Four months may not seem like forever, but it was about 3.9 months longer than we wanted to tolerate the last remnants of the old carpet upstairs—especially because it was in our bathroom. Carpeted bathrooms are a special kind of wrong.
We didn’t remove that section of carpet back when we replaced the rest of the upstairs flooring because we knew we didn’t want hardwood in the bathroom. Without a final flooring decision, we left the worn, wrinkled, creamy carpet that blended a little too well with the creamy walls and trim.
Yesterday morning we finally decided to get rid of it for good. We cleared the closet floor so we could access the whole area and start tearing things out.
First we pulled the carpet away from the tack strips along the walls, rolled it up, and removed it. The blue foam padding came up next; it ripped away easily from the staples holding it down. Those were the quick parts.
The sweaty work followed: prying the tack strips up with a crowbar, using a floor scraper to remove all the staples, then sweeping and vacuuming the space thoroughly. That whole clean-up took about an hour.
While I was wrestling with the floor, Sherry was in the garage tackling another task—more on that in a moment. We try to cram as many projects into weekend naptime as possible.
As for new flooring, we don’t have a final plan yet. Long term we want to tile the bathroom, but that will require substantial demo to combine the sink area with the shower/toilet area and create a larger, more functional bathroom instead of two small, choppy rooms. We may add hardwood to the closet or lay a low-pile jute rug wall-to-wall. We have leftover flooring, so the closet decision can wait. Major reconfigurations are projects we prefer to make after living in the house for a while, so those are future plans—not immediate ones.
In the short term, our plan is to paint the particle board subfloor with floor paint so it looks finished and isn’t as dusty. Then we’ll layer sheepskins, area rugs, or runners to make the space feel cozy while we hold off on irreversible choices like knocking down walls and installing tile. We considered peel-and-stick tiles or buying a large seagrass rug to cut to fit both spaces, but paint plus area rugs feels economical and reversible. Since eventual tiling would require installing cement backer board anyway, painting the particle board for now is a reasonable temporary solution.
This post isn’t just about carpet removal; it’s also about a mirror we found at HomeGoods last week. The shape reminded us of the quatrefoil mirror we used in our previous bathroom—the good kind of flashback. We needed a larger mirror over the vanity to help bounce light around the small sink nook and create the illusion of a window.
The mirror was large—over 40 inches wide—and priced at $89, marked down from $299. It had a nice beaded border, but the rustic paint finish didn’t match our aesthetic. Sherry primed and painted it in the garage while I finished the floor prep. She used one coat of primer and two coats of eggshell white paint leftover from another room to keep the textured detail visible with a softer sheen.
Removing the old frameless half mirror upstairs was straightforward since there was no adhesive behind it. We loosened the clips and the mirror came down intact—no shattered glass, no bad luck.
When we hung the new mirror, it initially looked cramped. Measurements had suggested it would be tight, but it still felt too close to the counter. We solved the issue by temporarily removing the light fixture above the vanity and capping the wires. This allowed us to hang the mirror higher—about six inches above the counter—so it didn’t nearly rest on the vanity anymore. We also capped and covered an outlet that will be moved later. Because the fixture wiring runs from the attic, moving the fixture box up later should be an easy job once we choose a light that we love.
Raising the mirror made an immediate difference: the space now feels larger and more balanced, even with the vanity visually heavier on one side. The mirror alone brightened and opened the nook considerably, despite the unfinished floor.
Because getting rid of the carpet and finding the mirror sparked new momentum, we’re sketching out some quick updates to tide us over until a full renovation. Likely changes include painting the walls and trim, refinishing or staining the vanity (perhaps a muted gray-blue), swapping new knobs for contrast, painting the floor, and adding open shelving on the right side for towel storage—or possibly closing that space with matching doors depending on how we feel. We’ll also move the capped fixture box and install a proper vanity light once we find one that fits our vision.
For now we’re simply happy to be rid of carpet in a bathroom and excited to work on this corner of the house. Small improvements are already making a noticeable impact, and planning can proceed at a comfortable pace. What did you tackle around your home this weekend?