Each weekend we get a little more done on our lake basement project and it’s rewarding to make progress.

Last weekend our goal was to finish the flooring and we did with the exception of installing two thresholds.

If you need to catch up on what we are doing in our basement, check out these posts:

• Lake House Basement Project Plans
• Lake House Basement – Update One
• Lake House Basement – Update Two
• Lake House Basement – Update Three
• Lake House Basement – Update Four – Paint
• Lake House Basement – Update Five – Flooring
• Lake House Basement – Update Six
• Lake House Basement – Update Seven
• Lake House Basement – Update Eight
• Lake House Basement – Update Nine
• Lake House Basement – Update Ten – Installing a Newel Post
• Lake House Basement – Update Eleven – Installing a Banister

Finishing the Flooring

In update five, I shared the process of installing our Mohawk Crest Loft in Praire House Oak ordered through Piedmont Floors.

We were able to finish the family room and extra room but did not have time to do the hallway, closet, and bathroom.

Mr. SP installed the flooring in the closet and hallway on Saturday.

The bathroom was more of a challenge. Because we wanted to butt the flooring up to the tub without a gap, we needed to have a gap at the doorway to be hidden beneath a threshold. We also wanted the boards to line up from the hallway to the bathroom as though we had run them across the threshold seamlessly. We also needed to cut flooring around the sewage pipe and the closet flange.

Before starting the flooring, concrete patch was used to fill in the gap between the sewage pipe and the concrete backer board that we installed last week. This was to provide a level floor surface and to prevent any possible water intrusion beneath the flooring if we had a water leak.

You can see here that the DMX was butted up to the concrete backer board. They are the same thickness, but we wanted the toilet to rest on the concrete for a rock solid platform.

After the concrete was dry, the sewage pipe was cut flush with the floor in order to install the closet flange.

Mr. SP used a hacksaw to cut the exposed PVC pipe flush with the concrete.

He then prepped the PVC with Oatey Purple Primer.

Then Oatey All Purpose Cement was applied over the purple primer. Both of these products really smell!

The toilet flange was slightly proud of the floor, just what was needed (it is recommended that the flange sit somewhere between flush with the floor, and 1/4″ above the floor). At the time of this writing, the closet flange is not yet screwed into the floor. We will drill into the concrete and use concrete screws to fasten the flange to the floor.

Since this is a bathroom and the floor could potentially get wet, an extra layer of underlayment/vapor barrier was added over the blue DMX-1 Step and the concrete backer board. Flooring glue was added to the wood planks’ seams for additional waterproofing and stability.

A gap was left between the hall and bathroom to allow for floor expansion. A threshold will be installed in this area next weekend.

I have to brag on Mr. SP’s work. Look how he aligned the boards to make them flow seamlessly from the hall to the bathroom.

The bathroom light was also installed. The switch needs electrical work, so turning it on will have to wait until next weekend.

The light is the Hickerson 3 Light Vanity ordered from Wayfair. I can’t wait to see how it looks when the light is on.

Paint Touch Up and Can Lights

While Mr. SP worked on the flooring, I did paint touch up followed by installing the can light covers.

Every light bulb in the entire basement had either drywall mud, paint, or both on it. Luckily they were easy to clean with a Scotch Brite sponge and a damp microfiber cloth.

All the ceiling needs now are ceiling vents which we’ll buy this week and install next weekend.

Bathroom Vanity

Our bathroom vanity is the Ikea Hemnes Raettviken which we purchased back in August. We have a Hemnes sink at home and it’s been great, so we didn’t hesitate to buy another for this space.

The sink came in a flat box and had to be assembled. Assembly was easy following the directions.

This cabinet costs $260, a very reasonable price. We also purchased the matching sink ($81) and an Ikea faucet ($69.99).

I am not at all mechanical and I was able to help put this vanity together. Ikea’s directions are great!

We hoped to install both the vanity and toilet but realized that we needed to install the baseboard in the bathroom first.

Wallpaper

Our plan is to wallpaper the stairwell walls. Since we are going for a cabin look, my original idea was to use wallpaper with Birch trees thinking that as one walked down the steps, it would feel like walking through a forest.

I shopped online for the wallpaper that I envisioned but could only find peel and stick versions and the reviews on it were not great.

I then stopped by Mahone’s Wallpaper Shop in town and described the paper that I was interested in. Within minutes, the helpful young lady working found exactly what I had in mind in this wallpaper book.

While leafing through the book, I spotted this wallpaper and instantly fell in love.

This paper is Brewster Wallpaper, Range Light Grey Mountains 3118-12633. I’m linking to it so you can see it online but if you are going to purchase it, I would recommend finding a local wallpaper shop to both get a better price and support a local business.

The Birch tree paper is Brewster Wallpaper, Pioneer Off-White Birch Tree 3118-12601.

I ordered the wallpaper from Mahone’s Wallpaper Shop and it arrived in two days with free shipping. The wallpaper won’t be hung until we figure out how we are going to install a railing in the stairwell which is needed to pass our building inspection.

What’s Next?

Next weekend we plan to paint and then install the baseboard as well as finish electrical work on two switches and a few outlets.

This basement project is a rewarding process and we are both learning a lot as we go through the steps in its progress.