Master Bathroom Makeover: From Almond Toilet to Trimmed Door Triumph
Every home has its quirks and projects waiting to be tackled, and our master bathroom was no exception. What started with the simple decision to upgrade an outdated toilet soon spiraled into a series of rewarding home improvement tasks, including a significant donation and a long-overdue door fix. Join us as we recount the journey of repurposing a luxurious almond toilet and finally taming a stubborn bathroom door, sharing all the lessons learned and practical DIY tips along the way.
The Unexpected Journey of Our Almond Toilet: From Master Bath to New Beginnings
Cast your mind back to the almond-colored toilet that was a fixture in our master bedroom. While perfectly functional, its color and standard height no longer aligned with our vision for a refreshed, modern bathroom. We recently swapped it out for a taller, crisp white model, instantly brightening the space and enhancing comfort. But what do you do with a perfectly good, albeit dated, toilet? For a while, our old almond companion, which surprisingly appears white in some photos, took up residence in our entryway. A bit unconventional, perhaps, but there was a method to our madness.
Selling on Craigslist and Discovering its Hidden Value
Our plan was to try selling it on Craigslist. My partner, John, initially thought it might fetch a small sum, but our jaws dropped when we discovered its true value: an over $1300 Kohler model! This revelation instantly convinced us that someone out there would be willing to pay for such an upscale almond toilet. It’s truly astonishing what treasures people seek and find on Craigslist. We spent a few days crafting an appealing listing, highlighting its brand and excellent condition. To our delight, just a few days later, we sealed the deal! We sold it for a respectable $80. A lovely family, a father with his two young boys and a baby girl, came over after work last week to pick it up. It felt incredibly gratifying to know our old “john” was going to a loving home, a small act of sustainability in itself. The funniest moment came as they were leaving. As we waved goodbye from the window with our daughter Clara (who insists on waving to everyone leaving our house), she enthusiastically declared, “I go in car too!” Apparently, she had taken such a liking to the toilet and the new family that she wanted to join their adventure.
Turning Profit into Philanthropy: A Donation to Habitat for Humanity
Initially, the $80 profit from our “fancy toilet” sale felt like a welcome credit towards our new one, which cost $88. However, fate had a more heartwarming plan in store. A few days later, we learned about a wonderful local family Habitat For Humanity was assisting—a single mother named Chevelle and her six children. We discovered that a donation of $100 could purchase a brand new toilet for their soon-to-be-built home. Without hesitation, we pooled our $80 Craigslist profit with an additional twenty dollars of our own to make that $100 donation. It was incredibly fulfilling to contribute directly to providing comfort and dignity for Chevelle’s family. Habitat for Humanity is an outstanding organization, doing vital work in our community and beyond. We are proud supporters. If you’re inspired to help, you can find more information about their initiatives on their website. This experience truly underscored the power of repurposing and giving back, transforming a simple home upgrade into a meaningful act of charity.
Tackling the Troublesome Bathroom Door: A Long Overdue Fix
With the toilet saga beautifully concluded, it was time to shift our focus to another nagging issue in the master bathroom: the door. We’d often mentioned that the bottom of our bathroom door needed trimming. It consistently caught on an air vent in the floor, preventing it from opening fully and creating daily annoyances. This wasn’t just a minor inconvenience; it was a constant source of frustration that impacted the functionality and comfort of our bathroom.
The Daily Frustrations: Wet Floors and the “Dude Get On That Already” Challenge
The problem extended beyond a simple sticking door. Not only did the door refuse to open completely, grinding against the vent with an irritating scrape, but it also made having a bath mat virtually impossible. Even the thinnest mat would get wadded up and pushed around, as the door simply couldn’t clear it. This meant daily wet puddles accumulating on the floor right outside the tub – precisely in front of the toilet. Imagine stepping out of the shower and immediately having to navigate a damp floor, or worse, going to the bathroom with your bare feet sinking into puddles. Even if they are clean bathwater puddles, it’s not exactly a pleasant experience; your mind can certainly wander to less-than-ideal thoughts. And for anyone wearing socks, walking into the bathroom meant instant wet socks – truly the worst kind of surprise. This weekly bathroom door-trimming update quickly became our “Dude Get On That Already” challenge because, honestly, how had we put off such a straightforward and impactful fix for so long?
