Complete bathroom remodel

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gking707

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Looks awesome, after scrolling through the picture's my first thought was 'this guy definately needs to remodel his bath'

I hope you end up with a killer bathroom!
 

Lordoftheflies

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Thanks gking!

Here's a few pics of the floor. Got the subfloor finished today. Before doing that I had to bring the 1" pex lines upstairs....and also hook up my Fleck 5800 Coconut shell carbon filter for chlorine removal........and had to remove the existing 3/4" pex lines.........

So now I'm ready to finish framing my false wall for the vanity........and then I can finish bringing the water lines .....and can frame out the bathtub.

Of course I had to deal with this damn crazy freezing temps we just had here in NY but thankfully that's over.........


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Lordoftheflies

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Framed the false wall. I need to add some blocking for the drop ears for the toilet and the vanity water lines.

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Suceress

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It's looking good! I hope everything is going smoothly still on the reno.
 

Lordoftheflies

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Getting there. Went to install the bathtub and found out the exterior wall is 2" off plumb at the top. So I ended up sistering the entire wall with 2x3.

I also picked up a kit (was delivered) from tubmount.com. I was finding it literally impossible to install the tub on the ledger because the tub must be warped. The ledger is level on (2) of the 2x4 (one long side, one short side) but I couldn't get the tub to sit on the ledger level. Perhaps the tub is a little warped.

Ended up putting in some Roxul comfort 2x4 batting and still need to finish framing for the tub. I also have to figure out if I am going to move the door. The old frame left a few inches with a 30" tub but now with the 32" there might not be enough room for symmetrical casing around the door. And if I move the door, I'm going to have to move the toilet flange. Argh!

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Lordoftheflies

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It's been a while since I posted but here's an update or two.

Today I ran the 1" pex up to the shower valve. I haven't framed the shower valve yet but basically the valve has 3/4" outlets...I'm using 1" PTC (push to connect) x 3/4" MPT to connect to the valves and then a 1" elbow. I went with 1" because I want to maximize my flow and minimize my friction when filling this large (66" x 32" x 22") 70 gallon tub. I have a 3/4" copper main that transitions to 1" pex post sediment filtration. I also need to upgrade my water meter from 5/8" => 3/4" which will give me about 1.4x the volume.

All the electrical is pretty much done. I have a whip set up for the flush mount electric 1000W wall heater. I do still need to pick out a vanity. Got my head around how I'm going to install the trap for the Ikea 4-drawer vanity.

Once I connect the shower controls I can then set the tub.

Here's the Legend 1" ptc shut off valves the local plumbing supply had.

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Elbows. 1" pex is super hard to bend and I didn't feel like I had enough room for the hot side.

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Tee for the hot side.

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Tee for the cold side

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Lordoftheflies

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Here you can see both tees.

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Up to the vanity area in 3/4" pex.

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I will use a 3/4" x 1/2" x 1/2" tee for the cold side and a 3/4" x 1/2" reducer for the hot side.

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Lordoftheflies

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Finished bracing the mixing valve, diverter, tub spout, and shower head today. Used sharkbite fittings, teflon, and megaloc on the threads. Deburred and sanded the copper piping. I had a 5' piece of "M" 1/2" copper so that's what I ended up using. Had to get another piece as well. Was debating whether or not to use "L" but since I had a piece already I decided to use what I had.

I had to nail in the diverter - screws were too big to get into the tiny holes. That seems to hold it really well though and with the copper piping everything is pretty solid.

I bought some 1.25" emt straps to hold the mixing valve in but they ended up being too short so I'll have to swap those out for 1.5". Nothing moves unless you put a crazy amount of force so the straps will be there to just prevent any accidental movement. '

Pretty happy with the bracing - used 2x4 with a spare piece of 3/4 finish wood. There is a tiny split on the copper strap but that strap isn't actually doing too much - I used it to prevent the valves from falling but turns out I didn't need it.

4" brass lead free nipples. I hope it's alright to turn the drop ear sideways - can't really imagine a reason why that wouldn't work.

Nail plates are in throughout the bathroom for both plumbing and electrical. Tomorrow I will connect the water lines and maybe the tub spout and shower head just to make sure everything works properly.

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Lordoftheflies

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The 2x4 bracing sits behind the studs....the 3/4" piece is inside to get the depth correct. I figured about 1.25" comprising of 5/8" kerdi board, thinset, and 1/4" subway tile.
 

