"Control What We Can"

 

            

Before

Old faucet

Old paint

            We began a major project the first week of November because I wanted to tackle something that was totally under my control as we moved into receiving election results. For the last few months, I feared our smallest bathroom would need major work like the tub pulled out and swapped with one of those new walk-in shower units. I fretted that the vanity and countertop needed to be removed along with the faucet. However, I spent a few days with a critical eye to refurbish and repair instead of replace.

            Attacking the vanity with Murphy’s Oil soap followed by Old English dark wood stain and a gloss of Orange Oil revitalized the tired cabinet. I discovered applying petroleum jelly to the countertop, and buffing it with a fiber cloth, made it all look new again! Our corroded faucet would be easy to update with something more stylish. Naturally, the instructions promise of a 30 minute installation morphed into two hours wrestling off the old drain.  Examination of our tub with a critical eye revealed nothing terribly wrong except for striping off the caulk and scrubbing the tub itself with a Pumice stone and spiffing up the tile with a tad of TLC. The toilet required the same diligent attention to look new again!

            The bathroom walls wore a wall treatment we tried a million years ago—a tissue paper technique that withstood the test of time. We decided to repaint the room using the same color of our family room, only using semi-gloss for the added protection. The Celestial Glow’s barely there grey freshened the room in one coat. The shower curtain, a temporary selection until the household artists decide on original work, adds color and movement.

            Repair. Reclaim. Refurbish. Salvage what we can with care.

A barely there grey

Revitalized vanity

Temporary color splash

Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman