Need to replace one-piece fiberglass shower/tub

[Zanne]

Swept and vacuumed until shopvac clogged. Still need to clean more thoroughly. Vacuumed on top and rolled it up to vacuum under. Found a couple mouse holes I need to plug (one near bathtub corner & another on the wall broom was leaning on). Mice chewed the edges of the vinyl in those spots but fortunately those places will be covered or cut off.


As you can see, this area still needs work. The filthiest part will get cut off. It was hanging over into the bedroom over the carpet. I'm going to have to see if I can carefully pry the carpet edge up to shove the end of the vinyl underneath and then tap carpet back down. I don't plan to pry it up too much. Gonna perimeter tape at corners, doorway, around toilet, and on toekick. I might run it up the toekick a bit if it will cooperate.
I found my flooring tape. Hooray. Debating whether I should let it sit and settle a bit more and flatten it more before taping it down or just going for it if my body will cooperate. I know I'm going to have to wash dishes and cook dinner tonight and hoping I'll have the energy.

I have to keep the door closed to keep cats from running in.

 

[Zanne]

Swept, vacuumed, pulled up nails, removed old bits of flooring that were stuck in the way, had to cut out some of the old carpet that still had remnants left in the bathroom, did perimeter taping (and discovered the stuff sticks to me, my socks, my scissors, but didn't always stick where I wanted). It's more of a glue with paper backing that stays on the floor after paper is peeled off instead of actual tape. Hopefully it will hold. Got the floor to lay as flat as I could manage. It looks a bit wonky in the corner by the closet flange but it won't be visible there (I have a small bathroom trash bin to put there). There is a crease in front of the vanity that I couldn't seem to get out but it will be covered with a bath mat.

I couldn't find my floor cleaner so I used water and lysol but it didn't work very well. I got down and started scrubbing but my body said "nope". Lost daylight and don't have good lighting so I decided to call it a day and work on it tomorrow. But, the floor is now installed! Monday I can try to install the toilet.

Last picture was taken before I cleaned up.

I managed to get the vinyl wedged under the carpet except in the far right corner where some of the old carpet from the bathroom remained. I did my best to tear that crap out but it didn't want to come out so I just tucked as much as I could. I might eventually install some sort of transition trim if I can find something that is soft to step on. I still need to tap the edge of the carpet back down better. Maybe with some sort of block placed over it to make sure it goes flat. It felt more like cardboard than any sort of metal...

I need to vacuum that carpet and pick up that broken mug. LOL.

 

[Zanne]

I mopped the floor again with the cleaner. Grime didn't want to come up so I got down on a kneeling mat and scrubbed the bejeezus out of if square my square.



Finally got a toilet in! Woohoo. My brother was apparently very excited about it and talked to my mother the other day saying how happy he was that I was almost ready to put a toilet in. I like my custom full metal handle that matches the chrome and white theme better than the default Toto handle that has a piece of plastic that breaks off. And yeah, the floor looks wonky to the left of the toilet but that is where the toilet brush, small trash bin, etc will be going.


Next step is to glue a small piece of plastic back on the toilet seat (I really like that seat-- most comfortable one I ever found and they are discontinued) and while that is curing I need to get stuff off the top of the vanity and put it away somewhere. I like my new trash can I found on clearance. That will be for larger items. Smaller stuff can go in a smaller wastebasket.

Update: I glued the piece back on the seat and am waiting for it to cure-- has to cure 24hours.

 

[Zanne]

Cover plate/floor flange put in under the shutoff (btw, those she abutter wipes are antifungal & don't dry your skin out)
This is how the brackets were oriented when the hinge arrived: Installed properly:
I used these bolts which keep the bolts from moving around and protect the porcelain on the inside of the holes from getting scraped/damaged (which is what happened on my mother's toilet). I left the white caps off as they didn't fit.
I've moved stuff since this picture was taken, but it still looks nice:
I'll post more pics later. Got my squatty potty in as well as a bath mat, but I don't like how dark the bath mat is. It looked lighter in the store. Need to change the lightbulb in here bc it keeps flickering and is too yellow and dim. It's so dim that I had to use the flash on my camera to get these pics.
Edit: More pics:

 

[Zanne]

I set the box of the leveling mix on the floor in front of the vanity and discovered that it took out the crease it sat over. So I've moved it over on to the other part of the crease to see if it will flatten it too. It was unintentional but serendipitous.

