Master Bath: Part Ten in a Series. Done!!

 

Ok this is it, guys!  It!  It is done!  Done, I tell you!  The DIY master bath shower renovation saga is complete!  The shower portion, mind you, the shower. 

Holy sh*t, people.

But!  I did it!  A major learning curve later, but voila, tada, I rebuilt, me, I, a non-tradesperson with only theater and self-taught and research behind me, destroyed and rebuilt our entire shower into a leakproof wonder of white tile.

Which, as I lay here in bed with my back all jacked up again, feels a truly monster feat!  ouch...So please pardon the terrible editing of photos and format issues too, yeesch.

Regardless, do not ever let anyone tell you you can't do something, mmk?  Never.

And it is leakproof this thing, truly truly leakproof.  I did it!  Woot!  How do I know?  Because technically, heh, the shower has been complete for quite a while now (yikes I'm bad at being current lately, so sorry) and there are no leaks anywhere, at all, none, no, zero.

This calls for the biggest ever butt wiggle dance.  I'll be back in like twenty!

Ok!

So last we left off, my babe and I installed the glass shower door.*  Amazingly without breaking it.  Considering how many times it had to be shipped, we were very careful.

Soooo, all that was left was finishing up!

First, had to clean up the grout mess.  And mess it was, whooie.  Hours of scraping, literally hours I tell you, scraping.  That damn fast-set grout is a bitch.  Me and a plastic putty knife* and a damp rag and scraping grout off the tile.  Hoooouuurrrss.

Even though I used that grout bag* which helped a ton, there was still quite a mess.

Sure, of course, it takes me one sentence to tell you but seriously, it was days worth of scraping.

I reinstalled the teak shelf* we had in the original shower, the very first thing I bought for this house actually.  Us ladies need a foot rest for shaving them shapely legs, amiright?  So, heh, yes, that shower shelf went back in.  Why not build a little niche for footies?  The pocket door, it's in the way.

Thanks Finn, your sniffs are helpful!

Before it went back in though, I gave it some lovin' with teak oil.*

After that it was caulking everywhere that was necessary without being goopy and gross about it.  I caulked the top of the faucet handle, where the shelf meets the wall, added layers of caulk protection around the shower door framing......in the niche?  I can't remember.  

It appears I used this Gorilla brand clear caulk and it is holding up.

But caulk.  Make sure it's at minimum the 100% silicone type* as it's more durable.  Personally, I went for the Gorilla brand* as it claimed to never yellow.  Then I made sure to let it cure for over twenty four hours.  Just 'cuz.  Better safe than sorry.

In that meantime, I did juice the grout* and sprayed the floor* with multiple coats of sealers.  Ya know, being a freakshow paranoid maniac about leaks since grout and unglazed tile are serial slurpy water vacuums.

Picked this as it says it seals the tiles as well as the grout.  Plus, spray on, can't beat convenience.  I think I used the same sealer for the wall tiles as I did the backsplash.

Then after that?  I spurted RainX* all over the glass doors.

Even though I used RainX on the doors, I did purchase a shower squeegee* and kindly asked Mike to use it post-shower every.single.time.  And guess what?  He actually does!  Shocked, I tell you, shocked. Thanks babe!

I didn't think he would but after installing the door with me, that maybe has something to do with it.  A little personal investment goes a long way, heh.

There's even RainX glass cleaner* too, if you're so inclined.  I did buy a bottle, just keep forgetting to use it.  More often than not, I'm using the stuff under "cleaning" in my tips section.

All that was left was....what....wait, what, nothing?.....what?.....and omg, I cannot believe it.....it's.....

.....wow, I I, I guess that's it.  

The shower is done?  Done?!  Yes!!  DONE!!!

That's it!  Now to fix that wall edge...

OMG it's DONE!!

Before.....ACK!!!  Visual harassment!  

What was the total cost for this fiasco?  Well....let's see.  Honestly I didn't keep a solid running record but I can do an approximation.  If it's not listed, it's because I already had it or forgot about it:

• demo:  $ pain and suffering and a lil' bit of joy
• plastic sheeting:  $5
• cement board:  $45
• cement board screws:  $6
• waterproofing:  $45
• skim coat and patch:  $20
• new drain:  $8
• new shower hardware:  $130
• a**shole plumber:  $400
• wall tile:  $340
• floor tile:  $30
• pencil tile:  $10
• curb tiles:  $15
• metal tile edging:  $12
• tile mortar:  $45
• grout:  $25 or so
• grout bag:  $5
• caulk:  $8
• glass shower door:  $380

Total-ish cost?  $1530-ish

Wow, so it was expensive but you know what?  I am a serious shopper, that's what.  Wow.  

This view shows my one major tiling mistake.  Can you find it?  It drives me bonkers.

This venture could have cost easily three times as much.  Or more.  So this DIY business, while it ain't speedy (in my house), it is a money-saver.  Big time.  

This was the most expensive project, well, indoors, that was a DIY, that I shopped for and installed.  Heh, and of course the smallest amount of square feet.  Isn't that the way?!

It's really quite difficult to get a good shot of anything in here, the room is so narrowly tight.

But whooooooieee, it's done!  And the whole point of this?  To fix a leak.  And know what?, the leak is gone.  Gone!  I did it!  Woot!  

The shower hardware looks nice.  Hardly looks like, nor functions like, a cheapie set. Too bad that handle isn't set right though, ugh.

Do I have any regrets?   Oooooh of course!  I wish I had picked a more fun and/or cooler tile.  White shows eeevvvveryyything.  Wish I had stuck with a lighter color grout.  Wish I had gone for a shower set with a sprayer to help rinse the shower itself after cleaning.

Shower niche, artsy shot I guess, heh.  Niche isn't perfect but it's pretty close.

Overall though?  I'm pretty pleased.  Yay!

May be a tad creepy to see my feeties but I'll tell ya, this was the most satisfying shower I have ever taken in my entire life.

To read the whole series from the beginning, start here!  To read more about the master bath in general, click here!

I know, repeat image but I'm really proud of this shower and my accomplishments.

*The grout bags, shower shelves, putty knives, teak oil, silicone caulk, Gorilla brand caulks, grout sealers, RainX, shower squeegee, and RainX glass cleaner are Amazon affiliate links.  The glass shower doors link is an eBay affiliate link.  Mwah, thanks!  Please see the "boring stuff" tab for more info.