Bathroom Remodel Under $2,500: Mortar Bed, PEX and a Tub Fiasco

Under the tile in one North American bathroom sat an inch-thick mortar bed over wire mesh, a setup the host of Fix This Build That, Brad, said he had never seen before. Pulling it up in sheets turned a planned vanity-and-floor swap into a full gut, and the finished remodel came in at $2,433.69 against a $2,500 budget. The video itself states $2,443 in its final tally. Brad says a contractor would charge well over $10,000.

The mortar bed and the wire mesh

The vanity was hard to remove, and the reason was the mortar bed under the tile. Brad worked it up with a wrecking bar while wearing a respirator. Beneath the mortar was wire mesh, and under that a tar or felt paper that had protected the subfloor. He describes it as a lath-and-mortar system: mesh, mortar bed, thin-set, then tile. The mesh is very sharp and rusty, so he advises having a tetanus shot up to date. The subfloor underneath turned out to be plywood in good shape, with a few water-damage spots.

Before pulling the vanity, he cut big holes in its back. Stub-outs often have escutcheon plates and connectors added after the cabinet is in, and pulling the cabinet out whole could tear connections off and send water shooting out.

Walls, water and plumbing

The almond-colored wall tile had been notched around the vanity and backsplash, and one piece had been ripped off near the towel bar. Brad decided to tear out the wall and hang new drywall, which also straightened a curved wall. The tile came off in sheets, which he called one of his top three DIY miracles.

The main water shut-off was in the crawl space. When he drained the lines, water kept flowing until he also shut off the water heater. He cut the old plumbing with a self-ratcheting copper tubing cutter and set the new tub and shower valve at 36 in. from the floor, on a 2×4 added as blocking.

The valve had no PEX connections, so he threaded on adapters (female NPT on one side, PEX on the other), using both Teflon tape and pipe joint compound. On a tip from Jeff of the Home Repair Tutor, the tub spout output gets a larger connection (a SharkBite fitting) rather than a restrictive PEX fitting, so full flow does not back up the shower head. Six PEX crimp connections plus cutting took under seven minutes. Making the shower-head drop connection low first is easier than crimping overhead. A test plug on the shower arm let him run the water, and a check under the house showed no leaks. The plumbing, including the valve, cost $97.

Subfloor and tub

The floor was springy, and a look into a hole showed only half-inch subfloor, so he added a new layer of 3/4 in. subfloor. An out-of-square wall kept the new sheet from landing on the toilet supply line.

The tub went onto a bed of Quikrete topping sand mix, mixed with half acrylic fortifier and half water, laid about 2 in. thick over stapled plastic vapor barrier. The plastic keeps the subfloor from drawing moisture out of the mortar and makes the tub easier to remove later. The tub caught on drain plumbing below, and he cut a joist from the crawl space before the mortar set. He called it the most nerve-wracking experience of his DIY projects. The tub is solid the next day, though not perfect. The tub and shower combo cost $800, though he bought it scratch and dent for $600.

Surround, drywall and trim bead

The three-piece Kohler Sterling Medley surround locks together, but he calls the design horrible: pins and hooks on the back require lifting the panel nearly an inch, which would need a huge hole around a tub spout stub-out. He cut the tops off the hooks with a multitool, after making a life-size template. He ran the hole saw in reverse so it would not grab.

Countersunk screws stood about an eighth of an inch above the surround flange, cracking the drywall as it was hung. He trimmed the drywall back, leaving an inch gap, and filled it with Trimex shower bead, using 3D-printed spacers. After mudding, the tear-away strip came off and left a small gap to caulk. He would shim instead, since the product is expensive and the company sent the wrong size. A Wen dual-head sander took the paper face off the drywall, so he sanded by block.

Flooring

He chose luxury vinyl tile that looks like large-format ceramic, laid lengthwise from the top left corner with the grooves facing out. Spacers were 1/4 in. at the wall and 1/8 in. at the tub, which was sealed with color-matched silicone. When cutting an end piece, flip it so the tongue is not cut off. A tile cutter handled most cuts, a table saw ripped the narrow last row, and an oscillating tool undercut the door jamb. Subfloor and vinyl cost $220.

Costs

• Plumbing: $97
• Flooring and subfloor: $220
• Drywall, mud and paint: $266 ($220 plus $46 for paint)
• Oak vanity, black hardware and lighting, mirror, towel hardware and fan: $960
• Miscellaneous: $100

He never caught the rodent he found in the crawl space.