo. We got her a shower seat but there are no grab bars that will stick to it & there are no backers behind it as far as we know. The plumbing has moved a bit so it sticks out more than it should from the shower wall. The walls have green stripes (printed wall panels similar to the blue striped ones in my bathroom). We need to update it desperately so Mom can get in it instead of taking a sink bath.

To Do List:
*Rip out fugly showertub unit
*Move all furniture out of room to get it out of the way
*Repair floor-- probably need 1/8" solid underlayment over the top
*Level floor under tub & cut out area for drain of new shower
*Put in soft transition for carpet to sheet vinyl
*Trim back/replace/move studs for adjacent closet by about 1" for new shower
*Build backers for grab bars between studs
*Rough in plumbing
*Install shower valve (Moentrol IPS threaded valve- already purchased)
*Finish installing access panel in bedroom wall to get to plumbing (already purchased & cutting has started)
*Replace PVC & CPVC w/ PEX & add shutoffs accessible from panel
*Fix electrical & replace vent/light/heater with a unit that works
*Measure & make templates to mark backer locations to transfer to shower walls
*Install new right-hand drain direct-to-stud shower & wall 4-piece combo (thinking of getting Sterling Store Plus unit w/ modular shelves)
*Install Moen Kingsley Moentrol shower trim (already purchased)
*Install new shower arm plus escutcheon
*Install Moen Refresh slidebar w/ static showerhead & handheld (already purchased)
*Install 16" Moen grab bar w/ shelf (already purchased) either above or below trim handle
*Install long grab bar on back wall (length to be determined later)
*Install vertical grab bar (length to be determined) near entrance to shower
*Install Moen double-curved shower curtain rod (already purchased)
*Paint walls, cabinets, & shelves
*Install molding/trim & paint door trim (possibly install new door lever/handle)
*Replace or refinish marbled green laminate countertop
*Replace or refinish green sink
*Install ADA height Toto Eco Drake (already purchased)
*Put new Kohler Zofa Soft Slow-close toilet seat on toilet (already purchased)
*Purchase & put up shower caddy (need to find one that works with slidebar)

Optional steps:
*Install wainscoting
*Add support strips and doors to shelves
*Add shattaff sprayer for rinsing toilet or cleaning up accidents
*Add vanity light (already purchased)
*Replace metal window with double-pane energy efficient vinyl window
 
My nephew used to do sub-contracting work, sheet rock, plumbing etc. 6 or so years ago he pulled out my parents old cast iron tub and put in a walk in shower. It was a 4 piece unit, 3 walls and floor unit.

They come with or with out sliding doors which my folks wanted and got.

A couple of years later I had him rip out my old tub and install a similar walk in unit. I didn't want a sliding door, just went with a shower curtain and rod, a couple of hundred cheaper.

I've had no problem with water splashing out of the base onto the floor. Once I got the shower curtain height set at each end it does a good job. It's a lot easier to replace a cheap shower curtain occasionally than clean sliding shower doors... Something to consider.

I got something like this unit from lowes. It was on sale for around $500.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sterling-E...on-30-in-x-60-in-Actual-30-in-x-60-in/4423824
 
Pics:
S-trap under the lavatory
20140322_190531.jpg

Back wall with window
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20170326_005228.jpg

Shelves on side
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Toilet
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Rough layout & estimated measurements
momsbathroomlayout2.png


Eco Drake is same size & shape as existing toilet but has a taller bowl. I thought I had pictures of the shower but I need to find them & get shots of the showerhead & stuff. I forgot to mention that the tub floor is cracked & has been patched with black flex seal so it's really ugly.
 
My nephew used to do sub-contracting work, sheet rock, plumbing etc. 6 or so years ago he pulled out my parents old cast iron tub and put in a walk in shower. It was a 4 piece unit, 3 walls and floor unit.

They come with or with out sliding doors which my folks wanted and got.

A couple of years later I had him rip out my old tub and install a similar walk in unit. I didn't want a sliding door, just went with a shower curtain and rod, a couple of hundred cheaper.

I've had no problem with water splashing out of the base onto the floor. Once I got the shower curtain height set at each end it does a good job. It's a lot easier to replace a cheap shower curtain occasionally than clean sliding shower doors... Something to consider.