Last night and this morning I did some cleaning and my laundry cart actually came in handy.

I still need to find someplace to store the stuff that I piled on top of the laundry cart, but at least my vanity is clean enough to use. I have a medium sized plastic bin I can probably put some stuff in and set it on top of the cart.

 

[Zanne]

The lower toilet is not helping my back & knee issues much so when I get around to redoing the DWV system I want to get a 2x12 (pressure treated), cut it to fit the shape of the toilet base, cut the hole for the drain, dryfit the flange and predrill holes for some 4" screws and screw through the flange to secure it to the floor (after I paint it with waterproof paint just in case). I will make sure it is aligned properly before any bolting down. Put the toilet on top, run a bead of caulk around the front and sides & it will be the same height as my friend's toilet-- which is a comfortable height for me. Mom's toilet is a smidge too tall for my comfort. But she's an inch taller than me so it's the perfect height for her.

Someone on houserepairtalk forum recommended this flange: Culwell PC4 Floor Protecting Toilet Flange 4" for sale online | eBay
It says it sits flush to the surface so that might be a good thing. It's normally like $33 to $45 or so but ebay has it "new" and cheaper. Thinking of getting 3 of them if they are actually good. Anyone heard of them before?

Still trying to choose some glue-up walls. I want to include a Delta corner grab bar shelf (which I already have) so I need sharp corners instead of rounded to make it fit. I don't want to spend over $400. I want to use purple board and fibatape moldx10. Thinking of using easysand 90 as the mud. I'd use that in both bathrooms. Mom's only needs it above the shower walls.

Will Drylok work to seal the cut edges of the drywall? Or should I use something else?

Still deciding on baseboard to go next to my tub to hide the 1" board sitting underneath it. I want to go with PVC that I will paint. Will need some cove, shoe, or quarter round bc of the spot the mice chewed in the flooring.

Just got brain freeze.

 

[Zanne]

I decided to do a mockup of the existing bathroom as best as I could. I couldn't find the exact same shower unit on 3dwarehouse but I found the closest one to it and got the color as close as I could. Behold, the fugly in sketchup:

I drew in the best approximation (without measuring) of the weird wall detail near the ceiling. This is a photo of what I'm dealing with.
I think the wall panels didn't go all the way to the ceiling so they did that to be a little extra. In my room they just used cut off strips of plywood to cover the area and some 1x2s at the very top.
So, if the cementboard is cheaper than the purple drywall, I might go with that above the shower and take it up to the first piece of angled trim. I can chamfer the back or just use a bunch of caulk to cover the gap. I'll probably do the latter. or use some sort of trim to cover the gap. They sell some sort of flexible vinyl trim that I could use I suppose.

 

[Zanne]

I'm not sure if I will start this one before or after the guest bathroom and laundry room reno but I'm working out some details. I'm going to make curtains for the window. The current ones just look sad and the green won't match the new colors. The new curtains will be 2 straight panels that are pulled away with tiebacks and there will be an attached valance at the top.
She wants something like this shape for the panels: But with a solid color (Waverly Lapis- I was going to use the picture off the website but the real color is nicer). I used it for the cushion on her lap desk.

For the curtain header (part that hangs over the rod) and valance she wanted this style (I think she's more interested in the bell shapes than the pleats but I will have to confirm) I drew the rod pocket to mimic the style I saw on a different valance. No ruffle above.

Instead of plain hooks, I'm putting in rings because the hooks always come out. I happened to see some rings with elephants on them-- just the kind my mother likes-- although she indicated she may want to bedazzle them. I think they look fine as they are.

She may still have the patience and coordination to add whatever adornments she wants though-- I know I don't have the dexterity for it. I'm going to be getting help with the curtains. LOL.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do about her floor.
Gut it completely and spend the $ to put in a whole new one?
Just patch the part that is messed up and flexing too much?
Cover over it with 1/4" plywood and hope it doesn't flex or squeak too much? (maybe use adhesive)
I am not sure what I'd do about the transition from the carpet to vinyl sheet if the floor is 1/4" higher in the bathroom. I don't want any sort of transition trim that will be uncomfortable to bare feet or that might stick up & pose a tripping hazard. I still have some of the carpet left over so I wonder if I could make some sort of inobtrusive transition.

I also got a Halo 6" LED that is canless and can be installed above the shower (it is specifically rated for wet/shower areas). I want to put one above my shower as well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K6VZST9
It was on sale for under $20.