Shower Curtain Rails

Decision 1 - Shower Curtains vs Glass Screens

There are a number of problems to overcome in the bathroom, one being how to stop the whole room getting wet if I install a shower. Although glass shower enclosures look contemporary and slick, but they quickly get covered in water spots - especially in London where the water is so hard - and I dont fancy having to clean it regularly. Plus, if I installed a glass screen, it would make the sink area feel even more cramped than it is already (see post from 19.02.2012 under the tab for 'bathrooms' as a reminder).

So, having decided to go down the shower curtain route I had to find a decent looking corner shower curtain rail given that the bath doesnt span between two walls. I really want to avoid having a corner support that went up to the ceiling(see top image), and my friend Julie, who had the same problem in her bathroom, pointed me in the direction of the only one on the market up to the job. Its made by Croydex in stainless steel, and is available from screwfix. There is an elbow at the corner which each rod slots into and which enables you to customise the length and width to your tub.

Sorted. Problem 1 solved... and product added to order list for later in the year.

(See photo from February 23rd)

If I had my own garden...

...Id have some of these Davide Groppie 'Lenta' lights around the terrace. All this warm spring weather is making me think about gardens and terraces and how nice it would be to have one! There is a shared one for the building, but with the flat on the second floor its a long way down. Instead I've been making a list of friends with gardens that I can visit this summer instead.

DIY free weekend

The weather was too nice for staying indoors this weekend so I didnt make any further progress on the kitchen floor. I managed to get one further coat on last week, but still have one more to go... along with touch ups to the skirting and to sort out the gaps at the perimeter. Instead I enjoyed a delicious sunday afternoon roast and concentrated on icecream consumption in the sunshine with friends and their kids.

Misty Morning

Last week I woke up one day to find this view from my window and snapped a quick photo. I do love a misty morning when everything is blanketed in silence and slightly mysterious...

Filling Old Nail Holes

I wasnt sure about whether or not to fill the old nail holes, so decided to evaluate the situation after one coat of paint. The white finish makes the holes a lot more visible and I had no idea there were so many - the effect reminded me of 101 Dalmatians! I figured then and there that it was time to get out the 2-part filler and sand paper once again. I wanted the boards to match the existing boards, but this was a bit too much.

This afternoon I methodically filled and sanded the larger nail holes while listening to TED talks to pass the time.

First Coat of Paint on Boards

On saturday morning, with some much appreciated help, I got the kitchen and hallway floorboards throughly cleaned and the first coat of paint down. As the boards were salvaged they needed a good clean to get rid of all the dirt and grime - and in the bottom photo you can really see the difference!

Paint tests and a new brush

I have a new tin of farrow and ball stain block base coat, and a brand new paint brush so I can start painting on the weekend. During the week I also did a paint test to see how the paint would go on, and to choose between an opaque or translucent wash. I really like the Scandinavian white-washed look, but because the boards are so dark in colour I feel opaque is the way to go in this case. It will also match the rest of the flat. Im really pleased with how textured and figured the boards are and that you dont loose the grain when painted.

Drawer Liners

The drawer under the sink always tends to get a bit mucky as its where I store cleaning products, the bins and recycling. When the builders took it out to run the new plumbing to my kitchen sink I decided to address the problem. I had a bit of left over Bolon vinyl carpet without a home and so lined not only the drawer but also the cupboard beneath the drawer. This plastic lining will be a bit more robust than the melamine cabinets and hopefully extend their life and make it easier to clean.

New Water Lines

The new water lines have now been run in the common corridor to each of the 5 flats in the building alongside the existing lead pipes. We are now just about ready for Thames Water to hook us up to the new main lines from the street to our garden. Once they run these lines in we will be switched over to the new system.

Scaffold Up for Roof Repairs

The scaffold went up this week to sort out a leak in the roof... so it continues to be all stations go on the construction front!

Floor Progress

Im quite enjoying the change of scenery that these wide caramel coloured boards are providing. It almost wants to make me keep them natural, but I can save that for my next project! Interestingly, as you can see in the photo comparison, the darker colour makes the room appear slightly shorter, while the light paint makes the floor recede, thereby visually increasing the ceiling height.

A bit of perspective

Its been two days since my slight frustration on Friday evening with the installation and time has given me a bit of perspective. After 2 days of chopping down the waste wood into small pieces, dusting the flat, scrubbing the floors, and re-touching up all the woodwork in the hallway I can now see the forest through the trees. Overall, the floor looks great. The boards have loads of character and texture and look really brilliant running all the way through my hallway to the kitchen. I spoke with the carpenter and he is going to come back on Tuesday morning to sort out the dodgey corner.

I'll post progress photos tomorrow, but for now enjoy the evening sun touched rooftops opposite

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A sloppy third day of Installation

Argh. Im feeling really frustrated with the poor quality of work on the final day of the installation. I was pleased with the hallway so felt confident the rest would be good, but I think the carpenter just got bored or lazy!

For example, there is a big gap at the end of one board (top photo). I cant get him to replace the board with a longer one as I dont have any more, so will have to fill the gap with 2-part filler I guess.

Additionally, he didnt bother to take out the boards fully in one corner - leaving a sliver old of board which I find looks really sloppy (second photo). I guess when they are all painted white it will be less noticeable....

In addition to poor quality, however - he also left the flat in a total mess; dirty finger prints all over the walls and doors (I'll need to repaint), dust everywhere (he didnt even hoover the floor), and a huge pile of rubbish and boards to dispose of. Grrr.

Looks like I have a busy day of cleaning, chopping down old boards, and filling ahead of me!

Flooring Progress

I was a bit worried about the flooring as it started going in as the boards were quite rough and industrial looking in their half installed state. The carpenter even told me that he believed they were probably salvaged from a barn or old warehouse! Last night however the boards in the hallway were completed and Im really pleased with the result. I still have a step at the living room because the level difference was too great to mediate, but the other thresholds into the bedroom and WC are perfectly flush - AND Ive got rid of the annoying joint between the kitchen and hallway. I think once painted white they will look in keeping with the other boards.

Kitchen Floorboards Removed

This weekend I spent a few hours on Saturday removing the floorboards in the kitchen, and then a few hours on sunday morning removing them in the hallway. It was harder work than expected as the boards were nailed down really tightly, but I did get better at it as I went along. It took me on average half an hour to remove each long floorboard (including knocking out the nail heads and sawing them in thirds by hand). Luckily I have a builder coming in to lay the boards in the week while I recover!

Its crazy to see how much the existing joists have sagged over the years - they have all been furred out with deep wedges of timber to achieve a level surface. I was hoping to find treasure, (or at least another old newspaper) but alas all I found was 200 years of dust and debris!

Thames Water Trench

The freehold voted in favour of upgrading our water mains with Thames water as there is currently only one 22mm diameter line coming into the building to serve all 5 flats. Needless to say the water pressure on the top floor is very poor. My water pressure is ok, so I had voted against it, but now that its being done I am looking on the bright side and trying to feel positive. The architect who rents out the top floor has organised everything so its really nice to just have work happen without having to sort everything out myself! They started digging the trench this week.

Floorboard Setting Out

As I only have 10 boards and I want to maximise the number of long 4m runs I prepared a setting out drawing. Im lucky in that the central area I am replacing is exactly 4 boards wide so I wont have any funny thin slivers of board to deal with.