Renovation week 31 | Master Bath update and what went wrong

The painting went really well in this master bath. If you recall when I picked the color for the cabinet, it turned out really handsome! Because of all the decisions I had to made, I already feel jaded at this point in time and didn't think that anything could excite me this much. The contrast makes this room look so fresh! I picked the color to match the darkest grey on my marble countertop. That was quite a quick decision for me because I thought it's just a bathroom, no one would see it. Now I really wanna show it off.

Color: Benjamin Moore, Overcoat

I chose to do lacquer paint because it's smoother and it's more durable, even though it's not low VOC. And any carpenter would tell you that it's the best kind of paint to show off woodworks and nice cabinetries. 

With lacquer paint you have to wear protective mask because it smell so bad. After I took this photo I had to run outside. If you consider doing this, pack your bags and leave for at least a week. 

The color dries pretty quickly and you have to repeat it about 4-5 times to get it thick enough. 

I used satin finish so when it dries it looks matte and nice like this. 

This deserves an artistic shot by itself. What a beauty. 

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Ok now some of you might be wondered why everything went so well all the sudden? It's because I haven't posted any mishap lately. And here's for some of you who miss the drama.

What went wrong with my Master Bathroom?
1. Marble tub surround
Awhile back when they installed marble countertop in my bathroom, I asked them to use the left over as tub surround. It didn't turn out well the first round.

My bathtub is an inexpensive acrylic, so I wanted to add marble around it to make it look less plastic. 

Round 1: they just slabbed the marble on the tub and left a huge 1/2" gap between the marble and the tile. It was ridiculous. I had to ask them to fix it. 

Round2: Then they just raise the marble up and leave huge grout line under the marble. That was so wrong! Who's in the right mind would think this looks ok? 

Not only they marble was cut poorly and thrown together, the pieces in the corners were not well aligned. And the seams were pretty obvious. 

Round 3: Finally the fabricator decided to come back after weeks of me bugging them constantly. Now we have a proper tub surround. 

They were nice enough to re do everything. They miter cut the edge of the marble to to make it look thicker and eventually fill that huge gap that used to be in-between the tiles and the marble. 

For those who doesn't know how miter edge works. Here is a picture. Typical stone countertops are 3/4" thick. Miter edge gives makes the stone appear thicker and stronger. 

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2. shower niche

I have posted earlier that I like shower niche that is well placed in the shower. But mine didn't start well either. 

Round1: I came in one day to find out that the cut out for the niche is very awkward. The top and the bottom rows of the tiles are cut off and that what I have told them in the beginning not to do. Because it looks like an afterthought. 

Then I took a tape and marked where I want the niche ends. I cut off the top and the bottom to where we don't have to cut off the tiles. 

Round2: They still did such a poor job. The shelf was crooked, so was the right side. I don't know if they tried to pass this as a decent job or not. I wasn't buying it. I had to ask them to re do this. 

Round3: Finally they did it right. They took everything apart and started over. They even mitered the edge. I didn't ask for that but it's sure looks nice! 

What I have learnt from this? 

Trust your guts. 

------------------If something doesn't look right, it's probably not done right.------------------

Happy thanksgiving!