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During Respirator on, jacket covered in dust. Old paint and drywall coming down — this was a full gut, not a refresh.
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Before Wallpaper border peeled, screw holes patched. First pass before I decided the whole room had to come apart.
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During Tub surround opened up. Old tongue-and-groove sheathing behind the tile and wiring I wanted to clean up.
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During Stripped down to greenboard with the old tile mastic still stuck on. Greenboard is not a tile substrate — it had to go.
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During More of the same — adhesive scars and old plumbing penetrations that needed to be sealed up properly.
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During Opened the ceiling above the shower so I could get at the plumbing and wiring instead of guessing.
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During Down to studs. Backer plates for the valve and fresh wire runs visible up top.
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During Floor opened to the joists. Easier to fix the drain rough-in now than to chase a leak later.
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During New PVC drain runs between the joists with the shower drain capped off, ready for the pan.
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During Copper supplies and PVC drain in the open wall. Took the chance to redo what I didn't trust.
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During Looking up at the ducts, drains, and wiring above the new furring strips. Cleaner than what I started with.
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During Furring strips up, plumbing and electrical routed clean. Ready to close the ceiling back in.
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During Furring strips installed across the joists so I had a flat plane to hang ceiling material off of.
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During New shower valve and copper supplies roughed in above the tub before any backer goes back up.
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During Filling the tub off the bare copper to test for leaks before I closed the walls.
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During My kid hauling Durock onto the sawhorses. He earned his keep on this job.
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During Helper measuring cement board for cuts. Good practice for him on a real job.
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During Vapor barrier behind the studs, first sheet of cement board going up over the tub.
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During Helper cleaning down the cement board so the RedGard would actually stick.
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During Two coats of RedGard on every seam and the whole shower face. Cheap insurance against a wet wall.
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During My son pressing the first wood-look planks into thinset. He set more tile than I did on this wall.
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During Plank tile up on all three walls, waiting on grout and trim.
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During Tile on the walls, T&G going up on the ceiling, plumbing access still open in case I missed something.
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After Round LED on the whitewashed T&G ceiling. Bright, flat light over the vanity.
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During My son running the screwdriver on the toilet install. He wanted to do the whole thing himself.
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During Holding the bowl steady on the wax ring while I lined up the closet bolts.
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During Snugging the closet bolts down — easy does it, you crack the porcelain if you crank on it.
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After Finished shower: wood-look plank tile, shiplap ceiling, and a combo fan/light/Bluetooth speaker.
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After Pulled together: wood vanity, gray plank surround, T&G ceiling. Reads warm instead of bathroom-cold.
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After Same room with the blue accent LED on. Bath the boys fight over now.
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After Final shot — rustic vanity, framed mirror, tile surround. Took it from beat-up to a room that earns its keep.
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