Bathroom Remodel Part 7: Bathtub Siding

Part 1: Demolition
Part 2: Plumbing
Part 3: Material selection and Floor Tile
Part 4: Shower Tile Prep

Part 5: Shower Tile
Part 6: Walls and Caulk

One of the major design elements of this bathroom is the Teak wood, or in our case, Afrormosia "the poor man's Teak" wood. This stuff is seriously beautiful, just wait.

Since my favorite hardwood store (Macbeath's in SF or Berkeley, if you're interested) only sells these boards at 12" widths, We decided to join two skinnier 8" pieces together to give us the required width for the side of the tub.

Lots of sanding to get it buttery-smooth. The interesting thing about this wood is that when you sand it with a fine grain paper, it brings out this really nice waxy quality to the grain. I like that. Or maybe I'm just a nerd *shrug*.

The varnish we used is called "Emmet's Good Stuff" and for $26 it is worth every penny. Emmet's gave our Afrormosia wood the most beautiful shine and luster I've ever seen, not to mention a hard and water-resistant finish.

Pssst, ignore the Minwax stain in the picture below. What you see here is unadulterated wood porn.

I put about five coats of that stuff on just to be safe, since this panel would be in one of the more dangerous places in the bathroom in terms of moisture damage. Hopefully it holds up....

...because with how much Liquid Nails we used to attach it, it's gonna be a b*tch to take off and refinish!

Clamped and shimmed. I always need more clamps. Oh, and look! For the first time since we started, we don't have a giant gaping hole in the side of the tub frame! This is happening!!!

Stay tuned for the next installment, the MIRROR!