The bath has been gutted; new tub installed; plumbing, electrical and tile are all completed (all by me… with some help on the demo). The last remaining element is the new window which will come in another week. In the mean-time, here are a few iPhone photos (I'll bring out the big camera after it's completed).
There was a lot of behind the walls work that isn't showing in the pictures, but suffice it to say, it as a very solid install (even nicer than our own bath) that is sensitive to the original design of the house… and sensitive to budget.
All in all, the process went quite well.
- We installed a new Toto Ultimate HET toilet that works well. Very well for a 1.3gal toilet.
- The tub is a simple enameled, stocked model from Home Depot. A very high-quality and cost-effective replacement. New drains and plumbing are behind it all.
- The flooring is Armstrong's Excelon VCT which compliments what's already in the house.
- The cabinet is from Ikea's Godmorgon line (the drawers still need to be modified and fitted).
- The sink is Ikea's Vitviken sink. One thing to note: Ikea's drain plumbing is not "real" plumbing… it's very lightweight and not confidence instilling. I replumbed the "proper" way which means I'll need to modify the drawers a bit. In the end, modifying the drawers will make for a better install than fitting the Ikea plumbing, methinks.
- The fixtures are from American Standard's Serin line.
- The tiles are matte gray (Light Smoke) from American Olean with gray-white grout (Custom's "Snow White")
- The medicine cabinet is from Nutone's Metro series… a very cost-effective and very nice choice. It also comes with a non-beveled mirror option.
- The light is a double sconce from LampsPlus (but is not on their website). Wired from the GFCI outlet, it's much safer than the original.
- The window will eventually be Milgard's 1100-series with "standard obscure" glass.
My wife Margaret and myself (Cory) are in the middle of a major reno ourselves and are considering the Vitviken sink. The plumbing is a concern. Does the sink accept standard north american plumbing or does it require a metric adaptation?
the sink itself works with standard stuff, but the drawers don’t play well with standard plumbing and i needed to modify the drawers to accommodate it.
Did you seal between the wall and back of the sink? If so, did you use silicone or grout? I am installing this sink soon and trying to decide which type of seal to use where the back on the sink/counter-top butts against the wall.
Thanks.
ryan: use caulk — either latex or silicone. latex will be easier to work with since it’s water clean-up. there are some good mold-free options (DAP’s kwikseal-plus is my choice for latex). Quad caulks and silicone are truly best, but very difficult to work with to get a nice bead. latex will shrink a bit, so you might do a second application after the first cures (24-hours).