Lordoftheflies

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Hooked up the 1" pex water lines today to the shower mixing valve. I temporarily installed the shower arm and the tub spout and tested the functionality of the mixing valve and diverter......and happy to report all is working exactly as expected. I'm getting super nice flow out of the tub spout. I can tell I get plenty of flow at the shower head.

I also hooked up the water lines for the vanity as well as the toilet.

Used 1/2" sharkbite drop ears for tub spout, shower head, toilet, and vanity connections. I like being able to rotate these fittings to reduce the stress on the pex tubing.

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Used a strap to keep the lines coming out of the floor from actually resting on the 1900 box for the toilet bidet.

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The short hot water pipe was a little bent - that's not from anything pulling down.

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Lordoftheflies

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Ended up putting the shower way up there about 85". I'm 6' tall but the wife is a midget. This may end up being a problem for her.....but too bad, too sad. :D

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Lordoftheflies

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This is awesome, I can't wait to see the finished product.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate that.

Today I picked up some (of the ugliest) chrome plated brass nipples at the orange box store. Hooked up my dahl 1/4 ball valve shut offs for the vanity and the toilet and temporarily connected my Ikea faucet to test it out. Removed the 1.2gpm restrictor because it was taking too long to get hot water (and plus I always remove my restrictors!)

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Here's a pic of the back of the shower showing the braces. Those suckers are solid.

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Going to pick up some kerdi board and some modified and unmodified thinset. Will set the tub and then lay my second layer of plywood on the floor. Then I can install the ditra although I still need to figure out exactly what I'm doing with the vanity. Was looking at this Kohler Verdera 40" x 30" 3-panel vanity but it's kind of expensive though I do like the ample storage. Of course being a man who shaves his head, all I need is a handful of things in the bathroom - bar of soap, shampoo, shaver, shaving cream, head shaving clippers, toothbrush, and toothpaste. My wife on the other hand.........

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Lordoftheflies

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I've ordered the following. Got a Lowe's credit card and got $100 off of $600 or more. Woot.

I haven't picked out the tile yet...but I'm leaning towards just using a glossy white 3" x 6" subway tile for the walls of the bathroom probably 5' up from the floor - American Olean al cheapo from Lowes that I used for my kitchen. For the walls of the tub I'll use a larger square glossy white tile maybe 4" x 4". I'm not too keen on the look of LFT and I don't need any fancy mosaic highlights or whatever.

I'm keeping it simple stupid. Probably go with a large square white tile for the floor as well.

I was going to go with the Schluter All-set modified thinset for the plywood-Ditra space.........and then Schluter's set unmodified for the kerdi band, and in between the Kerdi board and the tub tile as well as for the floor tile.

It's kind of expensive though. Best price I found was on ecomfort.com:

Unmodified Set White $33
Modified All-set White $46

I don't have very much square footage. Just about 60 sq ft for the floor, and about the same for the tub (32" x 66"). I figured 2 bags of modified for the subfloor-to-ditra, 4 bags for the floor and tub tile, plus maybe 3 or 4 bags of modified for the rest of the bathroom walls.

I've never tiled with thinset before. All I've done is some minor work using subway tile and mastic to finish the last row of tile in the kitchen when the tile guy just bailed.

Should be fun. I will probably experimentate a bit.

So should I go with the Schluter stuff? Laticrete? Kerabond? CBP Versabond? The versabond is readily available at the orange big box store at like $13 a bag for the modified. Is the Schluter really 3x *better*? Is versabond a "premium" unmodified thinset?

Local place has the schluter stuff for a bit cheaper actually. $37 and $26. Still more expensive than Mapei Ultraflex II modified $26 and Kerabond unmodified $22.

Anyone want to chime in on what kind of sheetrock I should use for the rest of the bathroom outside of the tub/shower alcove? I'm thinking the purple stuff from Lowe's......

I'll be tiling the shower area all the way to the ceiling with the 1/2" Kerdi board so I guess 1/2" for the ceilings and the rest of the bathroom.

I emailed the Schluter rep and asked him if the warranty will be void if I use Mapei thinset.
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DIYorBust

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I continue to be impressed by this thrifty and practical bathroom remodel. My one recommendation: thinset is cheap and you won't be buying that much. I think a premium Thinset will make your life easier. I found prolite from HD was much more forgiving on vertical surfaces, and could be built up a bit where conditions weren't perfect. Other brands have similar products, sometimes sold as LFT mortars. An experienced tiler doing dozens of projects might find this a waste of money, but I thought it was worth the ten bucks a bag or so. You have a limited working time once thinset is mixed so it's nice to have a little margin of error when learning. But since all your surfaces look plumb and level, a cheap mortar should work okay too. Just something to consider.
 

