One of the items our inspector alerted us to was the tile/grout in the full bathroom. It was in need of replacing as there was chips and missing grout between the tiles. This is our only full bathroom in the house, and our only way to shower moving grime off. I naively thought, I can do this in like--one day. Then, I can shampoo all the rugs, pick out paint and paint the ENTIRE HOUSE. Yeah, I know, I overshot that one a bit.
Being the enterprising young lady I am, I thoughtfully Googled and visited my favorite homesites including Young House Love, Family Handyman, and others that I do not remember to figure out how to do it.
I have learned some hard life lessons tips along the way that I would be happy to share.
1. When doing an entire shower surround, a hand grout saw will just not do the job. I would have saved HOURS by purchasing my handy dandy Dremel Multi-max with the grout blade. Even with the Dremel, I needed a quick run to my Home Depot for a second blade. (I went to Home Depot completely covered in grout dust (except for my mouth which was covered with a mask, and my goggle lines).
2. I have read this countless times, but projects always take longer than anticipated. I barely hit the 'okay to shower' in our bathroom prior to move-in.
3. My list of things to 'do before move in', turned into a frantic...finish the bathroom already! This is a marathon, not a sprint. As I sit here typing, I still have not shampooed (the carpet cleaner is not working properly, and let's be realistic, it's just not a priority), or painted one wall, or even put paint samples up!
4. Don't be afraid to ask the experts for help and tips. I went to the Tile Shop as recommended by Young House Love when they gutted a bathroom in their first home. They honored the discount in the store, and matched the grout and caulk perfectly! They also provided me with a couple of hints about dry time and showerability (pretty sure that's not a word). I have since berated inquired at other home stores including Lowe's and Home Depot for assistance and have been impressed with the help!
In the end, I am very happy about the pre-work (searching the Internet) I did before beginning this project...and fingers crossed, we are still looking good!
My apologies for lack of photos...still trying hard to remember to photograph our progress.
