Renovations

Well, the first thing you learn when you are doing renovations is that everything takes much longer than you think it will. I have been working on renovating my upstairs bathroom since somewhere around mid-December. Often it seems like what you are looking at doing would be simple – you can imagine the layout of some pipes or fittings in your head – and two hours later you are still soldering. Or taking out this or that won’t be a big deal until you cut through something you shouldn’t have or made a hole here when you wanted one there. Anyway… when I started the project my primary tools were – a 12V Cordless Drill, an 18V Cordless Circular Saw, and an 18V Cordless Jig Saw

The first real power tool I bought was a Milwaukee Sawzall. I went and got it almost immediately after I started working on getting the tile down. If you are doing any kind of demolition this is the tool to have. Sawzall says it all. With this tool I have cut through wall tile, cement board, plywood with nails, copper pipe, PVC, cast iron pipe, and cut a bathtub in half. It’s made so you can start anywhere on almost any surface. Need a hole in the floor? No problem – just don’t cut too deep or you may take out electrical or plumbing that you didn’t want to replace.

The next tool that I got was a drywall screwdriver. This was a Christmas present from my girlfriend’s brother Rick (who has been giving me a crash course in “contractor arts”). A drywall screwdriver is different than using a hand drill to drive screws. It has a clutch mechanism that engages the motor when you press in on the drill bit. SO, speed is controlled with the trigger on the handle and the tool is engage by pressing inward on a screw. It makes life much easier for driving screws and removing them.

I had been thinking about getting a circular saw and why not? I would get to use it on this project. So when Rick and I went out for supplies we grabbed a Dewalt lightweight circular saw. It’s been nice for cutting 2x4’s. Fast and straight!

As Rick and I were working we put my poor little cordless drill the test. I kept running out of battery. We had been trying to cut larger diameter holes in the floor 2x6 support beams – 2 inches for the PVC pipe and ¾ for the copper. It seemed like it took hours. The next tool was a Dewalt 7.8 amp drill. What a difference! With the new Dewalt I started out to ream a ¾ size hole up to one inch and nearly twisted my thumb off my hand! Wow!

To round out the shop I also bought a chop saw so I can now cut PVC quickly without fumbling around too much and a table saw. The table saw had been on my list for a while so that I can make things like radiator covers. I also picked up a small workbench with a clamp oriented so I could solder sections of copper piping.

The bathroom renovation has been going pretty well, but has been time consuming. The first weekend I took out most of the tile around the tub. The second weekend I took out the tub, vanity, toilet, and floor tile. Taking down the drywall was tedious too. It was glued and drilled in place. Other tools required for the job include –
Drilling Hammer or Sledge Hammer
Drywall Axe – Handy, but not not necessary
Masonry Chisel
Floor Chisel
Floor Scraper
Hammer
Screwdrivers
Utility Knife
Channel Lock Pliers
Adjustable Wrench
Pipe Wrench
Dust Pan and Broom
Dust Masks
Eye Protection
Ear Protection
Prybars
Blow Torch
Tube Cutter
Fat Permanent Marker (This is a must have!)

Supplies Bought so Far
½ inch Copper Pipe
Copper Pipe Fittings
Flux
Pipe Cleaners (Emory Cloth and Wire Brush)
Solder
Cement Board for Walls
Cement Board for Floor
Green Board for Areas Not Tiled/Wet
Plywood
(10) 2x4’s
(4) 2x6’s
1 ½ inch PVC Pipe
PVC Pipe Fittings
PVC Cleaner
Tub
Vanity/Sink
Toilet
Various Screws/Nails
Saw Blades

So there you have it. I’ll try and post regularly on the progress and talk about what I am learning. Oh, and I will definitely put up some pics too!