I got something like this unit from lowes. It was on sale for around $500.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sterling-E...on-30-in-x-60-in-Actual-30-in-x-60-in/4423824
Thanks, Peanut. I'd been looking at the various Sterling options & that was one of the contenders but it keeps going up in price. It was only $400 something when I first looked at it. The one I like is this one but it's gone up $300 since I last looked at it https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sterling-Store-60-in-x-30-in-End-Drain-Shower/1001078910

I'm not sure if it will go back down or if I can find the pieces cheaper somewhere. I wish Lowes let me get military discount on stuff that is ordered to be shipped to store & that my local store was reliable about getting stuff-- they tend to lose stuff-- lost something I ordered that I had needed asap but they misplaced it for 3 weeks. Promised free delivery, then refused so I had to go back to the store a 3rd time (after two false alarms of them having it ready) to pick it up. I hit up customer service online & they gave me a $50 discount for my trouble.
They do appear to have this wallset at my local Lowes but not the correct showerpan. I'll have to figure out if the walls they have would fit with a right-hand drain. My mother liked the modular one better than the ensemble curve, but we'll have to see what the prices are and what is available.
I wish I had ordered stuff when it was cheaper.

This is the showerhead we got (but not for that price-- got it MUCH cheaper): https://www.lowes.com/pd/Moen-Refresh-Chrome-1-Spray-Dual-Shower-Head/1000053373
Also got this grab bar (also for less $): https://www.homedepot.com/p/MOEN-16...-Bar-with-Shelf-in-Chrome-LR2356DCH/203623698
I'm thinking of getting this for the back wall: https://www.amazon.com/Moen-LR8724D3CH-24-Inch-Designer-Bathroom/dp/B001ASBPBY/
I need to measure to see if that last one will work for horizontal on back wall and one for vertical going on to the shower.
I'm still searching for a good wide shower seat with adjustable legs and suction cups to keep it from sliding. Mom is only around 225-230lbs but she has very wide hips-- she put on a lot of fat on her hips and backside & has sort of shelves that stick out on her sides.
 
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We know in our house that we have to have a walk in shower with a shower seat for husband. Unfortunately, ours is still under construction today, but hopefully it'll be done the end of day tomorrow. At the farm we have the bathtub shower, and he has managed with that with a transfer bench. But we will be building on a handicapped bathroom there later this year.
 
@zannej I had my own health issues late last summer. I had to get a chair and change my shower head.

As it happened both my parents ended up needing my chair barely a month later. It's still there. The chair is rated to 300lbs and the legs are adjustable for height, has suction feet and the back can be removed if not needed. It has lots of holes in the seat for water drainage and bathing brushes etc. After a shower water drains away, it's self drying.

The shower head I bought is a delta from lowes. The center is a pop out hand held wand. The outer ring stays put. A valve behind the shower head can divert the water to the wand only, the ring only or both.

Because we put the shower head above the shower panel the hose was to short to reach down when I was sitting in the chair. I found another 3ft metal braided hose from an old hand held wand out in the shop. I added it "in line". I used a short piece of threaded brass pipe to connect the two wand hoses also from the shop. You can get threaded brass pipe and probably another short hose from a good hardware store.

Anyway I now have an extra long wand hose. Even now its handy for say... cleaning household waste baskets in the shower or other small items. The wand now reaches to the floor in the opposite end of the shower.

No, I don't clean engine parts in my shower... at least not lately! :rolleyes:

I got the chair on amazon.

Delta (1) sm.JPG
Delta (2) sm.JPG
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Looks like the Delta Intuition.
Moen makes a similar one with "Magnetix" where the wand attaches in via magnet. They also have a docking station that you can put lower that is magnetic & you can set the handheld in it at a lower height. Only problem is, person has to stand to use the diverter. My mother hates the idea of walk-in tubs. We have a wide shower seat that we got from Amazon but it doesn't have adjustable legs and suction cup feet so it tips. It was a "bariatric" one.