Lordoftheflies

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Thanks DIYorBust. I think Mapei is considered a premium brand and based on me research Ultraflex II seems to be pretty popular. I got a reply from my rep regarding the warranty. If you use Schluter's thinset, it gets upgraded to a lifetime warranty. If not, Mapei is approved. Here's the conversation. I thought people were joking when they said that Schluter wants the address of the framer.

Me: I wanted to ask you if it is ok to use non-schluter thinset for my ditra (floor) and the shower/tub (kerdi). I was planning on following the proper procedure and using modified thinset between the plywood subfloor and the ditra…and the using unmodified between the ditra and the floor tile. I will use unmodified for all kerdi band locations and also use unmodified in the shower on top of the Kerdi Board.

Local place has Mapei Ultraflex II Modified thinset as well as Mapei Kerabond unmodified. Will my warranty be void if I use these thinsets instead of the schluter all set and set?

Schluter: You are good with a 10 year warranty with the Mapei products you listed in the way you proposed. Great products i had many years of great success with them. If you use our thinset we bump it up to lifetime !! Good luck !!!

Me: What are the requirements for the warranty? Someone said you had to provide the address of the framer. I am the framer. :D

Schluter:
Go to our website, click on warranty registration, it will want location. Proof of purchase products used not much more. Lifetime will be different from basic. So just look at the website and you will see it all.

On a related note going to pick up some Sakrete Sand Mix (Topping and Bedding) from HD to set the tub. Wish me luck! Going to follow jadnashua's post from another thread HERE

Most 'thinset' mortars are not designed to be thick enough, are quite sticky, and not what you need. Another choice is a sand topping mix (really cheap) that is mostly sand with some portland cement in it. You can buy it premixed at about a 3:1 sand/cement mixture. When used to make a shower pan, you generally want more sand in it, but for bedding a tub, the off-the-shelf version at 3:1 is good...the higher cement ratio means it squishes easier. Lay some piles out, squish the tub down so it is plumb and level, then leave it for awhile. If you try to make a solid bed at the right height, you'll likely never get it done. Mix in enough water so that it is damp, holds together if you squeeze a clump, but doesn't drip water. Using too much water can make it shrink as it cures. It doesn't flow, or act like a cement mix you'd use to make a sidewalk, or foundation...it will look sandy - more like wet beach sand.
 

Lordoftheflies

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Schluter has a workshop part 1 for ditra and kerdi June 5th and 6th near me. I think I might just attend since I'm in no *serious* rush and am still waiting for the parts to arrive. Also that will give me an opportunity to test out the Schluter's thinset and see how easy (or not) it is to work with.
 
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Lordoftheflies

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Wow it's Memorial Day Weekend so silly me thought it would be the perfect opportunity to use a $50 coupon perhaps and pick up a nice quality shower curtain and liner for a 66" bathtub. Well guess what? It's impossible. Standard shower curtains are 72 x 72......and standard tubs are 60". So I'm figuring I need a 78 x 72 or maybe an 80 x 72....but I can't find anything in that size. I currently have a Hookless one that barely fits with a curved rod.....so add that into the equation as well. Waduheck!
 

Jadnashua

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THe vast majority of tubs sold in the USA are 60", so you'll find lots of accessories for them. I, too, opted for a 66" tub (although I really would have liked a 72" one, but not enough room). Very few places make stock, off the shelf, bypass glass enclosures for the 66", either. I ended up with one that I really have ended up hating, made by Kohler. One of these days, I'll probably go and have a custom one made with decent hardware.

I've been to a few Schluter workshops. You'll gain confidence for your project, and it's worth it. Generally, all you need is a referral from the area rep to get in.

Consider using some profiles for your changes of plane. Then, you won't ever need to install or reinstall caulking. With white tile, you should have an easy color match. If the style and budget would benefit, they do make some in stainless steel and in anodized aluminum. Pay particular attention to the warning to immediately wipe off any grout or thinset on the finished surfaces when cleaning up, otherwise, it may discolor or be a major pain to remove later. They've added some new things to their line this year to include some interesting tile-in shelves that just go in a grout joint while setting the tile, and they've had niches made of Kerdiboard for a long time.
 
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