Shower Power

Yesterday, Katarina and I applied grout sealer. While that was drying, I installed the shower curtain rod, and the shower head and control handle. Drilling through tile is a pain in the patooky. Back when I installed the new toilet, the holes were larger so I could use a masonry bit. But the holes needed for the shower curtain rod are little 1/8" things, so I probably trashed my 1/8" bits in drilling the four holes. Ah, well...it won't be the first time I replaced them, since I've broken 1/8" bits in the past, and given how frequently that size is used and how skinny the bits are, it probably won't be the last.

I also worked on The Mediocre Wall of Montclair. I was mulling over what a pain it was going to be to haul away all the rubble from the old front porch. Either I'd have to pay someone to haul it, or haul it myself and then pay to dump it. I got to thinking about our other plans for the house and yard, including a recent brainstorm to terrace the hillside. There was already a small flattish spot where Katarina had put some potted plants and a chair. I enlarged that, and have started using the rubble to build a small, mostly decorative retaining wall behind it. At some point, we'll build one or more terraces below with proper stones, and make them into a vegetable garden. But for now, this is a good place to use the rubble and get it out of the way so I can continue removing the old front porch.

Then yesterday evening, we took our first showers in the new bathroom. We both give it two thumbs up! It also feels great to hit a major milestone, too. Even if there still is lots more work to do (and even a little in the bathroom...like touch up the paint on the ceiling above the shower, install baseboard in the corner between the vanity and shower, and build and install some shelves in the little nook to the left of the shower...)

The Math Doesn't Add Up

I'm still working away on finishing the tile in the shower. Due to bad estimating on my part ("He estimated...poorly." Well, I added up my measurements poorly), I don't have enough bullnose pieces to finish it (they're on order). But I've got the floor and all but the bottom row of the walls covered. I'll grout everything else then finish the bottom row (and the lip where the bullnose goes, of course) so the bottom row can lap the grouted edges of the floor.

I'm starting to gather that tile isn't the most eco-friendly floor covering because of its manufacturing, but besides plasticy liners, there aren't a lot of other options for showers. And the tile will last a long time (75-100 years), so it's the greener of the two options. Taking a shower, is of course, better than taking a bath on the green scale, because it uses less significantly less water (2-3 gallons per minute vs. 30+ gallons).

Speaking of green, there's a nice little summary over at TreeHugger of the 8 most important actions you can take to go green. It's summarized from a lengthy but interesting e-book by David MacKay called Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air. A couple are home-based (e.g., turn down your heat, switch to compact fluorescents), but two of the biggest are transportation-based (e.g., stop flying, drive less and slower). While some of those things are difficult, the nice part is that they all save money.

But the math underlying it all suggests that we all need to do those things and more, as well as develop renewable energy sources. Adding up all the possible renewable energy sources and even nuclear (there's a finite supply of uranium, too) suggests that new energy sources alone won't add up to enough given our current energy usage. We need to reduce our usage levels and develop renewable sources.

Bored on the 4th of July

OK, technically it was cut with a tile-cutting hand saw, not bored, but the title was too good to pass up. Today I worked on the long-neglected shower. It's been sitting 1/3rd tiled for quite some time. Until my ladder levelers get here, I decided it would be safer to leave the last bit of painting over the windows for now.

A happy 4th of July to my American readers! While I love my country, I frequently find myself at odds with those who run it because of the decisions they make. I read an interesting article on CNN today about a recent poll: "69 percent of adult Americans who responded to a poll June 26-29 said the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be disappointed by the way the nation has turned out overall." Yowza! 69%? That suggests a lot of people feel that way, too. I wonder how much is the war in Iraq and the countless deaths, how much is the terrible economy, and what other factors enter into it.

And since it's the 4th of July, it's time for fireworks, right? Well, not so many here in extra flammable California. Apparently because of droughts all over the place, personal fireworks have been banned a lot of places (they've long been banned here in the Oakland hills), but a number of cities have canceled the big displays, too. Which isn't all bad, given the environmental impact of fireworks (partly the noise, but mostly the toxic ingredients). There are various attempts at 'greener' fireworks, but even with those, how good can it be for the environment to blow stuff up (even if it is fun) just for a celebration?

Shower Surround of a 1,000 Cuts!

The shelf that exists because of a step up in the foundation makes for a great bookshelf in the bedroom. It will make for a nice place in the shower to store shampoo and the like. But it and the window (4" thick glassblock in a 6" thick wall) have made for a heck of a lot of cuts in the tile. With some better layout, I could have reduced it to, I dunno, 700 cuts, but it's still got a lot of odd bits and pieces compared with the shower surround in the old bathroom.

Progress has been slow this week, because of a pinched nerve or something in my shoulder. Ibuprofen is my friend, but reaching with my right arm is not. But today I forged ahead and installed some more tile. I found that tiling doesn't hurt my arm much more than working at the computer or doing anything else, so what the heck. I'm probably 40% done overall...after I finish the walls, it'll be time to do the floor of the shower and the curb into the bathroom.

I'm making progress, but my slow progress has made me very glad I bought an inexpensive tile saw rather than renting. The tile saw I bought also has a nice adjustable angle attachment. The corner notches for the decorative tiles are beyond the limit of what I can cut with the angle attachment, though, so I'm back to the old method of using a 45' fragment as a brace for the piece I'm cutting the corner off of.

Found Treasures

We're planning to use the same tile for the shower as we used on the floor in the new bathroom. It's a nice soft green (Katarina loves green), and is the same design (sort of a random wash of bits of darker stuff) as the sand colored tile we used in the shower surround in the old bathroom back when I redid that. That had a similar orangish version, matching bullnose tiles, 3x3 grid tiles (that I cut into 3x1), and a nice complementary set of accent tiles with different designs. The green version had the bullnose and the grid, but no accent tiles, and no similar color that went well with it. Despite the shower being unique (custom size, shelf because of the foundation, etc.), I was worried it would be a bit boring with just some bits of 3x1 at the edge of the shelf, but I went ahead and bought the tile for both the floor and the shower.

While I was waiting for the tile to be brought out of the warehouse, I looked around at what there was to see in the driveway between the tile showroom and the warehouse next door. Various warning signs, tile saw for customers to use for a few cuts, etc. Then I spotted something I'd seen before -- the tile scrap bin. Basically bits of cut and broken tile that aren't salable any more. I looked in it, and found 95% of a sheet of 1x1 glass tiles, in a nice mix of blues and greens. It was missing a few squares, and a few were chipped, but it was otherwise a lovely little bit of tiles, so I snagged it and put it in the car.

Today I figured out the layout for the shower tile, cleaned up some stuff, and started tiling. I think these little guys are going to make perfect accent tiles, and the fact they were free-99 and headed for the dumpster is all the better.

I didn't get that much tile put up, but got a good start and more than that cut for some of the odd-sized bits at the ends. Alas, tomorrow will be a busy day so no more tiling until Monday. First service at church to train the second service person on the differences; second service will be a joint service with the Baptists that share our sanctuary; the evening will mean a return trip for an organizational meeting for this year's Mexico mission trip. Easter is earlier this year, so spring break for the schools is, so the Mexico trip is, too.