The shower setup we got for Mom has a 60" hose and 19" slidebar (starting at where the showerhead attaches to the arm. Stock photos of it appear to have an arm with 6" to 8" length-- I'm leaning toward thinking it's 6" but I'm terrible at judging these things (insert all sorts of dating jokes here).
The current shower arm (which looks bleh) is only about 4" long & comes out of the fiberglass rather than above it so it's short.

I found the shower walls & shelves for a decent price on HomeDepot but the right-hand shower pan is sold out. I'm waiting for them to get it back in stock.
the whole unit is available for around $600 at HomeDepot-- so I wonder if Lowes would price-match it because they have it online, but not in the store. I'd just have to hope they don't lose it. There was a lady there trying to find the parts to her shower that had was supposed to be delivered a month before (I think it was the glass doors). They had no idea where they were & a few hours later, her brother-in-law found the doors sitting out in the middle of the store unprotected. Fortunately, they weren't broken. But they were in an area where other customers could have knocked them over. I waited about 4 hours there trying to see where something I'd ordered was-- clerk was really damn rude about it too. Finally my kidney stones kicked in too much for me to stay. I told CS that the employees were not properly trained, had huge problems with communication, were disorganized, and the clerk was extremely rude. Next time I went in there, same clerk started to give me attitude but changed her tune when the supervisor came around and gave her stink-eye.
I'm really hoping they have improved their methods, but I doubt it.

I may have to try the Lowes in Lake Charles instead because they were more professional than the ones in Alexandria.
 
Price on the shower went up again & it's still out-of-stock. More of the pieces are no longer available. It's pretty frustrating.
Found some more pics of the bathroom.
Ye ole ugly green shower/tub
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Mismatched handles (hot water one no longer works so it's cold showers and washing hair in the kitchen sink-- I took the valve/cartridge apart & everything-- seat looks fine but the damn thing still won't work)
tumblr_mkbwl2p2jy1qkwd9ao3_500.jpg

Showerhead-- flange won't stay in place
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Flex seal patch where the floor cracked
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Inspiration for grab bar position-- below the Kingsley trim (will be 16" grab bar with a shelf) Would have loved that grab bar but it was too expensive
MoenKingsleywGrabBar.jpg

Stuff that will be in Mom's shower (although might go with a different drain bc the Kohler one is expensive as hell) We've purchased everything but the drain & the two longer grab bars. 24" one will be vertical for getting in to the shower. 36" will be on back wall. 6" shower arm was the one recommended by Moen to go with that showerhead. I think they said something about the trim should be 48" below the showerhead but I don't know if they mean where the arm comes out of the wall or where the showerhead actually starts. Will have to do some measurements- slidebar is 19" so will need to figure out the best placement so Mom can reach it while seated.
MomsShowerStuff4.png


She's 5'6" tall but has considerable backside cushioning to lift her up a bit more. I'm 5'5" but she has a longer torso. I'm like Conan O'Brien-- my height is in my legs & I have a short torso. When I sit next to her, she's about 3" taller due to the padding and longer torso.

I forgot, for the drain I saw Frodo post something once about a self-sealing drain but I'll have to find the link again.
 
A number of years ago a friend asked me to fix the floor around the toilet in his sons mobile home, when I pulled the linoleum up, it was amazing to find that no one had fallen trough the floor, water leakage had delaminated the particle board flooring to where I could grab pieces of the flooring and easily pull it apart, my friend said that it was lucky that a 300 pound+ friend of his had not sat on the toilet. Anyway, I ended up installing a 1 1/8" piece of plywood to replace all the bad particle board flooring where the toilet sat, but the whole trailer needed to have the floor replaced, I think the trailer was built in the 60's or 70's and many were really poorly build, some with aluminum wiring and many with really crappy plumbing.
 
