From: vln@icpsr.umich.edu (Victoria Neff)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: bathrooms
Date: 15 Oct 1992 16:51:28 GMT
Organization: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: tdis.icpsr.umich.edu

I'm the one with the disintigrating bathroom wall (above the tile surrounding
the tub/shower).

Thanks for all the responses.  EVERYONE said the drywall (which I now
think may be greenboard -- before reading lots of stuff here I thought the
green was a seal of some sort -- did they have greenboard 47 years ago??) 
should be removed.  Sigh.

Only one person said that more ventilation is clearly required, and I'm
sure he's right.

This bath is 47 years old, and was built with cheap fixtures (enameled),
which are now chipped.  The idea of spending money just to maintain the status
quo is very unattractive.

Anyway, I decided I just wasn't emotionally prepared to hurry up and decide
about a bathroom replacement.  So, what I did was:

   scrape off everything that was loose

   run a heater fan on it for several hours

   paint it with diluted oil-base primer

   let that dry overnight

   smear the whole mess with a THICK layer of caulk

I think (and hope) that that should hold it until next spring

So now I'm starting to think about a new bathroom.  I'm assuming that
this one will be ripped down to the studs (all walls and ceiling), and start
over.  Please comment verbosely.....

The floor (tile) is ok -- I'm thinking we can leave it?

Replace tub with fiberglass tub?  (Fiberglas is warmer and softer and
easier to clean)

Replace tiled wall around tub/shower with one-piece surround?  (Fiberglas
is warmer, softer, and easier to clean!!!!!)

What goes on the walls above the surround?  (I'm REALLY sick of cleaning
grout -- I DON'T want tile!!!)

Would it be stupid to have ALL the walls (and ceiling?) in the bathroom
be durock or something that's truly impervious as opposed to greenboard?

Where does the exhaust fan go (best of all possible worlds)?.  Is it
stupid or dangerous to put it in the wall above the surround at the
opposite end of the tub from the showerhead?  Or in the ceiling above
the shower?  (Seeing as how most of the moisture is generated by the
shower, putting the fan right over the shower seems to make sense.  Please
tell me why not!)

Does it make sense to have the fan on a timed switch, so it can be set
to run for 20 min (or whatever) and I can walk away?  Is it dangerous
to leave the house with such a fan running (fire or whatever)?

Is there any reason other than esthetics to have tile on the other walls
in the bathroom?

I'm thinking (this part is wishes and dreams, now) that I'd like to
have a big skylight *be* the ceiling/roof over the tub.  Is this
amazingly stupid?  I can see how it would be cold, and be a large condensation
problem (being cold).  I should mention this is SE Mich I'm talking about.
And it would be hot in summer, too -- the roof here faces west.

Do people have experience (bad or good) with various brands of fixtures?
Especially tubs, shower surrounds, sinks (I've saved the things people
have said about exhaust fans!)....

Please help me out with the questions I've forgotten to ask, too!

THANKS!!

  -- Vicki
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house