Sink Handles

Good  news, Betty fans. At long last, the coveted sink handles have been put in place. There's a bit of a story to it, making what is a small thing non-trivial.

You may recall that I decided the sink itself is OK, and kinda unique in being a "ledge back" design. My only real complaint was that the chrome on the fixtures had stripped off significantly.

When I say, "kinda unique", I am not kidding. In my earlier quests for sinks, I only found a couple of models remotely like this. Fixtures were even harder to find. This whole notion of having the handles mounted on the front of the ledge seems to have been a quaint mid-century one, one that has fallen by the wayside.

I asked my super where I might find parts, and he directed me to New York Replacement Parts Corp. "If they can't get it, no one can." So I went (twice, as it happens, but only bc I didn't realize the part was adjustable).

I showed the clerk a photo of my sink. "American Standard," he said, almost immediately. I ended up replacing the entire set of pipes and handles. Also, I was limited to one design. American Standard apparently makes just the one set.

I found a plumber to come install the next day, and now I've got some better-looking handles.

Now, they're not great. They're not an "iron cross" and don't have enameled labels, both of which I would have liked. They're small. However, they're clean, a bit shiny, and apparently stainless steel, which ought to keep clean easily. They're a darn sight better than the flaking chrome and faded colors of the last set. So, I'm happier with these.

Coming soon: the main show. The larger bathroom model should be done in a week or so.

The Hole

Something else I got fixed recently: the loose tile and broken floor in Betty's bathroom.

When I first moved in, there were some loose tiles in front of the sink.

No long after, a few others got loose. I investigated with my knife and discovered that the cement below was broken and chunky. So, like any good and thrifty homeowner, I threw a rug over it and put it off.

Three years later, I decided I really hated that rug. I had to face the underlying problem.

I went on a quest for tile. Hoo boy, is that a post in itself. The short version is that I looked online and visited three different tile shops in NYC, everything from a boutique in the West Village to a Dal Tile showroom in Murray Hill. Turns out the individual pieces I have are not really made any move, and the exact thickness is no longer standard. So, I spent a few months entertaining the idea of replacing the entire floor tile, which led to considering the walls as well, and then I decided I just wanted to patch the floor in a creative way.

Here was my idea: the hole was directly in front of the sink, and so I thought a simple mosaic of different shades of blue could be used to make a simple puddle mosaic. I would only need a few pieces. This last piece was the most challenging: no one sells tiles in anything smaller than 55 gallon drums, or something equally ludicrous for my purposes. I just grabbed some sample packs and sketched out a design.

I got the building super to fix the whole - much cheaper and simpler than hiring a contractor. However, I ended with a simpler version of my original vision: a square of squares, light blue.

So, not perfect, not even brilliant, but serviceable. A few months later, the repair is holding up, and as I prepare to fix up the rest of the bathroom, it's a nice touch - something to point out hat is personalized and a little creative.

Bathroom Prep

Good news, Betty fans. I took a look at some of the more problematic areas of the bathroom, including the weird discoloration in the tub. But first, the easy stuff.

I've decided to keep the sink. While I've jokingly referred to it as my North Korean Prison Sink, it really isn't. It's a decent size, and the things I like about it are hard to find in a form factor that works for this bathroom.

First of all, basin-mounted controls and faucet. See how they're mounted on the "wall" behind the sink? I actually like that. I mean to keep the shelf area above more clear - normally my face towel sits in the middle.

There are some scratches in the sink, but not terrible. The real problem cosmetically is the fixtures. Most of the chrome has worn away, making it look like something out of Fallout or Bioshock. So, my quest is to find replacement fixtures that will fit, and have the superintendent's crew put them in.

Le Basinet

Second, the basin is on the deep side. I've used this as a slop sink more times than I care to admit. I can soak my smaller bits of paddling kit, not to mention paint rags, clothes, and whatnot - and the sink is still clean.

So, she's a keeper. Sink gets to stay.

I ought to mention I considered getting rid of the soapdish and toothbrush holder - especially the latter. One puzzle about this place is that the toothbrush hold has slots for six toothbrushes. Let me remind you that Betty is 500 square feet, with one small bedroom. My downstairs neighbor has chopped hers into two bedrooms, by sacrificing half the living room, but still: That's either a toothbrush for nearly every day of the week, or Das Boot- style Kriegsmarine living arrangements.

So now the good news. The variety of stains in my bathtub have perplexed me for years. The tub is clean, just . . .stained. This stuff does not come out with scrubbing. After a little research, and a closeup using the Mk 1 eyeball, I think I have some new things to try.

First of all, I've decided this is a an iron tub with a porcelain finish. This is important to know because it rules out certain cleaning methods and rules in others. It also explains certain elements of the damage.

Second, I think I have two, possibly three problems I'm dealing with.

One is that the blue stains appear to be a very thin layer of glaze or paint. The don't come out with scrubbing, bu I am about to scrape them away with my thumbnail. Since there is too much work for my thumbs along, I tried a mix of kosher salt and lemon juice, using a soft shop rag. After about half an hour, I was able to get the most of the blue out of the left side of this photo. The ring near the front? The left looked like that.

Believe it or not, this is progress.

The next problem I have is stains near the back. These were less responsive, but I think I got a patch to lighten a bit. Over the next few weeks I'll spend some more time on this, and try some more aggressive treatments.

Le Tub

I had considered glazing the tub, and have gotten a lot of pros and cons on it. The idea of having the entire thing sanded down, filled in, and re-surfaced was really appealing, even with the long-term issues. However, I think someone did that once and that is why I have the issues I have now. In fact, I strongly suspect that someone glazed it that blue color, either to contrast the salmon tile, or to match and hide some mineral deposit blue stains - the third potential issue I've got.

Oh, fourth issue: blotches of white paint, either from painting the walls or a botched DIY glazing job.

So, that's the news. The bathroom's going to have some other changes, but they're at least a couple of months off. Meantime, these winer months I've had time to figure out what I want, and what I need to do. So now I know - and knowing is half the battle.

Shelf

I made a small change that's made a pretty big difference. After nearly four years, I finally hung the last shelf left over from when I moved in.

This is a wall-mounted shelf I got at West Elm. It's five feet long; two smaller cousins frame the opposite wall above the TV. This one though, I had a hard time placing.

The original plan was to have it directly opposite is cousins, about the couch. However, I hung two tchotchke shelves there, and never found a good place for it.

For awhile I thought I'd put it above the bed, above the headboard, but two counter-ideas prevailed: first, that wall is solid concrete and my feeble drill just made it look like Machine-gun Kelly took a shot at it, and second, the prospect of the shelf falling at nigh and decapitating me just did not sit well.

So, I put it above the desk.

I moved some photos to the opposite wall. My desk area now feels like a proper desk area, and not jus the desk sitting in the living room. I also moved a small breakfast table, making room between the opposite bookshelf and window for it.

The downside is that the table was my utility table - storage, where my purse sits, collector of junk. Now, it's a farther walk from the front door - but the upside is, it's closer to electricity, so it's a charging table.

So that's a change. It's a small one but altogether, it's opened up that space and made the joint seem less cramped.

I've got some more elaborate plans coming up, but they'll take a while to execute. Stay tuned.