A number of years ago a friend asked me to fix the floor around the toilet in his sons mobile home, when I pulled the linoleum up, it was amazing to find that no one had fallen trough the floor, water leakage had delaminated the particle board flooring to where I could grab pieces of the flooring and easily pull it apart, my friend said that it was lucky that a 300 pound+ friend of his had not sat on the toilet. Anyway, I ended up installing a 1 1/8" piece of plywood to replace all the bad particle board flooring where the toilet sat, but the whole trailer needed to have the floor replaced, I think the trailer was built in the 60's or 70's and many were really poorly build, some with aluminum wiring and many with really crappy plumbing.
This is one of the reasons I despise particle board. I don't view OSB as suitable for flooring either. The moisture barrier under the top layer in my bathroom saved the toilet from falling through, bc that layer was the consistency of mud around the closet flange when I went to remove it. I'm not looking forward to what the floor is going to look like in this project when we get the tub pulled out.
I'm waiting to see if they are going to shut down the casino my friend works at. If they do, we might have time for him to come over and help with stuff.
 
Mom just started complaining about the height of her vanity. It's shorter than a regular counter so she has to bend down to wash her hands & she said it hurts her back. I'm not sure what height it is, but it's not very tall. It's an odd size (72"W x 24" deep) & was custom made out of scrap wood. The drawer bottoms are made made from the wall paneling. It's built-in and has the wall paneling going up the toekick. I think it would be very difficult to break the whole thing loose and try to raise it up, but, since we plan to replace the sink and change or replace the countertop we have a few options.
1. Remove sink, detach countertop, sand it, clean it, & put new formica on top, add some wood on the top of the vanity to raise the countertop up more, putty the seams, & put countertop back on, put in new sink.
2. Same as above but instead of doing formica on top, do a countertop paint & seal it.
3. Remove sink, detach countertop, & replace with prefab 6' countertop if we can find one in the right depth & color, add some wood to raise up countertop, putty the seams, & put new countertop on.
4. Remove sink, detach countertop, & make new custom countertop out of wood & put formica over it, add wood to vanity to raise countertop, putty, & paint.
5 Same as above but custom order countertop with built-in sink or get separate drop in sink (most expensive option)

1 would be the easiest but would require getting a sink of the same dimensions.
4 would be my next choice if we can't find the same size & shape sink since it's unlikely to find a prefab countertop in that depth.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

(I did think about trying to refinish the sink but it would take days & knowing my luck I'd screw it up)

Also, I looked at 6' vanities & they were expensive as hell.
 
The standard bath vanity is 34" high without the top. The standard kitchen counter is 35" without the top.
I prefer the "pot filler" faucet sets because they allow me to wash my hands without having to climb under the low faucets. That might be all she needs.
 
Mom's vanity was built particularly short. I don't know if the builders were short or if it was for their kids, but it's only 30-3/4" high (with the countertop). We could bring it up another 6" to make it more comfortable for her. I need to remember to measure the sink next time.
 
I measured the distance from the top of the vanity to the power outlet near the sink (it's not GFCI so it will need to be replaced). It's a little over 6" above, so if I raise the countertop it will not have much clearance. However, I should have enough wiggle room to move the outlet upward and change it to a GFCI outlet. I could maybe add a power switch for vanity light and a vanity light (if Mom approves).

She forgot to order the 36" grab bar I linked to her & it went up $10 in price. I found an open box 48" one for less than the 36" was before the price hike. She ordered that one. So instead of the R8736D3GCH, she's getting the R8748D3GCH. That will give her a much longer bar along the back wall.

I measured her girth while she was sitting & she's about 23" wide (with the way the flesh gets pushed) so she will need a shower seat wider than that. Something with adjustable legs and suction cups to keep it from tipping. She only weighs about 230lbs now but she's kept the fat on her hips/backside.

My revised picture of stuff for her shower (including a shower drain that I found from Frodo's postings-- I *think* it's the one he mentioned, perhaps he mentioned a different brand though).
MomsShowerStuff5.png
 
Lowes reinstated the military discount for online purchases so I ordered Mom's shower to be shipped to store. Good thing I'm not in a rush because that store tends to misplace items frequently. I once spent 3 hours while they tried to find an item they told me had arrived for me. Took 2 weeks for them to find it. While I was waiting, another lady was there for her shower door that had been misplaced 3 weeks before. Employees couldn't find it but her brother-in-law found it while wandering the aisles-- just sitting out in the open with her name & address on it.
I forgot to order the drain, but the shower isn't coming until mid July.
It's the Sterling Ensemble shower kit. I got it without the "age-in-place backers"-- which is low grade OSB or plywood glued to the backs of the walls. They charge $300 more for that. I will make my own backers, add braces in the walls, & make sure the wall is sturdy. I will also put low expansion spray foam inside the backs of the shelves for extra support (and noise reduction). I just hope it all arrives undamaged.
sterlingensemblecurveRHd.png
 
I think that is the same shower kit I bought. I like it. I had my nephew come over and do the install. It went together easy peasy. Lets us know when you get it in.
 
