there are some things i can tolerate...

and there are some things that i cannot. one thing i can't tolerate is a dingy, dirty bathroom in which i feel i could never get clean. i don't think this is unreasonable.

i was overjoyed to discover this post on Apartment Therapy, where multiple readers said that removing their sliding shower door was no biggie. my apartment is the nicest i've been able to find in my area (that isn't some brand new, luxury place), especially when it comes to the bathroom (i saw some seriously nasty bathrooms while touring potential complexes), but my tub/shower is still far from pristine. i noticed when i moved in that the patterned ceramic tile, though not entirely obnoxious, had been grouted and caulked carelessly. the bottom frame for the sliding glass door had actually been caulked on the inside of the tub, blocking the holes that allowed water to drain if it got trapped.

close-up of tile:

now, my reputation for having good taste will probably be trashed when i say i kinda like these tiles. but, i'm biased, because grey and sea green are two of my favourite colours. at least they are easy colours to work with in a bathroom...right...?

the shower door was also bothersome because it had a lot of grime, hair, and caulk trapped in it that i couldn't reach except with boxes of cotton swabs and more effort than i was willing to put out. imagine how my hopes soared when i realized i could remove the sliding doors with ease!

i feel very lucky to have found an apartment with such a large bathroom. the bathroom in my last apartment was as long as the tub and only about half as wide, having to fit a vanity sink and a toilet in the space. this apartment's bathroom is twice as big, perhaps bigger than the bathrooms in my mom's house! it's almost more space than i know what to do with (as if there were such a thing).

and with the shower doors gone, it's only becoming expanding further, which is a nice sensation. openness, you know? anyway, after i pulled those doors out, i decided to take up the bottom frame to see how much dirt it had accumulated.

it looks a little like rust, but it's all gooshy grime. other tenants' DNA. god-knows-what. at this point, i stopped working to seek comfort in my boyfriend, because i was arriving at the realization that i had some serious work ahead of me.

here's a close-up because i know you're all so intrigued.

sexy, huh? once i had gathered my strength, i returned to the infested bathroom to clean up the scum. i also removed the other three parts of the frame, two of which were screwed into the tile. it was sort of difficult getting all the caulk off. some idiot had caulked on top of old caulk, so the first layer peeled right off, but the second layer was some other type that is still partially adhered to the chrome frame and tile.

this is how hard i worked at scraping the caulk (look carefully)

anyway, here's what it looks like now

i ran to Walmart at 8AM in my pajamas to buy a cheapo tension shower rod and vinyl curtain so the shower would still be usable, but i'm too tired to bother moving the frames i took down out of the tub. they really need to be washed, and my hands are dry.

here are some more pretties i've recently added to my bathroom:

hook rack on the door...scored on clearance at Michael's arts & crafts. there's more green-blue in the pattern than the photo leads on.

in my last post, i mentioned i might paint this washcloth basket, and i did. i used a bittersweet chocolate acrylic paint, then finger-brushed some pewter metal leaf wax-paint for sheen. i gave it a coat of satin spray acrylic sealant, let the smell air out, and now i've got a piece with a very different vibe, more old-world/import-ish. i'd really like to sand down and re-stain the wooden frame to the mirror (seen in the photo) a similar dark, rich colour and varnish it, but i'm not sure if i should. i've already modified this apartment in ways not condoned by the lease agreement. i just want everything to be beautiful :)

and there's my lovely green tray working its magic on the countertop. behind it is a pitcher i got at Marshall's HomeGoods that i really like and use in the bathtub (think old school, when there was no running water and you had to bathe yourself with basins and jugs).

god i hate that sink faucet...

as i continue to make progress with my shower, i'll continue to photolog it. next up is stripping all the caulk, a good bleach scrub-down, and re-grouting. the fun just never ends.

Tagged:
bathroom crafts shower