House Remodeling Thread (long)

[ny biker]

Still busily making decisions, lots of time researching and looking at photos on the internet, plus visits to various showrooms.

Re: the paint for the walls -- the lighter shade in my earlier photos is Glidden Heirloom Pink. It was one of the first two samples that I tried. From the beginning I thought it was very cheerful but a bit too cool and purple-ish at times.

Having now spent hours looking at paint chips for other colors, and testing samples for...8? 9? other shades, I've decided that Glidden's Heirloom Pink is the winner. Is it too cool? Maybe. But everything else is too warm.

I did like the S-W Lighthearted Pink (the darker sample in the photos). It was kind of berry-ish and reminded me of sherbet. But it was too dark, so I got another sample that they mixed at 50%, and that seemed like a whole different color rather than just a lighter shade of the one I liked. So I'm giving up and going back to the Glidden Heirloom Pink. When your first gut reaction is "cheerful," you should probably listen to your gut.

Moving on, I'm almost ready to order the custom vanity and matching wall cabinet. I knew pretty much what I wanted before I first met with them, but there are still many details to consider. The vanity will be 30" wide by 21" deep and 31" high. I could have gotten something a few inches taller (kitchen cabinet height) but decided that wasn't necessary and the shorter height saves a few $$. There will be two drawers on the left and a cabinet door on the right. The door style is Shaker and the color is white. The wall cabinet will be 20" wide by 30" high and 9" deep(!). That's more than twice as deep as I had expected, but I'm not complaining because I need the storage space. There's room to partially recess it in the wall, which will look better than having it stick out a full 9"

I'm going to get a beveled-mirror medicine cabinet instead of one that matches the vanity and wall cabinet. The added cost of the custom medicine cabinet was just too much. I've seen one online that's oval shaped, 24x36, which I think will do nicely.

For the vanity top, I think I will go with a white marble-like quartz from LG Hausys called Viatera Minuet. I can get a remnant of it for a very good price. I also want to have shelves for the shower niche cut from the same remnant. I'm a little worried that it won't look quite right with the white vanity, though, so I'm going back tomorrow to look at it again.

I've also made decisions about the shower niche. I'm hoping it can be 12" wide by 30" or 36" high, with two shelves inside it. I want the back of the niche to have the same color tile as the shower wall tile, but in a much smaller size. BTW did I mention I've decided to go with the American Olean tile instead of the Tile Shop tile? The trim pieces (such as the bullnose pieces) are sold per-piece, and they are much more expensive from the Tile Shop. Since I'm splurging on custom cabinets, I'll go with the less expensive wall tile. Anyway so the wall tile will be white 9x12 in a subway pattern, and I think for the back of the niche I will use 2x2, either in a grid or a diamond pattern. I really wanted a 2x4 subway pattern, but it's not available to match the wall tile. Which is okay, since I've seen some photos of niches that use the 2x2 with a larger wall tile in the same color, and it looks good.

Then there's the grout. All along I had planned on a white grout for the walls, because I don't want the tile pattern to be too in-your-face. But today I'm reading that many people have problems with white grout becoming discolored from sunlight or hard water. So I'm going to use Laticrete Silver Shadow instead. It's a nice soft silver gray -- I used it for my kitchen backsplash. It will also work for the floor tile, I think, which should save me a few dollars.

So I'm almost done with most of the decisions and starting to place orders. I still have a few things to figure out, like the shower curtain rod. I don't want to break the bank on that but also don't want one that rusts in a few years. And I need to pick out door hardware for the cabinets. Also a light switch -- I want a dimmer switch, and I might need two of them because the contractor says he'll install a light over the shower/tub if possible, otherwise he'll put one in the ceiling in the middle of the room.

Did I mention I'm also working on choosing a new hardwood floor for the rest of the condo? I've almost got a color choice nailed down, but am still getting estimates from a couple of installers.

This Old Condo... the saga continues.

p.s. Why I need dimmer switches: because when I have to get up at 5 am for summer bike rides, it's still dark outside, so I need a very dim light until I my eyes can adjust. Seriously, it's about the early bike rides.