Home improvement update: single-handedly removed the bathtub today. I feel like one of those fishermen who has spent an hour reeling in a marlin. It was a real wrestling match, made tougher by not having all the exact tools a person would usually use for such a job.
The first difficulty was disconnecting the tub from the drainage plumbing. Being on a concrete slab and pinched between two walls meant my only access was from above. Supposedly a tool exists to unscrew a drain from the plumbing, thus releasing the tub from its last point of attachment. I did not have this tool, and sacrificed a pair of pliers in an attempt at improvisation. After it was clear I wouldn't be able to separate the drain from the plumbing I did the nest best thing, I separated the drain from the tub. Amid surprisingly sharp flecks of flying enamel paint chipping off in all directions, I spent about 20 minutes drilling holes
around the drain. And then I spent 20
more minutes breaking the metal apart between each hole (a good job for a crumby pair of tin snips which I didn't mind abusing). It made for one ugly "cut" but separation was achieved. Next I had to figure out how to get a tub out of a room that was only as wide as the tub was long. Lemme tell you, pivoting a tub up out of a bind like that is no fun at all. It's heavy, it's sharp-edged, and it snags on everything as you try and pivot into standing position so it'll go through the door. I had to do a lot of swearing to get it to cooperate.
But it's done now, which is a big step. Tomorrow is going to be dedicated to lifting up the old lino and tediously removing all the old glue residue etc in preparation for tiling. Unlike the tub removal, this will not be a 'new' experience for me. I'm already fully aware how boring of a job it is.
My catch of the day - and the stubborn drain that refused to come along. |