The bathroom was a shining example of 80s decor – peach tiles with gold accents. If you need a reminder of just how special it was, take a look here. In my [crazy] wisdom, I decided to renovate it just 3 weeks before Christmas. And it was my turn to host that year. Hmmm.

Aside from the fact it was just plain ugly, the wall tiles had also been used on the floor. Big no, no. Why? Because the wall tiles were designed to be just that – wall tiles. When the tiles on the floor got wet, they became extremely slippery (so I found out) and dangerous. 

always check with your tile supplier if the tile you like can be used for something other than its intended purpose

So chisel a-blazing, I flew head-first into removing the tiles. The first section came out in a flash so I thought I’d have this part of the process completed in no time. How wrong I was! While some simply lifted off, the majority refused to budge and had to be chipped away, square centimetre by square centimetre.

Only once the tiles were removed from around the bath did I discover that it had been cemented into place, including the drain pipes. They certainly built this bathroom to withstand anything because it wasn’t going to budge. The only way to get the bath out was to chip away at the concrete, especially around the pipes, with a combination of hammer and chisel and also a hammer-drill.

As I wasn’t ready for the toilet to be removed, I had no choice but to shimmy between it and the bath to get to the offending concrete. It was frustrating and awkward but persistence paid off. Once several key pieces were dislodged, I managed to free the rest of the tub… eventually.

My plumber then capped off the pipes so that I could then remove the sink and vanity and old tap ware and also removed the toilet. When stripped back, the bones of the bathroom weren’t in the best shape. Some of the walls were compromised with the tiles and there was evidence of water damage from failing grout. After replacing some small sections of wall, the waterproofing was next and after a few coats, it was just a waiting game until it cured.