There wasn’t much point in showing you all Day 2 all by itself, because the only thing I did was to patch holes and rip out the subflooring. And while that was intense, it doesn’t look that much different from the floor you’ve already seen.

But I got anxious to see what the tile would look like, so I laid it all down to test the spacing.

rough tile layout

I can’t wait!

I also had a glitch with the toilet flange. While trying to remove the thing myself, I discovered that it was well and truly glued to death to the drain. Good when in use, but inconvenient when trying to change it out. The reason I was doing this was because everything that I saw online said that the cement board subfloor goes underneath the flange. “Not so!” said the plumber I ended up calling. Lucky for me, not only is he a great plumber and electrician, but I would consider him a friend. He loaned me his tile saw; gave me screws for the cement board; installed the ceiling – pardon me “exhaust” – fan; and promised that when he came back at the end of the week to pickup his saw, he would install the toilet and the sink out of the goodness of his heart. What a great guy! And I’m willing to share him.

The newly installed cement board subfloor

Anyhow, I was in a rush to get the top half of the room painted. Mr. Plumber told me that the tile needed to sit for two days before I could grout. Urg. So I needed to get this done before I couldn’t go in the room anymore.

D— took pity on me (and besides, he likes to paint) and offered to do the roller work if I did the edging. You betcha!

It’s easier to see the paint color when you see it next to the unpainted bottom half of the wall. And in the shot with the drain hole, you can also see the cement board. Solid as a rock.

Today is the new light fixture and laying the tile. I hope I’mm have a little more steam than that, but at this point, I’m just trying to take it a day at a time. 50 may be the new 30 when it comes to brain power, but I’m not so sure about the body. Sitting on the floor and lifting and bending are causing a tiny bit of stiffness these days.

Can’t wait to show you the new light! Well…off to the glass cutters and the home improvement store…again!