There are probably a lot of things that I can't do, or can't do well, but I haven't found that many of them. Maybe they just haven't come up in my life. I mean, I'll be honest, I can't fly a plane (but I'm arrogant enough to think that I could if it were really required!), and I can't play an instrument worth a crap (but I could if I really, really practiced). Ok, you get the idea, there is very little that I don't think I can do. However, I've come to realize there are some things that will take more practice and patience than I am currently capable of. One of them is drywall taping and mud applications. (No comments on my inability to have a long-term relationship, or the fact that I've obviously had some practice!)

Well, at any rate, I put the first application of drywall mud and taping on the walls of the bathroom today. As usual, it took much longer than it should have, and it was a terrible job, but I'm planning on a lot of sanding... I don't have Annie this weekend, so my regular assistant was missing. Fortunately, I had a substitute. Lilo was available for consulting, and paid the price. You see, for every five pounds of mud applied, one pound was necessarily applied to me. As a helper, Lilo took his fair share.

The white near his bum is not his normal coloring. I really tried to get him to stay away from the wall I was working on at any given time, but he refused to listen. I appreciated the company, though, and I hope Lilo got something out of it beside a coating of what will be rock by tomorrow. He is still in the bathroom surveying our handywork.

It remains to be seen if I can clean up the mess I’ve made… But hey, I can do anything, right?

Specialized in creating cat molds...

Yet another job for which I will never leave my post as an engineer: laying tile. However, the tile in the bathroom is down and grouted. With any luck (and a reservoir of energy), I'll seal it Monday.

And, no, it really isn’t a curved application (although that’d be cool!). I used a wide-angle lense to take the picture… Also, in case you are wondering, the gate is not to keep Annie or me out, it’s to keep Sandy from claiming the room as a catbox… The tile was put in last weekend, and I never got to working on it during the week. I started clean-up this morning to put in the grout. A note to those first-timers like me: spend the time to clean up the thin-set mortar that creeps up in the cracks. I spent several hours this morning cleaning the cracks. At first, I went at it by hand. I hadn’t made it very far before I was cramping all through my forearms. Insert your own “wuss” comment here. I decided to take some advice that I was given (very hard for me), and pulled out the Dremel tool. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a bit that would do the job. So? Annie and I piled into the truck, and went down town. The very helpful assistant at the local hardware store took me right to the Dremel bits, and I found the one that would work. Further advice: buy more than one. I went at the task of cleaning out the cracks, and by the time I was done, the 3/32 bit that had score marks for carving “things” looked like a needle.... no exaggeration.

Annie wanted to help so bad, but there were limited opportunities for her. Gifted child that she is, she came up with a couple on her own. Before I grouted, I put drywall mud on the screwheads. She suggested that she could tell me where they were. That was a great idea. We went over all the holes in the middle of the walls, and she cleaned up what I dropped on the floor. By the time I was done with that particular task, she was saying “Daddy, try not to drop any on the floor”.  Which was good guidance, as I was purposely flinging drywall mud on the floor every chance I had.

As I prepared the tile grout, she wanted to help further. Note to those who are not versed in this (like me): buy a drill bit that stirs. I pulled out a stick of wood from the copious surplus in the garage, and sat on the deck looking like I was churning butter. Annie came up with a desire to help, and she went at it. She did great. I think the consistency of the grout by the time we were done was perfect. We let it set, and then stirred it again.

After the first application, I had grout everywhere. It’s like when I paint. Actually, it’s like any home-based improvement I do. There are certain things that are guaranteed.

1) I will make a mess beyond the area I’m working on, and

2) I will bleed at some point.

The second point is a genetic inheritance from my father. My dad is incredibly gifted at building and construction, but he always bleeds. My best bet moving forward is to simply cut myself, and bleed on everything before I start. It’s going to happen, I might as well get it out of the way. While cleaning out the cracks in the tile, I used a utility knife and what I think is a wallpaper knife (no clue, but it’s a great tool). Sure enough, the utility knife slipped several times, and I began to bleed. The good news? I have many cuts in my hand that were so superficial they didn’t bleed at all. Probably the result of callouses over the years. The same reason that I can run barefoot down the road and not feel anything.

At any rate, the tile is obviously in. That’s a big step. The next thing that I hate to do is drywall mud. The incredible cost that is required by people that do this for a living is totally warranted. It’s the devil’s work. I have one seam on the drywall that happens at a stud that is twisted, so it’s not flat. I’m absolutely pissed, but there’s nothing I can do. My sister, who has a scrutinous eye for detail, would probably make the contractor take off the drywall, and sand down the stud to provide a flat surface. (If this doesn’t make her read my blog, nothing will… here ears are probably burning right now.) But, since I’m the owner, and the contractor, it ain’t happenin’. I’ll tape it, and texture it, and pray for the wierd light in the room to make it go away…

One more task down, and Annie is pestering me to continue the drywall mud. My father’s and my ex-father-in-law’s expertise in this area must be genetically instilled in her. She’s already told me I don’t have enough mud for the job. I should probably just point her to the drywall knives and the bucket, and let her go…

Too cheap for a contractor...

My bathroom remodeling continues, despite obstacles. I finished putting the greenboard on all the walls early this morning. All the walls are now insulated for sound, as much as heat containment. I cleaned the floor and prepared for my first tile job.