Thanks, Peanut. Did you do a mortar bed under the shower base or just a roofing felt or landscaping material? Lowes sent me a message that the shower delivery has been delayed. I think either the 15th of this month or next month. I'll have to check the e-mail again.
 
I did the mortar bed, but it's not really mortar. It was a 5 gallon bucket of "Stuff" lolol. Anyway, it gives more support in case you have to use a shower chair etc, less chance of cracking the shower pan.
 
If the sub floor is wood, then you lay down tar paper and on top of the tar paper you dump out 2 -5 gallon bucks of runny concrete/or mortar

you set the shower pan on top of the bed of crete and push/wiggle it down and install level
using a 24'' level at the side and front rails.

after the concrete has set. install the wall panels AND insulation behind the panels
the more insuation you use the less noise you will hear later when someone is taking a shower
 

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Thanks, Frodo. I'll have to grab some fresh mortar when the stuff arrives. One of my pet peeves with the mortar/concrete bags is that they allow moisture in and sometimes the stuff is ruined before you buy it so you have to check. Local hardware store keeps their mortar outdoors under a tarp but there's very high humidity.
 
Shower kit arrived & is in the workshop. Appears undamaged. It came with the felt mat to put under the shower base. I'm planning out the plumbing layout to see what is the most efficient way to do the vents & drains. Things will be connecting at different heights for the drains so I don't think I can use sanitary cross or side inlet tees. I will likely be using a sanitary cross for the vents though.
I need to measure the depth of the back wall & side walls to see how thick of a backer I need to stick on the wall set for the grab bars (the backers will fill the void between the walls & the support boards between the studs. I'm thinking of using backers over every place that will have a hole & sealing the wood up to be waterproof just to add extra reinforcement to the walls where they get drilled. The around-the-hole backers won't need to be thick enough to reach the studs, just thick enough to add a little reinforcement.
Still need to get some sturdy 1x4s to use to lift the counter up a bit. Laminate sample hasn't come in yet for the laminate sheet I'm thinking of getting to re-cover the counter.
I'm considering trying to paint the countertop & then seal it/epoxy over it. I can do a test of the paint pattern on some scrap wood or something. I will have to sand the countertop & clean it regardless of whether it's getting painted or re-covered. I want to get a blue marbled look (similar to the current green marbled look). I can experiment with different small paint types. I might use a splash of the stuff we are using on the back door & then mix it with something slightly darker to add more color variation. I'll watch some tutorials & see how it works out. If it ends up terrible, I can sand it off & try again or recover it with laminate.
marbleblu1.jpg
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Something like those but with a brighter blue.
 
I watched some installation videos for the shower & some videos specifically for the Oatey brass No-Caulk shower drain. The plumber I talked to said that the metal key that comes with the drain is worthless and to use two screwdrivers crossed over each other instead.

I've decided that I am going to use some low expansion spray foam to reinforce some of the hollow spots (like the front apron of the shower pan) & inside the backs of the shelves. It will also reduce noise.

I'm thinking of creating backers over any areas that will have holes cut but I'm trying to figure out what to coat the backers with (I'm thinking of using some plywood) to keep them waterproof. I'm also trying to determine what sort of adhesive to use.

The plumber and the videos I watched said that the rough-in height of the drain pipe should be 1-1/2" above the floor. I intend to use something along the lines of a Pringles can to stick inside the pipe to help line up the shower pan to drop it in straight once I get the felt pad down. I may put a small 1x1 strip down on the floor under the apron to hold the showerpan in place. I'm hoping the floor won't be in too bad condition. I may end up having to do an underlayment of 1/4" plywood on top of the whole bathroom floor-- which will be a pain since I will need to notch out for the vertical support for a built-in-shelf as well as cut for the toilet flange. Moving the tall cabinet will probably be the biggest challenge. There isn't much space in Mom's room to move it to.

