I took a break from working on my bathroom (previously detailed in
Tiling Tub Surround for a tile beginner), but now I'm back at it. Here's my plan, with questions at each step; any and all advice or tips would be most welcome.
Tub:Tub refinishing guy is coming on Friday morning. Instructions are to clean the tub thoroughly, but nothing was said about the existing caulk. I'm assuming I should remove it and then recaulk when the tub is dry. Anyone have any experience with that?
Floor:The existing floor was two layers of linoleum (~1990s and ~1960s), a layer of some sort of crumbling fiberboard, what appears to be roofing tar, the original hardwood floor, and a diagonal plank subfloor. I've pulled up the linoleum and fiberboard. My plan is to pull up the hardwood (carefully as I plan to save it), put down a 1/2" sheet of plywood (AC exterior grade per the John Bridge forum), then Redgard uncoupling membrane and 1" hex tile.
Any recommendations on removing hardwood while preserving the tongue and groove?
I'm getting some conflicting advice about the thickness of the plywood underlayment. The manufacturer instructions say it can be installed over the 5/8" plywood subfloor with 16" joist spacing. My diagonal planks are 5/8" and the joist dimensions show a favorable deflection for ceramic tile. I don't want to install directly on the diagonal boards, but a full 5/8" plywood layer would mean that I'd probably need to cut off the bottom of my door, which is less than ideal. Other sources are saying you should always use two layers plus the uncoupling mat: first layer 5/8" plywood over 16" joists or 3/4" over 24" joists, second layer minimum 1/2" but preferably 5/8".
Will the 5/8" diagonal planks plus 1/2" plywood plus uncoupling mat be OK? Joists are 2x8, 16" OC, 10' span, in good condition with a doubled joist directly beneath the center of the room.
Walls:My current walls are super-awesome plastic tiles glued to the plaster with some incredibly tenacious glue. (Well, tenacious in terms of attaching itself to the plaster; far less so in attaching to the plastic tile.) My plan is to pop off the tiles and put up some wainscoting with a thin shelf on top.
Should I bother to scrape off the glue before hanging the wainscoting? Seems like a lot of work for minimal benefit.
There's a baseboard hot-water radiator along one wall. My plan was to remove the radiator cover and backing, repaint and reinstall as a 1-2 year fix until we do in-floor radiant heat. But I cannot for the life of me get the backing off of the wall. The internet is saying to take a reciprocating saw to it, but I'm worried that'd destroy it and I'd have to go buy brand-new $100 cover. Any alternative options?
Also, for the wainscoting, assuming I can't get pre-primed stuff, my plan is to cut, prime, paint, install, caulk/patch and touchup. But maybe I should paint after installing for a cleaner result?
Thanks!