As I was arranging the first two rows of tile to see how it was going to line up, I noticed that part of the floor did not appear to have dried all the way... and it should have. I had left last night's copper-sweat job until this morning to make sure it would hold. I didn't have to stare at the water stain on the floor for long to realize that something had gone wrong when I installed the last piece of drywall.

Sure enough, after I removed the drywall, there was a pinhole leak in the pipe. If you really want a lesson in frustration, try re-heating a sealed copper pipe that still has some water in it... I finally managed to get it to come loose, moments before I was ready to resign to buy new couplers and cut the pipe. It's now sitting on the floor cooling off for another try.

To further complicate matters, it would seem enough water soaked into the subfloor that the backerboard is loose... Somehow, I don't think the tile is going in this weekend. I've reserved tomorrow before I pick up Annie for cleaning and laundry. The detritus from the last few days is stacked up everywhere.

Oh well. With a little bit of luck, I'll get the plumbing back together, fix the backerboard, and call it a night...

You know, I can still hear my old director telling my boss that I was rich, and could afford 'things'. This was the same man who was having his bathroom done by someone else in marble. Wish I knew where all my money from being rich has gone... Oh yeah, mortgage, daycare, food, clothing, pet supplies, electricity, and propane. That pretty much leaves me the $1.35 in change I have in my pocket. Still, I have the $1.35 until Annie finds it and puts it in her piggy bank... to buy a horse.


Update: 7:00 pm - I believe I have repaired the leak. Of course, I thought it was solid before, too...
Tired, and feeling like griping

Since Annie wasn't in school this week, I took the week off to work (with her) on the bathroom. Granted, I had come to a point where she could help only a little, but she knows her help is vital. I had procrastinated long enough on the next step: installing the tub. Fortunately, when I finally realized I couldn't get it from the garage to the bathroom without some sort of help, I'd gone to the neighbors to see if they have a handtruck. Even better, friend Andy was there. Andy has always been willing to help, and I traded him a beer for helping me get the tub to the bathroom. He will never know how grateful I am, despite my repeated thanks.

Well, that was Sunday. When I saw the tub standing on end in the bathroom, I decided that I could fit it in place with the total drain assembly. So, Monday morning, I assembled the tub drain. This should have been easy, but my overflow cover was a two-holer, and the drain assembly was for a one-holer. I managed to carefully modify the drain assembly to handle the two-holer, and got the whole assembly cemented together. I was ready for installation. I carefully manhandled the tub to begin placement. The five foot tub was to fit in the five foot opening on the far wall. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it proved impossible last night. In frustration, I gave up before I broke something (like the very expensive jet-tub).

The morning is wiser than the evening, and I awoke refreshed (well, sort of, if you read my last post). I realized that there was no way it was going in with the drain assembly attached, and regretfully removed it. I tried installing it again, from the opposite direction of the day before. I got closer, but it was still stuck. After staring for a while, I had some ideas for gaining the extra half inch it appeared I needed for it to slip into place. Before I started cutting, I tried one more time. Thank goodness it wasn't cast iron like the last tub, and it has handle assists on the tub, which made it almost manageable. Carefully, carefully, I shifted it a little more, and it slid down into place. I couldn't believe it. Of course, it didn't sit level on the 2x4 brace I mounted on the back wall. I pushed and shoved, and couldn't find the problem. Finally, I felt along the back rim, and found a spot where the fiberglass stuck out, and seem to be interfering with the fit. I trimmed it off, and? It fit. Unfortunately, I still needed to lay the mortar base, so I had to take it out again.

I mixed a bag of mortar, poured it on the floor, and smoothed it out. I covered it with a plastic sheet and replaced the tub. The mortar was too thick. I couldn't get it to sit level. I removed the tub... again... and scraped some of the mortar out. This time, I left a groove down the middle in hopes that it might spread a little with applied pressure. I put the tub back, and pressed it down firmly (jumped up and down). It was fairly level now, but it rocked a little. There was no mortar in one corner. Afraid to lift it back out again, I stuck a 2x4 under the tub, and scooped mortar in with my hands. I used my valuable and precise leveling techique again (jumped up and down), and it seemed to be stable.

So? Now I have the tub in...

Of course, now I have to put the drain assembly in from under the house. Rest assured, if I can’t do it from down there, I’ll rip out the shower on the other side of the wall before that tub comes out again. I didn’t get the tub in without a little damage, though.  There are a couple of chips in the shell at the bottom on each corner. They should be covered by the tile and greenboard, though.  If the tub has to come out any time in the future, I’ll either hire someone, or move.

Bring on the greenboard...

The first wind came around 1:00 pm (and no, that wasn't breaking wind). Sporadic winds have come along each time I thought I'd have to take a nap, and now that I've been up for 24 hours I find myself unable to go to sleep. I wouldn't care much, except that Lilo the Cat and I have been having some great socio-feline conversations over the past hour, and I understand him way too well. I had no idea he had such a foul mouth. He's been trying to use the Jedi Mind Trick on me to channel another post, but I've been able to resist so far.

I talked with my parents this morning, and my dad said that I should do something fun today, given my sluggishness. I've never been one to contradict my dad, so I spent the day working on my photoblog. I learned a lot (would have taken my designer a tenth of the time, but what the heck). Mindy coerced convinced listened to my whining about my feelings regarding the standard photoblog, and got me on the right track. So, you better frickin' take a look. Of course, as of right now, I only have pictures of Annie riding a horse. But at least it's functional in a way that appeals to me. If anyone has issues with the format, let me know, please.

Zombied