les toilettes, part deux

One of the most retro features of our house was the rainbow-hued toilets.

Back in March we purchased two new white toilets. But we were in no particular rush to get them installed, and over time the boxed toilets became more like furniture.

Kohler magazine rack and iPhone charging station

However, we finally stopped procrastinating and started the installation process. I'm hosting a baby shower for my sister on Thursday, and along with cupcakes, canapes and champagne, I want my guests to enjoy pristine white toilets.

Thank goodness for the internet, which is full of detailed tutorials. We definitely aren't experts (which will become evident in a minute), but here are some of the steps involved in replacing a toilet.

Step 1 - disconnect the water supply, and flush

Step 2 - empty the remaining water

Step 3 - remove the bolts, then gently rock the toilet to break the seal

Step 4 - remove the toilet, then clean up the gross mess left underneath

Step 6 - go to Home Depot

(Seriously. Why is it that every project involves a trip to the hardware store? In this case it was to pick up new wax seal kits.)

Step 6 - take the old toilets to the dump

 Step 7 - take a break

At this point we stopped documenting the process, because it was getting late and we really needed to have a working toilet. Aaron started installing the downstairs toilet while I made another trip to Home Depot for a tank insulation kit*. I installed the tank insulation while Aaron went to borrow an angle grinder from his dad so he could cut the floor bolts on the downstairs toilet. Aaron started installing the upstairs toilet while I continued with the tank insulation. 

Sadly, work on the upstairs toilet stopped when Aaron realized that the water supply connector was not long enough. (see how sad he looks?)

By that time I had finished the tank insulation, so we still had the downstairs bathroom. Until I read the last step on the instructions, which stated the glue used for the insulation had to dry for 5 hours.

And that is how, on the eve of our second wedding anniversary, we are going to bed without a properly working toilet.

* A toilet insulation kit, or toilet liner kit, is a styrofoam liner that prevents the toilet tank from "sweating".

stripping for dummies

This is how to strip the woodwork in your home, in 9 easy steps:

step 1
Remove all the baseboards and trim.

May 6, 2011

step 2
Arrange baseboards and trim in your garage. Apply stripper.

August 27, 2011

step 3
Scrape stripper off. Then repeat (up to three times if necessary). Sand off the stubborn bits (hooray for power tools!).

September 18, 2011

step 4
Arrange baseboards and trim in your garage. Apply stain (three coats is required).

October 10, 2011

step 5
Bring the baseboards into the house. Try to remember where they go.

November 8, 2011

Just kidding.  I should have mentioned this in step 1 - as you remove all the baseboard and trim, write on the back of each piece what number it is, and create a corresponding map.

step 6
Attach baseboards and trim (more power tools!).

November 19, 2011

The photo above was taken the day before we hosted my extended family (dad's side) for dinner. Aaron was installing the last few pieces in the front hall about half an hour before our guests arrived. A note to all home renovators/procrastinators - inviting people over is the perfect incentive to get jobs done.

step 7
Stain the few random pieces that somehow got missed.

November 20, 2011

step 8

Attach baseboards and trim on the upper level. (In case you haven't figured it out from the timeline provided, we're not exactly the speediest renovators.)

December 10, 2011

The photo above was taken a week before we hosted my extended family (mom's side). See? It's all about inviting people over.


step 9
If necessary, cut baseboards to fit (even more power tools). This particular piece had to be cut because we took out a built-in bookshelf and therefore needed a different size. It also happened to be in the spot where our Christmas tree was going to be, which was the incentive we needed to install it.

December 18, 2011

This was definitely the biggest job we've tackled so far. And it isn't even one we realized we would have to do until after we moved in. It turns out that on closer inspection, every single piece of baseboard and trim in our house had a smidge of robin egg blue paint.

The end result is so worth it. We now have gleaming baseboards and trim to match our floors.

Of course, now we have to do it all again for the quarter round . . .

project 760 - day 366

Today is the one year anniversary of our house!

This was the scene in our living room one year ago . . .

February 9, 2011

And here was the scene earlier today. . .

Feburary 9, 2012

Yes, still drudging. That's me, putting wood stain on the trim around our new windows. And yes, it has been two months since those were installed (a very happy day at 760). Let's just say that we took an extended Christmas break.

But to celebrate our house-a-versary, we have devoted the past week to getting things done. Things like (clockwise from top left): capping the electrical where some fluorescent lighting used to be, installing a dimmer switch in the dining room, patching the wall where a light switch used to be, and installing a light in the front entrance.

Our moms are probably reading this, so at this point it is important to mention that whenever we are performing electrical work we turn off the power to that part of the house, and double check with Aaron's electricty tester thingamajig (yes, that is the technical term for it). Also, the pink wall patch fades to white as it dries. (Hi Moms!)

All this project completing is not without cost. This was our third trip to the hardware store on Saturday.

I remember when we were weekend regulars at Stella's, our local breakfast place. Now we're regulars at Home Depot.

project 760 - day 282

After living in a perpetual state of renovation, you start to get used to the half-finished look of things.

Like light switches without covers.

Or ceilings without light fixtures.

Doors without trim.

Closets without doors.

 Walls without baseboards.

 And pictures not on walls.

Three quarters of the way through our first year in the house, things were looking a little unfinished. To motivate us to get moving again, I sent out invitations for a family dinner to be held on the third Sunday in November. These photos were taken a few days before our guests were due to arrive, and I am pleased to report that over the course of that weekend we got a number of things done. Not everything on the list above, but enough to impress our guests. (They don't need to know that Aaron was putting up the trim around the hall closet half an hour before they arrived.)