A couple days ago, I got this bright idea to clean and re-seal the main bathtub's shower doors. Well, our home is over 25 years old and the sealant in the tub has probably never been replaced. Edged in black mold, two areas under the shower door appear to leak rust-colored water after showers. *shudder* Not clean!!!
Knowing myself, I'm way too lazy to undertake a project by myself. Currently, the weather is cold and the sky is overcast, my tendency is to hibernate. *Sheepish grin* To encourage myself (and to make sure I don't back out on this shower door project), I ask my friend, Annie, for help. She so nicely agrees to spend Veteran's Day (Monday, November 12) doing a very.... Ummmmmmmm...... inglorious project. Does she know what she's getting herself into? Do I know what I'm getting myself into?
Come Monday afternoon... It's COLD! Heheheeeeee.... I know's it's afternoon already, but the air feels crisp with a bright cold snap. The sun shines bright, so I crawl into a small patch of sunlight; unfortunately, the sun is not enough to warm my skin. Brrrrrrrr.... So cold! Annie's coming soon. It is so NOT fair if she has to get out of bed, drive over to my home to help only to find me huddled in bed. No good! Okay, Kristy, out of bed and get ready to face the day. *sigh*
After a warm lunch, Annie and I prepare to start. Screwdrivers, two, check. Razorblades, check. Caulk, check. Metal pokey thing for fine-point scraping, check. Gloves, check. Mask, check. Ready? Maybe and maybe not. *shrug* I'll never know until I start.... and then, it's too late. *grimace*
Taking the shower doors off required lifting the whole top frame assembly with the doors hanging on it... then sliding the door sideways out of the frame. Bottom of the doors are black and slimy from unmentionable gunk mixed with mold. Unscrewing the side frames and bottom bracket... easy. It's the next part I shudder to think too much about. Hidden behind the gold-colored metal is white caulk edged in black mold. Ewwwww!
Annie and I drag the shower door pieces outside. Sitting in the cold sun, scrubbing and chiseling at mold coated rubber, spraying chill water, Annie and I work diligently to finish, clean and dry each piece of the shower door. Leaving the separate components outside to completely air dry, we trudge back inside. Heads bending low, we use flat-head screwdrivers and razors to scrape away the old sealant. Ick... more gunk.
About 5 hours from start to almost-finish... we have sealed the bathtub edge, placed the shower door frame back in place and resealed everything in sight!
Lord Father in heaven, thank you for such a great friend... one who tirelessly worked beside me and encouraged me to properly complete this project. Thank you, Father, for just enough caulk to reseal everything! Lord, the shower door's still sitting on the side because we hit a glitch. The bottom frame of the shower door doesn't quite touch the tub's edge so I squeezed more caulk there. Now, it's Wednesday, the abnormally thick layer of caulk isn't curing well in this cold weather. Thank you, Lord God, that we have another shower in this household to use. *wide grin*
Lord, can you please seal the bathtub and door with it's frame properly for me? I jump into these projects knowing the theory behind what to do, but rarely do things go perfectly smoothly... so Lord, I ask that you minimize my mistakes and give me wisdom in what to do. Should I scrape out the thick sealant, add a rubber filler and then reseal? Or should I just wait a couple more days in hopes that the caulk will be able to seal itself? *deep sigh* Lord, I ask for your wisdom and your blessings on this "simple" shower door project. I place my worries and my cares into your capable hands... and I NEVER want to have to redo this bathtub again in the next 10 years! Please? =O
In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! *big hugs* --Kristy