I'm thinking of using some of this over the rough spots Utility Panel (Common: 1/8 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft.; Actual: 0.106 in. x 48 in. x 96 in.)-833096 - The Home Depot
 
If the osb under the toilet is still in decent condition I'm going to shore up under it with some boards (similar to reinforcing a notched/cut joist) so all edges of it sit on top of something solid. Then I will do 1/4" floor rated plywood underlayment on top before I do the vinyl sheet. I may lay down a moisture barrier underneath just in case-- so if anything happens to the top layer, the lower layer of wood will be protected. The moisture barrier in my bathroom saved my subfloor. I might add some 1x2 furring strips on top of the 2x4s to raise up the countertop a little more.

For the countertop I'm thinking either Wilsonart Lapis Blue, Formica Spectrum Blue, or Wilsonart Brittany Blue. I'm going to see if they will actually send the samples this time. I ordered some over 2 years ago & they never sent them.

I'm starting to build the two adjacent bathrooms in Sketchup. Can't find the right tile pattern for floor or stripe pattern/color for walls.
This is what I have so far (windows are loosely placed & I didn't build the back wall because I want to be able to move windows to correct position later on.
1638907884296.png

Editing to add more progress. I built the vanity (but made it taller as if I had added the 2x4s and furring strips) and I am working on the shelves. All of the shelves for the boards are 3/4" thick.
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The lower shelf has face trim but it was never added to the upper shelf. Dad never got around to it. His plan had been to add doors and make the shelves into cabinets.

The shower space is also based on pushing back into the closet about 1" since the current space is only 59" and the shower needs at least 60". I looked in the closet and it looks like there should be room-- I hope. There is another wall panel in there so I don't know if it is against 2x4s or slapped up against the back of the other wall panel. It feels fairly solid though. I'm hoping there are 2x4s or something in there. The closet has a 32" door.

I need to work on toilet placement, supply line for toilet, etc but right now I'm fleshing out the room.
 
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I had a layer of 1/2" smooth faced particle board over the bathroom and kitchen 3/4" plywood tongue and groove sub-floor, I hated that particle board as it was always making noises when we walked on it. I removed the particle board from the kitchen and bathroom and glued in a laver of sanded face 1/2" plywood, the glue was Liquid Nail Subfloor glue that came in the large tube, like the chalking tubes come only with a larger chalking dispenser. I tested the glue before using it to glue the plywood down as I have seen Liquid Nail fail to glue things down as it should, I glued to flat pieces of wood together and broke the glue joint after the glue had set and when I saw that the wood actually broke way deep into the wood I knew it would do the job. Anyway, after installing the 1/2" plywood I nailed 1/8" wire cloth down with roofing nails, coated the wire cloth and plywood with a special latex coating and poured leveling cement over that and after it was set I installed 12" x12" ceramic floor tile in the kitchen and bathroom, we are very happy with the outcome as it's water tight. and we got rid of the noisy floor. After the good results we had installing the floor tile I thought it would be a good idea to pull the carpet up in the rest of the open room and get rid of the rest of the 1/2" noisy particle board, however being under still good carpet we decided to leave it alone, it's just not that noisy. What I may do in the future is to tear up the vinyl tile and particle board in front of the wood stove and do like I did in the kitchen, we'll see if I'm up to doing that.
 
I despise particle board, mdf, and osb with a fiery passion. LOL. I used to prefer solid wood over plywood but plywood is now much better than the aforementioned garbage. It irritates me to no end that most of the stuff these days is made from that stuff.

I'll look for the Liquid Nails Subfloor glue. Thank you!

I found a website that sells the samples for the laminate for cheap. HomeDepot didn't have all of them and the last time I ordered samples from them they never arrived.

