Sneak-attack home improvement

Tuesday was a BAMF TCB day. (That’s acronymic for Badass Motherfucker Taking Care of Business day.) Today will be more of the same (because #deadlines, as the kids say).

After a solid five hours of focused client work in the morning, I spontaneously went full berserker on the decrepit grout and caulking in my shower. I’ve been wanting to fix it since I moved in here; whomever did it the last time around did some shoddy work.

Following more work, errands, and dinner, I spent about five and a half hours on the beginnings of two illustrations for a book.

But, back to the berserking. Below are some progress pictures from yesterday and this afternoon, when I finished the job. (The image pairings show left and right corners of a shower with a tile ledge below the window.)

After attacking the offending grout / caulking: a right mess.
After attacking the offending grout / caulking: a right mess.
Swept pout the debris, scrubbed the tiles and grout.
Swept out the debris, scrubbed the tiles and grout.
There are some major gaps to fill, so two layers of caulking required. First layer in white, which clearly is too bright. An accident, but one that worked out well...
There are some major gaps to fill, so two layers of caulking required. First layer in white, which clearly is too bright. An accident, but one that worked out well…
Left: After first layer set up, prep for final layer with blue tape. (The alcohol is on account of bathroom caulk being silicone-based, so water=useless) Right: An antique awl of such proportions that it’s the perfect tool for breaking the seal on a tube of caulk.
And here is the finished (still drying) repair job. (Still needs cleaning, but it has to cure.)

While the end result is far from perfect (by any rubric), it is a vast improvement, and the almond-colored second layer blends quite well having had a base of white. BOOM!

Note: The tool I used for the really wide areas was a small rounded silicone kitchen spatula, which worked pretty well.

‘Nother note: Bathrooms, particularly in rentals, should exclusively be tiled with PLAIN WHITE. What is this nonsense? (It’s crap no one wanted, which is why it was cheap, which was why a landlord chose it.)

And now I must return to those illustrations, as they are due imminently.

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