Bathroom makeover Part 2 - In which I set myself a challenge

The bathroom is looking pretty smart now in its coat of Dulux Blue Diamond 4. However painting the first coat on a Friday night (yeah I'm cool!) was mildly traumatic as I vacillated between an overwhelming desire to get the paint on and a growing dread that the blue might be a bit too shocking. Post first coat this involved a great deal of wandering up to the bathroom and staring at the walls in a thoughtful manner guaranteed to cause brain ache. I should add that the walls were also framed in green masking tape that gave the blue a decidedly unpleasant hue.

Top Tip: It is really is worth paying for the more expensive tape. I would rather say that it's a waste of money but it just does do a better job and cuts out having to do hundreds of touch ups.


Second coat on and green tape off the blue started to contrast rather pleasantly with the the white tiles. However the shiny new white paint job on the skirting and door/window frames did have the unwanted effect making the tiles look a tad dingy. It was time to scrub.

Top Tip: I favour bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar over any other cleaning products. Good results with the minimum of effort which as I hate cleaning is imperative.

The taps were shiny and clean in minutes. BUT! After an hour with a toothbrush scrubbing the grout between the tiles I had to admit defeat and reached for my least favorite product. Bleach. Yes I know that it is truly dreadful stuff but sometimes it is the only answer and mixed with the slightly abrasive bicarbonate of soda  it did the trick. FOUR HOURS of scrubbing every white surface. I was pruney, wet, slightly high on the mix of chemicals and knackered.

I should add that my Matey was downstairs doing an excellent job of restoring an ebay bargain (£3.50 for two very heavy vintage mirrors. One to use and one to sell.) of a mirror for the bathroom.

This is where I admit that I have always been a tad dubious of the 'designers' thing of how having a mirror will make a small room feel bigger. I think it depends a great deal on the mirror, the room and where it is hung. This time however it really does work.

New mirror hung, cleaning products cleared, just the shower curtains to hang and time for a very late lunch (closer to dinner) in the pub. The shower rail came down. I nearly cried. I would have cried but I was just too tired. Upon inspection the new parts that held the rails to the ceiling had worn away already. (Yes I have complained to the shop) The solution was obvious. It just needed small nail to hold it in place.  However simple the solution the hour it took two weary people to take down the rail, hammer through the thin metal tube and get everything back up was very painful indeed.

Just two small jobs to do. Find a replacement hot tap indices and a small shower bracket to replace the frankly disgusting old one and we are in business. They are proving a tad tricky though as we seem to need an unusual size for both. (Of course!)

Oh and I'm looking a bathroomy picture that doesn't have fishes, the seaside or shells involved....

In the meantime I have set myself a challenge. Having re-done the bathroom for the princely sum of £75 I wonder if it is possible to redecorate the house by selling bits and bobs to pay for it. I should add that I am talking of the stuff that we can't take with us. Paint, shelves, shower brackets. Pictures, furniture, frills and furbelows don't have to count. Though I would rather they do as getting rid of stuff means more space.

Is it possible? Possibly!

In the meantime the ducks are feeling a lot happier.

Sorting out the bathroom - Part 1

I have a rather lovely rolltop bath which I adore. The few occasions in which I indulge in a bath really are indulgences as it it is larger than normal so perfect for a long hot wallow.

On a day to day basis however a shower suffices. BUT! The flipping shower rail keeps coming down. Yes I have put it up properly. Four times. Each time it slowly comes down over the course of several months. I try to pretend it isn't happening until it gets to the point that I admit that I can put my fingers behind the bracket 'holding' it to the wall.

This time I refused point blank to re-mount the thing again. Fed up, bored, had enough!

It was still falling down. A solution was needed whether I liked it or not. In essence the problem was simple. The rail was too heavy for the fixings so the cantilever effect was dragging it down. It needed another bracket or two to hold the rail to the ceiling. Couldn't find such a thing.

How about a ceiling mounted shower rail? They cost £250. OUCH! Ebay? Price is down to £100. Very  tempting but still not great.

How about finding a metal hoop to attach to ceiling? Apart from expensive hula hoops I couldn't find anything that would work.

Just as I was getting to the point of resorting to string I found these:

Perfect they are not. But at £20 for two more doable than the other options. Figuring that this solution looked a lot better than the current situation of the rail hanging off the wall, and who spends hours staring at shower rails anyway, I went for it.

Ahem! The only thing is that I then got it into my head that it might be a good plan to re-do the bathroom. Having just sold a few bits and bobs on e-bay I had a nice £75 budget to play with and this weekend saw me up a ladder painting the ceiling and the white parts. Already it looks a whole lot brighter and cleaner.

The next stage is choosing colour. It has always been a vibrant marine blue which I rather like but perhaps it's time for a change? So I've just had some testers sent from Dulux. (£1 for 3 on their website, much cheaper than going to a shop.)

Love this stage. It's the naughtiness of painting and scribbling on the wall.

I should add that the weekends industry was fueled by Golden Syrup cake and the paint drying moments were made all the more interesting by episodes of The Good Life.

It may not have been made in my lifetime but it tickles my funny bone.