I kept describing to my mother what I was planning to do to raise the countertop and she said something about keeping mice out and I had no idea WTHeck she was talking about. I think she thought I was going to raise the entire cabinet up and not just the countertop. She was happy with the idea of a white sink and blue formica. I have to send her the link for her to order the samples since she wants it done on her computer for some reason. I guess because her paypal stuff is on there. She mentioned she wanted the counter higher than 34-3/4" (which it will get to if I add 4" of wood to raise it up). But, I'll have to stack something on there for her to feel what that height is like. I can also do a dry fit and if she's not happy I can see if there are 2x2 strips to raise it a little more. I told her I didn't want the electrical outlet (which is around 36" up) too close to the top of the counter. Worst case we can raise it up and cover the old hole with laminate as a backsplash. As it is, I was planning to have a 2" backsplash all around.

I forgot to get positioning and measurements of the shelf on the other side of the room that has a thick mirror just sitting on top of it. There is also a big melamine cabinet thing that rests on the floor. It's particle board inside. Ugh. We store the toilet paper, wet wipes, my brother's toiletries, bandaids, hydrogen peroxide, etc inside that cabinet. I wish I could find one like it for cheap to put in my room (although I would put something on the bottom to keep the particle board off the floor in case of water getting near it).

Later I'll go get those shelf, cabinet, and tp holder measurements. The little shelf on the vertical boards coming down from the shelf system holds a pencil, tweezers, reading glasses, etc. We have a magazine rack down below that holds fill-it-in, word search, and crossword puzzle books.
 
I'm currently trying to pick a good replacement sink. I'm wary of the super cheap ones. Read that the holes are not aligned etc. I'm looking at a Sterling Modesta 19" round bowl width 15-3/4" length 12-5/8". Water depth from overflow 4-7/8.
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Or
Kohler Bryant 18.875" round bowl width 16-5/16" length 12-1/2", water depth from overflow 5-5/8" (Needs 5" long reach on faucet spout).
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Now, the faucet we have for her bathroom is a Moen Caldwell that has 4-3/4" reach. From the diagrams of the Bryant it looks like the 4-3/4" *should* actually reach as the center of the holes on the Bryant are 2-15/16" away from the edge.
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Lowes has one of the Bryant's in stock so I suppose we could check the fit of the faucet on it. Don't know the reach required for the Modesto. I wanted something as deep as- if not deeper- than the existing sink. The Bryant is about the same shape and size as the existing sink. Modesto is a little wider. I suppose absolute worst case, we have a Delta Porter with 5-11/16" reach.
 
I've been told that Sterling is the inferior sub-brand of Kohler. I like the shape of the Modesto better than the shape of the Bryant (because the Modesto is closer to the shape of the current sink). A plumber recommended Proflo brand but the ones I saw had bad reviews and even the pics showed that the holes are not drilled evenly. They are crooked and that would annoy the hell out of me.

I'm starting to lean toward a Toto lavatory. Toto Reliant LT502.4#01 19" round lav. Also available on build for a higher price but I might be able to get a decent coupon. It's more expensive, but it would match the toilets.

Pics I managed to get from sketchup before my pc died:
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skvanityshelftoilet.png
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Drawing in the smaller shelves and the TP holder was a pain. The side shelf next to the vanity has brown stained wood and the same laminate as the counter. I couldn't find the right colors and patterns for the cabinet and countertop. Toilet is only loosely placed rather than exact placement. I haven't drawn in the wall that the window is on as I haven't measured the location of the window exactly. I added in an applique similar to the one I bought to put on the front of the vanity to break up the weirdness of the empty space once the counter is lifted. I have it gold on here because Mom likes old. Not sure how it will look against the cabinets though. Looks odd in the image.

She doesn't want white cabinets though so I need to figure out some complementary colors. Some sort of light blue wall (without green tint) and we are still waiting on counter samples. I believe the place we ordered them from mailed them out yesterday even though we ordered them on the 11th. But the tracking # comes up invalid or not yet trackable.

Can't find a Sterling Ensemble Curve shower model on 3dwarehouse so I might have to look around for a free one or adapt a tub one for a shower.

I considered doing the cabinets and shelves in the same color as the exterior door, but I think it might be too dark. I'm also wondering if we should try to get a marbled looking countertop. Wish we could find blue bahia laminate or something with blue marbled for a decent price. Mostly seems to be brown and gray.
 
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