Day 5: Drywall and Mud

Friday was Day Five of our bathroom remodeling project and we are a little behind schedule. Jim thought that he could complete the demolition in a day and it took him two days to remove all the ugliness that used to be our main bathroom. Not to worry, Jim plans on coming by on Saturday afternoon to slap on another coat of mud on the walls and that should get us back on schedule. Many of you who read this blog are familiar with the world famous Marble and Mud blog, which is written and maintained by Super Mom. I encourage you all to visit Marble and Mud often for updates for life in the Valley of the Sun!



More about today's events in the bathroom project. Jim arrived loaded for bear, with lots of the water resistant drywall to install in the alcove that will become our shower. Jim spent the day putting up the drywall around the shower base, as well as in all the open spaces in the walls and ceiling. Once all the drywall was in place, he started to tape all the seams and then he mixed up some "20 minute mud." 20 minute mud is a compound that once mixed with water, begins to harden in approximately 20 minutes, so as soon as Jim added water to the mud, he was on the clock to apply the mud to the recently taped seams and openings in the dry wall. I told Jim as he was applying the mud, "This is where being a carpenter is more art than science." Jim deftly applied the mud in three batches, finishing his work for the day a little after 4PM. We shut the door to the bathroom so that the warm air from the newly installed vent duct could accumulate in the bathroom and dry the mud.



With a little luck, I will be able to start painting the bathroom on Tuesday night. What Dee and I have to do over the course of the next few days is pick out the colors to our new bathroom. We are thinking about a white ceiling and a soft, neutral color for the walls.