The last two weeks of the One Room Challenge have been all about the dreaded plumbing. Something my hubby said we would never ever do again and really, didn’t expect to do this time around.  In all fairness to me I thought we would basically swap out the old vanity with the new, install the new faucet and be done. Easy peasy!

But hey, we’ll chalk it up to another learning experience because we do have one more bathroom to renovate and one to build from scratch in our basement!

To recap, two weeks ago you may remember we got the new vanity in place and she was a perfect fit…except where the plumbing for the drain was concerned.

When we removed the builder basic vanity and dropped the new one in place the plumbing didn’t line up. And of course when we tackled this part of our bathroom reno, stores were closed with only curbside pick up available. If you aren’t a plumber you know often times you need to stand in front of all the plumbing parts for hours, picturing exactly what you need to be successful!

In this case we opted to call ahead to our local hardware store and to make a long, stressful story short, only two trips were needed!!!

And y’all know I’m bringing in all the the brass and gold vibes this time around, including the faucet. 

We’ve once again partnered with America Standard Canada and have installed this gorgeous FLUENT Faucet in Oil Rubbed Bronze. I think it combines the brass and black accents beautifully. I keep telling you guys, mixed metals is where it’s at!

The Fluent Faucet is a two handle Centreset Faucet. If you don’t know what Centreset means - you should if you are faucet shopping! If your countertop has predrilled holes like ours did, you are limited in the type of faucet you can use. In this case, our countertop was predrilled with three hole, four inches apart, which meant we needed a Centreset Faucet - which is a faucet with handles spaced four inches apart.

In our last bathroom reno, the countertop also had predrilled holes but they were spaced 8 inches apart. This meant we needed a Widespread Faucet which is a faucet with the body and handles all separate pieces. Who remembers these sexy American Standard Matte Black Studio S faucets from the Fall One Room Challenge?

And that is your Faucet lesson for the day!

But back to business…the Fluent Facuet itself is a beaut! It features a Brass Spout and Waterway which makes it easy to clean and super durable over time with steady use. It also comes with a Ceramic Disc Valve Cartridge which ensures drip free performance! It boasts a Speed Connect Metal Drain (which we love about American Standard bathroom faucets), it makes for a quick install, less parts with little to no adjustments., It was easy to install, like our kitchen faucet, waterlines were attached. 

And of course no bathroom makeover would be complete without a new toilet with CONCEALED TRAPS! I’m told I started a movement with Moms of boys everywhere when we installed one in our bathroom during the Fall One Room Challenge! They really are game changers!

Meet the Studio Toilet! - This toilet is 100% our fave and if you take a look at the clean lines and concealed traps you’ll see why! But those lines are not the only thing we love about this toilet…let me break it down for you:

• it’s the “right height” which means it has a 16.5 inch rim height and you don’t feel like you are sitting on the floor!

• it has the Powerwash rim feature which basically scrubs your toilet bowl with every flush (can I get an amen!!)

• Flowise which means super duper Water efficient and comes in two pieces (tank and bowl) for easy installation

• It also has a Slow Close Lid AND Seat with a concealed seat ring and easy lift off feature for easy cleaning and reattachment - seriously magical!

So there you have it folks, another successful faucet and toilet install…thank you American Standard Canada for your continued support and faith in us and our DIY skills!

Two more weeks before reveal day! I still need to prime/paint/seal the vanity hardware and install finishing touches. Oh and let’s not forget two shipments that are still “in transit” ! It may not sound like we have much to check off the list but trust me, it’s A LOT. Good thing we work well under pressure!

Be sure to head to the One Room Challenge website and check out all the amazingly talented DIYERS, including the Featured Designers, you won’t be disappointed!

And leave us a comment below with any questions about our bathroom reno so far, I love hearing from you here on the Blog!

Cheers,

Michele & Alan