Everything went pretty smoothly today except for one measurement error when cutting the backerboard that resulted in a 2nd seam. Oh well. Also, my dog Rye, who to date has shown zero interest in the remodel, suddenly became fascinated with it right after I mudded the seams in the backboard. I stepped away for just a minute, and when I came back, there were paw prints in the thinset and down the hall. Fortunately, they weren’t dry, so I was able to clean everything up and then barricade the door before I left for aikido.
That’s not the final wall color BTW; it’s just colored primer. The skimmed wall primed up pretty nicely as well with the exception of some pinhole bubbles that won’t affect the wallpaper, and a couple of little rough spots at the edges that may or may not show—I’ll just use extra paste there to make sure the paper adheres.
Update on the countertop: the contractor was able to find me a remnant of gray-veined white quartz, which matches my project well; they’re proposing to measure next week and install the week after, which is the timeline I was expecting at this point. I’m not wild about manufactured stone, but it *is* cheaper than natural, and since the countertop install alone is already going to cost as much as the rest of the remodel put together, I’m probably fine with it. I’ll sleep on it, but odds are good I’ll go with the countertop in the hand rather than hunting around in the bush for another that may or may not be cheaper (probably not cheaper). I’m just used to prices from 20 years ago, I guess, when I started remodeling houses. Everything now is like 50% more expensive than I estimate. So, the remodel’s looking more like $1400 ballpark; I’ll give final numbers when it’s all done and dusted.
Tomorrow I’ll be batting clean-up while the backerboard cures, so probably no pictures, but we’ll see.
The Rookery 