Onyx Bathroom

Project Duration: 1.5 (1 full, 1 part time) installers, 5 days.
Onyx Color and Finish: Irish Creme, Glossy
Metal Finish: Brushed Nickel

This was the only bathroom in a house that until recently had held a family of four, so it got some serious use over a 30 year period! The floor was a laminated tile stuck over a 3/4" particle board underlayment, and water had leaked onto the floor from the shower. The floor was not completely waterproof, and so the underlayment soaked up the water and swelled by over a quarter of an inch. This lifts the toilet up, causing the wax ring seal to fail, and then even more water leaks into the structure of the home. As a result, there was water damage on the framing and the ceiling of the basement below.

Normally a shower like this would have a shower door installed, as a low curb like that and a curtain don't offer very much water protection. That said, the materials we use, such as denshield, Wedi products and Quartzlock Urethane Grout are all 100% waterproof and meant to take the abuse of water sitting on them. Also, the homeowners had concerns about handicap access as they weren't getting any younger, and felt that a curtain allowed the largest opening without the large shower seat obstructing the entrance. As for the seat, Onyx offers a few different sizes, but we typically recommend the full 26"x18" seat as shown. The price difference is negligible, and it's much more comfortable to sit on than a 16×16 corner seat, and in addition, it doesn't exclude a larger occupant from using it comfortably which can be very important when selling your home.

This being the only bathroom in the home, we coordinated with the homeowners to complete this project during a long business trip / vacation. They left Monday just as I was pulling the toilet, and they arrived just as I was vacuuming and pulling up the carpet protection. If you only have one bathroom, we highly recommend making accomodations, such as a short-term gym membership nearby for showering facilities, or staying with friends/relatives for the duration. While we can pull and reset the toilet each day, there are some days where this is impractical, such as when we tile the floor, and it does force us to apply an upcharge for the extra labor.