Why I Started the Massive Bathroom Project

Well, the home has been good to me for awhile.  But as of late, I've had a bit of a problem.  My bathtub has not always been the best draining tub, but it still got the job done.  I wasn't standing in water at the end of a shower, but it wasn't all gone, either.

Well, I would soon find out why.  My family came over to visit recently, and during that visit, my bathtub decided that it was done draining.  A plumber came in and told me it was due to an old drum trap.  Basically, these old traps would collect dirt and sediment, and, well, over the course of 83 years, I guess too much dirt had accumulated.  He showed me the trap which had a lid for removal, but wouldn't ya know it, the lid was stuck.  He said that wasn't uncommon.

My sister said she would forego a shower for a day.  I can't figure out why?

A large amount of dirt would be pulled back when I plunged.  The water would slowly drain out after that.

Notice the large drum trap in the bottom right.  That lid was sealed shut!!!

But the real kicker is that he gave insight into another interesting feature of my home.  You see, when I step into my tub, I have a nice cushy feeling below my feet.  Being ignorant of tubs, I figured that it was just the tub seal having separated from the tub base.  I was kind of right...and kind of wrong.

While there, he had me step into the tub.  He asked if I heard that.  Nope.  He told me to move around.  Well, wouldn't ya know it, I heard water moving under my feet!  It was squishing at my every move!!!  I have now lived here for five months, and I had never noticed it before!  It's because EVERY time I stepped into the tub the water was already running!  I simply couldn't here the real reason for the cushion below my toes.  It turns out that like so many other homeowners, my previous owners had opted to install a tub liner over their original cast iron tub.

While they look nice, they are quite expensive and can be prone to leaks, I was told.  Basically, if not sealed 100% perfectly, tiny water droplets make it through the caulk.  Over time, these droplets band together and form small puddles.  These small puddles start working away at the tub glue, and in even more time, the glue becomes worthless, and the liner actually separates from the tub.  But the problem is that water has nowhere to go.  It's trapped between the tub liner and the old tub drain which is clamped down tight to prevent seals.  You literally have dirty water that can't go anywhere.  NOT good!

So with that knowledge, I have now begun the process of tackling my 1939 bathroom.  It's going to be a big project, but hey, I'm single and what else am I going to do, right?!

The plumber introduced the idea of refinishing my bathtub.  I had never heard or even considered that before, but the more I look at tub liners vs. the cost of tub refinishing, the more I am falling in love with tub refinishing!  The original tub is basically sanded down and painted like new!  Could it really be that easy?!  The price difference is about $2000 for the liner compared to $300 for the tub.

I think you know which way I am leaning...

Let the massive project begin.

Side Note:  I would later learn that after the plumber installed the new drain AND made a monstrous hole in my kitchen ceiling that that had in fact not fixed the leak.  He then had to snake the sink drain.  And why didn't we try that in the first place, I asked.  Well, he said there was only a 50/50 chance of that working.  I quickly quipped, "If you held a gun to your head that had a 50/50 chance of going off, would you pull the trigger?  50% is HUGE!!!"  He was speechless at my quick response and tried to comfort me in knowing that my old plumbing was now new.  Yeah, sure it was...but it didn't need to be!  Sigh.  A man now trying to justify his mistakes.  That was an expensive $400 project that didn't need to take place...and I now have a hole in my kitchen ceiling!

The new drain with no drum trap.  I am looking down into my kitchen.

The large hole in my kitchen.

The plumber simply wanted to cover up this massive hole with an "easy-access cover."  Um, NO.

What is more, he said that he wanted to just put a cover over it for ease of access in the future.  I asked him if the problem was fixed.  He said absolutely.  I asked him why I needed an easy-access cover then.  If I could get 83 years out of it like the previous one, then I would very much like for my kitchen to have no ugly cover on the ceiling.  He was again taken aback, saying that he would have to bring out his drywall guy, and I think he was shocked to here me say, "That sounds good to  me."  It was like pulling teeth here!!!  He really seemed to be trying to take shortcuts, and I didn't like it.  I mean, he WAS professional, desperately wanted to keep his BBB rating clean, and seemed to know plumbing, but I asked him if he would want a cover in HIS kitchen!  It was a no-brainer.

After much tense verbal sparring (nothing obscene), he agreed to cover the hole (a week later).  I didn't feel like I won at all...I just felt like THAT was the right thing to do.  So after a probably wasted $300, I now have a modern drain that can be snaked in the future...that I probably didn't need.  Oh, the joys of home-ownership sometimes!  Oh well, you live and move on.

The hole has been patched.