One word—perseverance—best sums up our Reader Projects, Katie Beckman.

Nine months ago Katie decided to add a shower to the upstairs bathroom of her 1940s home. As she tore into the plaster lathe walls around the tub, a colony of carpenter ants came pouring out. “As disgusting as the discovery was, I was glad to have found it, and be able to eradicate the infestation!” Katie says.

Once the old plaster walls had been knocked down, Katie hired a plumber to install pipes for the shower. Next, she cut and installed green board drywall. “I am very lucky to have had my dad’s help with this portion of the project—he’s got all the hefty power tools, and showed me how to use all of them!” Katie says.

Next Katie found simple white field tile and seafoam glass accent tiles, and affixed them to the green board. She and her boyfriend grouted the shower tile together.

The floor came next. Katie and her boyfriend put cement board on the floor first, then tiled it.

“I found a hexagon tile that was appropriate to the age of my house, but wanted to tie in the seafoam color,” Katie says. “So we created a custom look: I found one 1x1-foot sheet of seafoam mosaic tile, and we painstakingly popped out every other white tile and replaced them with glass accents.”

Katie learned a few things along the way, such as:

• Start with something you love. In Katie’s case it was the seafoam glass.
• Read the instructions all the way through.
• Seek advice from an experienced professional.
• Make sure different tiles are the same thickness, or be prepared to spend time leveling the tiles.
• Cut tile as you go.
• Mix mortar as needed.
• Test a sample piece of glass tile with the mortar to make sure it dries white, rather than dull gray.
• Wipe wet mortar from the grout lines, which need at least a depth of 1/8 inch to avoid cracking later.
• Use caulk from a gun, not a tube.
• Make a list of everything you’ll need from the home improvement store to avoid extra trips.

“There are a lot of things I would have done differently, but in the end we made it happen, and it is satisfying to know we overcame those obstacles!” Katie says.

To see the before picture, click here.

For another budget bathroom makeover idea, click here.