Shower Walls

The first 6 rows of tile are done.  The next row will be a 4 inch tall stripe that matches the blue and green glass tile we used in the back of the nook.  In fact, that same tile will be used on the back splash and the outside of the curb.  Since the glass tile is thinner than the wall tiles, I applied a layer of thinset to build it out a bit before I set that next row of tiles.

Shower Walls

The first 3 rows of tile are done!  I started to cut these with an angle grinder and a diamond wheel, but there was no way I was going to do a full shower that way.  I wound up buying a new tile saw in order to get this done.  That will come in handy when we go to do the stacked stone on the fire place as well as all the backsplashes in the cabin.  This is going to take some time, but I really like the way it is turning out. 

Shower Floor

After letting the thinset cure for a couple days, it was time to apply the grout to the floor.  To help with the beach theme, we used a light tan/gray grout.  But, before I could apply it, there were several tiles I put in upside down and I had to get all the glue off.  There was also a bunch of thinset I had to pick out from between the tiles.  That took forever!  But I am super happy with how the floor turned out.

Shower Floor

With the waterproofing membrane applied to the floor, now it is time to install the finished floor.  Because this is a lake house, we decided to use a pebble tile to simulate the beach in the shower.  In order to avoid the possibility of seeing the pattern in the tile, I stripped every pebble off the backer mesh and hand applied them individually to the thinset.  It took a little longer, but I love the way it turned out.
 

Shower Floor

Now that the pre-sloped mortar bed is dry, it is time to apply the Schhluter Kerdi water proofing membrane to the floor.  The old foam pan had this membrane attached, but of course, it could not be saved.  The membrane curves up the walls on all 4 sides so I get my full 2" overlap.  It also goes over the top of the curb and down the outside all in a single piece!
 

Shower Floor

I decided to take the foam pan out of the shower and build a new pre-sloped pan out of dry pack mortar bed.  This will be a more solid floor and I can be sure the slope to the drain is adequate for the pebbles we intend to use on the floor.  Industry standard is 1/4" per foot, but the foam pan was only 1/8" per foot.  I did this with a method I learned from Stud Pack.  Thanks guys!
 

Gangway

Both 10' sections of the gangway are built as well as the brackets used to hold them together.  I have most of the materials to build the hinges for both ends of the gangway, so I will start on those this week.  I still need to get the steel to make the new bar for the retaining wall and add the hinges to that.  We have a couple months before we can put it in the water though, so we have plenty of time.
 

Barn Door Install

We found this sliding barn door at Costco last weekend.  For $217 it came pre-finished white, with all hardware and soft open/close rollers.  The handle matches the hardware in the kitchen and the install was easy.  I did have to cut the roller bar and backer board down, because they were longer than the wall we mounted it on, but even that was easy.
 

Living Room Chair

We finally found a chair for the living room.  I think we will wind up replacing the ottoman with a longer one or with a coffee table.  But this will work for now.  We also picked up so small tables at Costco.  They are supposed to be night stands, but the will work well as end-tables because the living room is so small.
 

Gangway

I finished the first half of the gangway frame this weekend.  We still need to re-stain the deck boards and attach them, but I don't want to do that until we have it assembled and on the dock.  I also need to fabricate the mounts that will hold it on the dock and the retaining wall.  I'll do that after I finish the second half.