Friday was Sarah’s 29th birthday; we are looking forward to having a birthday celebration this Saturday for her and Grayson.
I still got to see her on her actual birthday because she and Gage stopped by work for a few minutes. Gage took a picture to commemorate the twenty-nine years she has blessed our lives with her life.
I’ve shown a few before and after areas of our home but realized I had never shown the hall bath, which underwent the biggest transformation of any other area.
I’ll start with what the bathroom looked like when Ken and Vernie lived here.
When we moved in and added all of our stuff, it didn’t do much to improve the situation. I can not begin to tell you how overwhelmed I got during the process of moving into a home that still had stuff in it. Messes upon messes.
Sarah and Gage moved in with us for two months and were a huge help in so many ways. We all knew that the first thing that had to go was that wallpaper. Isn’t removing wallpaper so much fun?
More scenes from the Great Wallpaper Massacre.
that ripping out all that pink tile would be inordinately expensive, we were reconciling ourselves to living with the 60-year-old tile for the rest of our lives. And so, after the wallpaper was gone, we got busy trying to figure out which paint and accessory colors would go well with so much pink.
You may even remember this photo I posted it to ask if anyone had any ideas about what we could do with a toothbrush holder too small for modern toothbrushes and a soap holder when we didn’t use bars of soap.
Lots of conundrums to consider in this room. Here is Steve doing some conundrum-considering.
Right in the middle of all of our thinking and pondering about how to live with pink, I happened upon a company advertisement that said they were able to re-color tile instead of ripping it out. And they did it for a fraction of the cost of what new tile would be
So, happily, we put that plan into motion. The pink was leaving!
During the process, we discovered wallpaper that had been there earlier than the current (dated) wallpaper.
A few tiles had to be knocked out and replaced because they had been put in as a temporary solution after a plumbing problem. All the rest is original tile.
Old bathtub area.
Newly re-covered bathtub.
Old bathroom
New bathroom.
Here is the transformation, side by side.
I have to say, it was quite the job and quite the mess. But definitely worth it. Goodbye pink!
What about you?
Have you ever had an “interesting” bathroom? What made it that way?
Have you ever moved into a house that wasn’t all the way cleaned out when you got there?
Do you love or hate hanging wallpaper?
Have your kids started back to school where you are? Our public school just started today. God bless all our students and teachers.
Happy birthday to Sarah! What a celebration to see her turn 29. Your bathroom looks amazing. Our bathroom needs to be redone as water has gotten behind the tile and there is a foul odor in our bathroom that no amount of cleaning or air fresheners will eliminate. We just have to tear it out and do it again. While my husband is one of the handiest people I know, he doesn’t feel confident to retile and rebuild a shower. It seems as if nobody wants to work and we have had the hardest time just getting quotes. I had two people come out and look at it. One came in March and one came in May and neither have gotten us a quote. So, we went with a stinky bathroom. I’m happy you were able to get your bathroom redone.
Lisa,
I think retiling and rebuilding a shower would scare the handiest of handymen. It does seem strange that no one in the area is willing to take on the job. Seems like earning some money would be a good thing. Hoping you can get that straightened out soon!
Your bathroom turned out just beautiful!! I love it!! Such nice color choices. Living in the middle of construction is never fun but so worth it when it’s all done.
We too had a pink bathroom back in the day. We inherited it when we bought our first home. EVERYTHING major was pink. OMG! Tub, sink, toilet, tile, (it was plastic not ceramic). But mint green walls and gold flecked linoleum. Whew. That was one ugly room. We did a few minor changes right away and we made the best of it for several years until we could afford to completely gut it and start over. I sure was glad to see it all go!
Happy belated birthday Sarah!! May Your 29th year be richly blessed!
LeeAnne,
Ooooh. Mint green walls and gold flecked linoleum to go with your pink. You really were “blessed!” 🙂 Glad you were eventually able to make it all go away.
Thanks for your birthday wishes to Sarah. Looking forward to seeing where this year will take her.
Love the bathroom redo! Great to have extra helpers around!! We had the pink in one and the green tile in the other bathrooms in our house when we moved in. We paid to have green taken out and remodel/update that bathroom. Then my husband did the 2nd bathroom after he learned a few things from the contractor. It was quite the experience as he thought he was going to have to cut the tub to get it out. I happen to be in there pondering the tub situation and I said why can’t you just lift it up from one end and stand it up and we can take it out in one piece. He said I’m not sure that will work but lets try it. Well kuddos to me for having the great idea of the year!! It came out and it was easy and not as complicated as he was anticipating. He is very much like Steve. He calls himself the jack of all trades master of none fix it guy. 🙂 All family and friends call on him when they need something fixed. He is a blessing to many!
I have never moved into a house that was not empty.
I have never hung wall paper but I have removed it and I will NEVER hang wall paper! What a job to remove. 🙁
Students and teachers here in VA have been back since the 2nd week of Aug. We have 3 teachers in our family. My daughter, my niece, & my sister in law. YES GOOD BLESS ALL TEACHERS and THE STUDENTS!!!
Happy happy happiest birthday blessings to Sarah
Eswim,
Good for you for coming up with a great idea for moving the tub out. That is a daunting prospect to think of moving such a heavy, awkward item. Glad you guys got ‘er one! You’re blessed to also have a fix it guy in your life.
We hung wallpaper a few time a very long time ago and are planning to never do it again. 🙂
You are a teacher-blessed family, for sure!
My first experience “trying” to remove wallpaper was in a bathroom and I think I got almost as much “wall” as “paper”. Lesson learned: NEVER try to redo a bathroom days before your sister and brother-in-law come to visit for the weekend. The bathroom in the house I grew up in still has the pink tile, a little brighter pink than yours. The colors you chose for the makeover make your “new” bathroom look so much larger and “fresher” – I love the results.
How can Sarah be 29???? That’s only a year away from 30! I hope you all have a great week and enjoy celebrating her this weekend!!
Sue Ellen,
Yes, that is the worst part of removing wallpaper–the wall wants to come along for the ride.
You sound like Steve and me; there are many times we embarked upon some major project before a big event or visit. You would think we would learn but . . . no!
I know, I can’t believe Sarah is a year from thirty, either. So thankful for the years she’s been given.
Love your new bathroom look! Applauding your progress.
Yes, we are also remodelers of parents abode. We share your joys of memories and updated looks. However, we don’t have your husbands handyman talents, so had to hire our help. Proud of what you all have done.
What a journey we have shared, comparing notes.
Happy day, dear friend. 🥰
Cheryl,
Hello, friend! Glad you like the bathroom. You’ll have to try it out in person on your next visit.
Yes, it’s definitely been a journey, hasn’t it? Taking our parents-in-laws’ homes and making them our own. Whew! Thankful for every bit of progress we have both seen.
Happy birthday Sarah!
Thank you, Katrina! We are looking forward to celebrating soon.
Love it! Very refreshing, as Ruth said.
Lesley,
Thanks. It was fun to see the gradual changes finally come together!
Very refreshing change.
Enjoy it. Ruth
Ruth,
Thanks. We are–and will!