ifixyouhouse

Finally got around to redoing the shower in the hall bathroom (kids’ bath). Here was this deal with this bath:

• The shower didn’t work.
• The fixtures dripped… which got worse and worse as we used this shower.
• The tub was grimy and gross.
• There was no drain stopper - which didn’t matter because the tub wouldn’t drain properly anyway.
• One wall of the shower was a quick half-done tile job, while the other two walls were cheap glue-on shower liners that were peeling off. 

So…

• Redid all the copper plumbing so the water flow to the shower works properly.
• Replaced drain assembly (see previous post) so the water drains properly.
• Removed the tile wall and peeled off the shower liner. It was gross, and there was some water damage to the wall behind the liner - though not as bad as I had expected. Replaced the damaged drywall with mildew/moisture-resistant board.
• Installed a new shower liner. Went back and forth on this for a while, because I’d actually prefer to tile the shower. It looks nicer and adds more value - but I just don’t have time. Compromised and got the thickest liner I could find (most of the liners at Home Depot/Lowes are just junk - I can crinkle the shelves with a light squeeze. Not this one though. Nice and thick.) 
• Installed new bath/shower hardware.
• After installing the liner, there was about an inch-and-a-half of damaged, unpainted wall still showing, so I ended up putting a tile border around the shower.
• Scrubbed the tub with a heavy cleaner. Most of the gunk on the tub was actually old caulk, which scraped off with a razor blade. The tub is steel coated with enamel - got some appliance repair paint and touched up a couple chips. Looks like a new tub now.

Plumbing problems in the hallway bathroom. Been meaning to redo the shower liner for a while and replace the old corroded fixtures - but while attempting to remove the old chrome ring around the tub drain, I discovered that the drain pipes were disconnected. Dang.

This meant cutting a hole in the master bedroom closet to access the backside of the tub to get to the drain fixture. Then it meant some hacksaw work to get the corroded brass fixtures off the tub. Ugh.

Once that was done, I rebuilt a PVC version of the original brass pipes and attached it to the tub. Voila.

Now instead of repatching the wall in the master closet, I’ll make an access panel to the back of the tub. Just in case.

BONUS: This tub has drained slowly since we got the house. The culprit was a plastic shampoo bottle lid wedged inside the brass drain pipes. Now it drains much quicker.

Next major house renovation - new insulation and vinyl siding to replace the old aluminum stuff.

Master bathroom vanity and hardware installed.

Operation: Fix Master Bathroom has officially begun. (A year and a half after moving in. Sorry, sweet wife.) The plumbing needed to be moved from the right side of the wall to something more centerish to make room for the nice vanity we got for this space. This meant using a torch and soldering copper pipe, which was way easier than I thought, until one section had a pinhole leak.

After a couple burns and an unintentional steam bath, quickly learned that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a DIY plumber to put solder on a copper pipe with that has water in it. Had to cut that section back off, but there was still residual water in the original section of pipe. The solution? Shove a chunk of bread way back in that section of pipe just before you solder on the new section. The bread plugs the water long enough to get the pipe dry and attach the new section, then dissolves once you turn the water back on. Thank you, Internet.