How to Spackle Drunk [A Bathroom Remodel Love Story]

Remember when I posted my Big List and told you I was totally going to paint my bathroom  this past weekend? Because I was so sick of the color (hospital green) and I once read an article somewhere on this blog about white walls and clear shower curtains totally making your bathroom seem bigger. And my landlord graciously brought me these supplies…

Right. Well…it took me three days. About 6 hours total.

How is this possible? I mean, my bathroom is so small. There’s less than 12 inches between my sink and bathtub.

 

Well, for starters, there were about 18 million small nail holes, cracks, marks, and genuine, actual HOLES in my walls. Which my landlord knew (hence the spackling). So I had to spackle. No one likes to spackle. It’s such a pain in the ass, and it made me not want to get started.

So I put it off for two days. And then, one night after a particularly long day, I poured a big glass of sangria and set to work.

You might notice that I am spackling with a butter knife.  Don’t be judgy about it. I was drunk and I couldn’t find my spackling tool (because I was drunk and didn’t look very hard).

I didn’t stop to take pictures after I spackled. Sorry (again, I was pretty gun-ho after three glasses of sangria). Basically picture my green walls with approximately 100 little spackle dots. I also removed a very ugly towel bar that was in an awkward space too far from the tub/shower with my nifty new power screwdriver (note the pink spackling above).

After all that hard work, I needed a break.

The next day at work I thought about my bathroom all day. Why was I such a quitter? I totally could have powered through and finished the first coat of paint the night before. I mean, I have no life really, why did two hours of my time seem like so much?

When I got home from work, I was determined. I popped open the paint can (and the window) and was totally tearing it up. Then I noticed this:

This is how close my tub is to the window. When I first saw the apartment, I remember I thought it was romantic. The moonlight would grace my bubble baths, I could crack my window in the summer (shades drawn, of course) and the neighbors would hear my classical bubble bath music and think I was totally sophisticated.

And that’s cool. I totally might still do that. But HOW THE EFF DOES SOMEONE PAINT THIS SPACE? No human arm can fit in there. And there’s six inches of wall between the bottom of the window and floor.

Let me tell you how. You pour another glass of that sangria, play some old school Trey Songz, man up, and lay on the floor for twenty minutes with your arm awkwardly stuck between your tub and wall.

It was awful. And only one of many extremely strange features of my bizzarely arranged bathroom (thanks landlord). But, at the end of the night…

COAT ONE WAS COMPLETE! I was immediately in love (I mean, I always am, but this was true love…the kind you text all your friends about). My bathroom really did feel bigger and more open.

And…drum roll please…

 

The finished product! (Complete with grumpy cat Austen).

I want to get a bright, possibly floral, shower curtain that ties in red, gray, and yellow (I saw one at World Market the other day that might be the winner). Also still on my to-do list still is that floor  (let’s not even talk about it yet), installing an above-the-door shelf for my towels, possibly painting my ceiling a bright color, and I also still need to paint the space behind my toilet. 

But I’m off to a good start. :)