A Step-by-Step Guide to Trimming a Bathroom Door for Perfect Clearance
Tackling this door issue was a gratifying DIY project that significantly improved our bathroom’s functionality. It wasn’t as daunting as it seemed, and with the right tools and a little patience, anyone can achieve similar results. Here’s how we did it, complete with tips for a successful outcome.
Step 1: Safely Removing the Door
The first crucial step was to remove the door from its hinges. We used a screwdriver to carefully loosen and remove the hinge screws. This is a task best done with two people to ensure safety and prevent potential damage. Having an extra set of hands helps to slowly release the door, preventing it from crashing down onto the ground unexpectedly, which could damage the door or the floor, and certainly scare the living daylights out of you! Once the screws were out, we gently lifted the door off the hinges and carried it to our designated workspace.
Step 2: Precise Measurement and Cutting
With the door removed, John and I carried it out to the patio where we had set up our table saw. Before cutting, we carefully measured how much material needed to be removed. Given how tightly the door fit before, we opted to take off between half an inch and a third of an inch, ensuring ample clearance for both the floor vent and our future bath mat, which would finally put an end to the puddle problem. Precision is key here; measure twice, cut once! John positioned the door firmly against the guide next to the blade, ensuring a straight line. As he maintained pressure, I slowly pushed the door into the blade to achieve a nice, clean cut along the bottom edge. Update: Matt very kindly taught us a safer way to cut down a door, so read about that here. Safety first when working with power tools!
Step 3: Smoothing the Edges
After the cut, the raw edge of the door needed attention. I immediately sanded the bottom of the door to remove any roughness or splinters. This step is crucial for both aesthetics and functionality. A smooth edge not only looks better but also prevents damage to the floor and makes future cleaning easier. It’s much easier to sand the door thoroughly while it’s removed; once rehung, getting sandpaper underneath it would be incredibly difficult and frustrating.
Step 4: Rehanging and Final Touches
Approximately half an hour after removal and cutting, we were ready to rehang the door. We used the same screws we had carefully removed from the hinges, ensuring everything was aligned properly. It was an incredibly satisfying moment to see the door swing freely, clearing the vent with ease! We still have a few quick paint touch-ups to do along the newly cut bottom lip, but the overall result looks fantastic and functions perfectly.
Step 5: Adding a Protective Doorstop
With the door now opening fully, a new consideration arose: protecting the wall. I took a moment to install a doorstop on the bottom right edge of the door. This simple addition prevents the towel hooks on the back of the door from slamming open and potentially damaging the artwork hanging on the adjacent wall. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference in preserving our newly updated space.
Our Master Bathroom Renovation Journey: What’s Next?
Our master bathroom transformation is an ongoing labor of love. With these recent accomplishments, our to-do list is looking much better. We’ve tackled several key projects that have significantly enhanced the look and feel of the space, moving us closer to our dream bathroom.
Completed Tasks:
paint the walls so they have some contrastreplace the boob lightpaint the cream trim whitehang some bathroom-friendly artcraigslist the toilet and replace it with a classic white onedo something to add privacy to the windownix the ugly and cluttered showerhead caddyremove the door so we can shave the bottom (and add a door stopper so it doesn’t squash the art)
Future Plans (Phase One & Two):
- finally get a bath mat (a simple pleasure we can now enjoy!)
- replace the border tile around the room (maybe in phase 2?)
- move the blue pendant light to hang centered in front of the window (phase 2?)
- replace the floor tile down, just to break things up since there’s so much of it (definitely phase 2)
John and I are still discussing the timeline for tackling larger projects like cutting out and replacing the border tile, along with rehanging the pendant light to be perfectly centered on the window. We’ll keep you updated if these projects move to the top of our list. We’ll also be sure to provide a full budget breakdown for all of Phase One once we decide whether to hold off on the bigger renovations for a little while longer. Every step, big or small, contributes to the overall vision of our home.
Your Turn: Share Your Home Improvement Stories!
But enough about our projects! We love hearing from our readers. What about you guys? Have you ever sold an old toilet or other secondhand home items, perhaps finding unexpected value or a new purpose for them? Have you bought any new fixtures that dramatically improved your space? Or have you recently tackled a door trimming project or another long-overdue home maintenance task? Share your stories and tips in the comments below! The satisfaction of a functional and beautiful home is a journey best shared.
Psst- To follow this bathroom sprucing project from the start, check out this planning post, this painting post, this light-swapping post, this art and trim-painting post, this toilet-updating post, and this window frosting and shampoo wrangling post.