Our Bathroom Needed Some Rehab

We took a hiatus on home projects over the holidays and our big trip to Thailand. When we were back, settled, and ready to tackle the next project, I didn't give Jeremy any choice in the matter, I was soooo ready to take on the bathroom. I mean, not only have we been living with that bathroom for six months now but quite frankly I was sick of having people over and trying to save face for that embarrassing bathroom. :)

We started with the floor. I selected chocolate brown cork flooring from Home Depot. My parents have cork flooring in their bathroom and I am kind of obsessed with it. Many people don't know all of the great benefits of cork. Allow me to count the ways:

1. Durability. Cork flooring can last for up to 40 years as it resists scratches and abrasions. It is also impermeable to gas and liquid. Great for a bathroom or kitchen!
2. Anti-microbial. Cork is naturally resistant to mold and mildew which makes it a wonderful material for damp rooms. 
3. Tree-hugger approved. Cork has little negative impact on the environment and the harvesting of cork is sustainable and doesn't require the killing of trees. 
4. Warm and Quiet. Cork acts as a wonderful thermal and sound insulator which makes the room warm and comfy. 
5. Easy to clean. Cork can be cleaned with simply a vacuum and water. 
6. Beautiful! I LOVE the look of cork flooring so on top of all of the benefits it is truly a no-brainer for me.

You may be thinking that cork HAS to be expensive with all of those benefits but if you do your research you can pick some up for between $2-4 per square foot which is very affordable. We bought the flooring in planks that were grooved for easy assembly. The huge advantage to putting together a floating floor is that you don't need to worry about stripping existing flooring down to the sub floor and cement board is not needed (used under tile). 

We began by removing the trim.

Now, we could have covered the existing floor with the cork but it had already been built up so adding another layer on top of it would have created a noticeable step up into the bathroom which we didn't want. We took some crow bars and got to work with tearing off the top layer. Under the first layer was a thin slab of wood board and another layer of vinyl. 

At that point the flooring was ready to be covered with the cork. 

Tools that are needed for installing the flooring:

1. Shims or spacers for the outer edges
2. Rubber mallet 
3. Chop Saw
4. Measuring Tape & Pencil

When starting at the outer edges place spacers between the flooring and the cork. It is important that you leave some room for expansion so that your flooring doesn't end up buckling. Once you get the first row done, angle the next plank upward onto the first row so that the grooves match up, then take your rubber mallet and pound the plank into place. Like this:

After a while, you will be a floor laying machine! You may even look this cool:

Once we got all of the flooring down we added some base and quarter round trim. The quarter round is completely worth the extra effort. It hides any gaps and look much cleaner and more sophisticated. Here is how it looked after a fresh coat of trim paint:

Next we replaced the vanity cabinet with a modern looking pedestal sink and waterfall faucet. 

Those simple fixes made all the difference and we ended up with a completely new and updated bathroom that felt very spa like and luxurious. I could not be happier with the end result. Ok, I still hate the shower doors, but this was a huge improvement for me. 

Thanks for following all of our progress. Up next, I am adding wainscoting to the kitchen. See you later! 

xoxo