Back-up budget? Ya think?

Welcome to my little bathroom spruce-up turn DIY disaster! Ugh!

 

Let me explain ...

 

 

So, it's a basic bathroom: the white wall tile has been refinished, white floor tile, inexpensive vanity and I think the original tub (nothing great but probably cast iron), and contractor grade mirror.

 

My plan: quick fixes ... new framed mirror, new shower curtain, new rug, some pictures on the walls, maybe a new light fixture, new paint. Simple!

 

First I cleaned the floor tile grout - for the record, I realize this should have been the LAST step and not the first step! Regardless, this step went really well! I used a lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda recipe that I saw on Facebook or maybe I saw it on Pinterest? http://www.pinterest.com/pin/18647785929614040/. Obvious where I had cleaned, right?

 

 

Step two. Remove the mirror and mirror clips to prepare for painting.

 

 

So far, so good! You can see, above, I have removed the bottom two clips. But when I brushed the flaking pieces of paint from behind the clips, here is what happened:

 

 

The paint literally peeled off in sheets! Seriously, I started to look for seams because the paint came off like wallpaper!, But, no, just paint!

 

 



So I visited the neighborhood Sherwin Williams and got some great advice on how to proceed.

 

First get all the paint off. But, as you can see, some of the paint adhered. It seems that the bathroom walls got some plaster repair and a skim coat. The paint expert's theory is that the new plaster did not get a coat of primer and so the paint and plaster didn't bond. But ... where the skim coat is thin or non-existent the paint did adhere. Like I said, ugh!

 

 

Second, spray the plaster walls with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. This will make the plaster surface harden.

 

Third, repair and sand the surface. Then, prime with a really good primer and Wes at Sherwin Williams recommended a masonry primer (a mere $51 per gallon!).

 

So, I proceeded by peeling off all the paint that I could. But, I quickly realized that the repairing step is way outside my ability - at least I don't think I could do it to satisfy my picky self.

 

So ... call in the professionals ... and that is where the back-up-contingency-emergency budget would be a really good thing.

 

 

So this is where it stands. Tim, with the painting company that did all of the painting required during the remodeling, is coming today to take a look and give me an estimate.

 

Hmmm. I know professional painting is expensive? Can only imagine what it costs to have plaster work done?