A Grouting Experience

I am not an advocate for HoneyDew Lists. I rarely wait around for my husband to complete a task that is important to me. This is the case for many reasons. One, it's simply rude to demand he do things around the house that I am perfectly capably of doing. Two, the things I want done usually matter to me, and therefore it's not right to expect someone else to fix it. And three, I actually really love being self-reliant and handy. It makes me feel accomplished in so many ways that I can make a huge difference by finishing a project in our home.

My shower didn't start out as a huge project, but I planned for plenty of time in case it ended up being a pain. That's why I waited until I knew I would be home for more than a Saturday to work on it. And just as I dreaded, a simple, one-day task resulted in a week and a half project that is actually still underway. But I am already seeing results and am very happy I decided to go all the way!

Let me back up. There are purposely no "Before Pictures." Though mold wasn't my fault, I was still embarrassed of having it in my shower. A crappy caulking job by the previous owners resulted in a little bit of water sneaking through to an area where mold could happily thrive. It has slowly made an appearance on my caulking surrounding the master shower. Though I frequently scrub my shower clean, it has been impossible to get rid of the colonies of mold hiding behind the caulking. Last Monday, I decided it was time to tackle it once and for all. I was simply going to remove the old caulking, fill the shower basin with bleach and hot water, and let it sit for a few days to kill any spores. Then I was to re-caulk and be done!

Easier said than done. When I removed the caulking last Monday, it took some of the old and crumbling grout with it. Because of the missing gaps, it was no longer safe to fill my shower with bleach water. So I spent three days spraying on bleach to kill any areas of mold, hidden or visible (hence the ruined bathroom rug...bleach is STRONG!). We had to sleep in the guest bedroom because it smelled so nice! I had fans going and it was still enough to gag a person when walking in! After three days of bleach treatment, I let the shower dry out completely for a few more days after scrubbing it clean. Meanwhile, I bought the supplies I would need to finish the job: caulking, clear silicone, and pre-made grout.

Yesterday morning, I knew it was time to get to work. And as it would only take a few hours to fill the areas of missing grout, I was actually excited to see this growing project coming to an end. Curse me for being a perfectionist! Though I tried to match the grout with the awful color already installed, the new stuff was more gray and much cleaner-looking. I loved how the new grout looked so much that I decided to just do the entire shower! My Grandpa always said, "If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well." I believe his words and try to live up to them, so I went all the way and fixed everything! It took many hours and lots of scrubbing, grouting, scrubbing, re-grouting, and scrubbing. I woke up this morning to some pretty sore arms...but a beautiful shower! I am so tickled with the results!

I'm pretty sure I have earned a day off and am headed out to play with my sister. While I'm gone, the grout will dry today and perhaps even be caulked later this evening. After I let that cure for a few days, we will be back in action with a practically-new shower! I am very happy with how great it looks. Though there isn't an old picture to compare, you can imagine what an improvement this is to moldy caulking! I can't wait for it to be done so I can use our "new" shower! I'm afraid to pat myself on the back for accomplishing such a huge task. Every time I feel like I am invincible, I make a stupid mistake. That said, I am very happy with the shower and even more happy that my husband didn't have to HoneyDew it.