Master Bathroom Chronicles: Part 2 - The Floor

So we got rid of the carpet (Yay!), but needed a floor.

The long range plan includes radiant heat so we didn't want to go the peel and stick tile route because we didn't want to have to unstick those tiles at a later date.  Which, by the way, sucks ass.   The glue factor also eliminated a vinyl floor too, so what options did we have?

Off to the trifecta (Menards, Home Depot & Lowe's).  We know that click and lock floating floors are a big mistake in bathrooms (think moisture), but were willing to go that route because we didn't want to spend too much money on this and we didn't want to glue anything down.

Then we found the solution at Lowe's.  Vinyl flooring that adheres to itself and not the floor!!

Look:

 See the adhesive strip to the right of the flooring?
It sticks to the back of the next tile you put down.

So basically the floor is one, big, glued together (but not glued to the floor) piece of plastic-ish vinyl.  And we love it.  It is recommended for use in high moisture areas - BONUS.

Action shots:

We enlisted Will to peel the backing paper off the tiles.
It went much faster that way.
Not really, but we wanted him to help.  

Look how easy this is.  John used a utility knife to make the cuts.
We didn't have a lot of swearing or mistakes, so I'm going to
assume that part was relatively easy :) 

Staggered seams.   

So we thought it would take a couple of hours, but forgot about cuts around the shower and vanities and toilet, so it took a little more than 3 hours.  But we took breaks for lunch and running kids around, so it probably could be done in 2 if you have experience with making cuts with a utility knife.

A couple of notes:

we didn't pull the toilet, we just laid the floor right up to it

mistake?  hopefully not, if all goes to plan, this floor will be gone in 2 or so years

make sure to stagger the seams so it looks (kinda) like a wood floor

Wow, really that's all there was to it.  Kind of unbelievable really.  We lived with and hated the white carpet in the bathroom for 8 months and then one day we decide we can't stand it any longer and within 1/2 a day, the carpet is gone and we have a new! improved!! floor.  Kind of love it when something you think is going to be a huge problem turns out to be not so huge.  

Cost breakdown:

We bought 4 boxes at about $23 each at Lowe's, and ended up returning one box.  So this entire floor cost us about $70.  Woo to the Hoo.

Before, during and afters...

BEFORE

So sad.

That is the cleanest that carpet ever looked. 

LAST CHANCE TO ENJOY THE CARPET

Still very sad.
At least the wallpaper is gone,
so things are looking better.

Please notice how gross the carpet looks.

DURING

Even more sad, look at the wonky trim (removed for the flooring install)
and
It appears that the subfloor has been patched at one point, awesome. 

AFTER

And done.

Still sad though.

Poor little squatty toilet, it needs some company back in it's lonely corner. 

More action shots:

I'd have some more pictures to share, but right after I took the picture above, I dropped the camera.  Now the camera is broken.  

I am fully aware of the irony of removing plushy carpet which most certainly would have cushioned the fall and protected the camera and replacing it with a not-so-plush vinyl product which did nothing to protect the camera from it's fate.  

I call this Mary Ellen's revenge.  

Mary Ellen was the lovely lady who built the home over 30 years ago and made all of the design decisions.  Occasionally when I remove something particularly hideous and pat myself on the back about it, Mary Ellen comes back from beyond and kicks me in the ass.

I'm still beyond happy with the floor and am willing to sacrifice a camera for the cause.  My only hope is that one day, Mary Ellen and I will come to terms with each other and be able to live in harmony.  

Next up, part 3.  Paint and lighting