Norma Vally's Bathroom Fix-Ups: More than 50 Projects for Every Skill Level

by Norma Vally

Overview

Today more women are tending to their homes, and they're not just sewing curtains and arranging flowers. They're installing new toilets, adding ceramic floors to the kitchen, and drywalling the den.

A survey by Home Depot found that 73 percent of women would like to learn more about tackling home improvements. But who has the brains, brawn, and beauty to really understand a woman's perspective and give her the confidence to conquer what had traditionally been men's territory? Norma Vally.

Norma Vally is a rare combination: construction worker, former model, television and radio host. As the host of Discovery Home's show Toolbelt Diva, Norma showed women how to throw out the Honey Do lists and "Honey, do it yourself." She's beautiful, sassy, confident, and competent, and with a radio show, a line of tools, a website, and her top-rated TV show she is a franchise dedicated to educating women on home repair, maintenance, and improvement. The Norma Vally book series is as sassy as Norma, packed with real-world tips showing women how to take charge of their homes.

This beautiful, four-color, fully illustrated series provides a basic overview of big-picture renovation. In Norma Vally's Bathroom Fix-Ups, Norma guides the reader through determining not only how to do the work, but how to determine what is right for her: Does she like bright overhead light or soft indirect lighting? Does she live in her bathroom -- and thus need as many homey amenities as possible?

Then Norma provides an overview of the jobs best left to professionals and those the reader can master with Norma's guidance: adding a vanity, installing a sink, building in recessed lighting, changing the toilet. Tasks are broken down into three levels of difficulty and cover sinks, toilets, showers, tubs, walls, and flooring.

The book will provide confidence to the most nervous renovator, showing readers that Honey-Do lists can truly become a thing of the past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470399859
Publisher:	Trade Paper Press
Publication date:	04/28/2009
Series:	Norma Vally , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

A seasoned veteran of home improvement, both on and off camera, Norma Vally's media career boasts four seasons as host of Discovery Home Channel's Emmy-nominated series Toolbelt Diva and a radio show on Sirius Satellite by the same name. Norma is a published author and sought-after speaker who has appeared on Today, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and MSNBC; and has been featured in Family Circle, Women's Health, People, Woman's Day, Glamour, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the New York Times. Norma founded Chix Can Fix, a Web site and product line devoted to empowering women to take control of their homes and their lives.

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Table of Contents

Express Facelift.

1Sinks.

Clean a Pop-up.

Faucet Aerator Maintenance.

Tighten a Loose Faucet.

Resurface a Sink Finish.

2 Showers.

Clean a Shower Stall Drain.

Clean a Showerhead.

Replace a Standard Shower Rod with a Curved Rod.

Fix a Leaky Showerhead.

Secure or Replace a Loose or Cracked Tile.

3 Bathtubs.

Re-Caulk a Tub or Faucet.

Unclog a Tub.

Restore Tile and Grout.

Secure or Replace a Loose or Cracked Soap Dish.

4 Toilets.

Replace a Toilet Seat.

DVD: Replace a Flush Handle.

Toilet Maintenance.

Plunge a Toilet.

5 Walls and Floors.

Patch Holes in Drywall.

Tighten a Loose Towel Bar or Toilet-Paper Holder.

Secure a Loose or Hollow Floor Tile.

Replace a Broken Floor Tile.

Stain and Seal Floor Grout.

Corrective Treatment.

6 Sinks.

Repair a Leaky Faucet.

Renew a Cultured Marble Vanity Countertop.

Hang an Adjustable Tilt Mirror.

Replace a Vanity Light Fixture.

Frame a Vanity Mirror.

7 Showers.

Replace a Showerhead.

Repair a Leaky Showerhead.

Add a Handheld Showerhead with a Slide Bar.

8 Bathtubs.

Replace a Tub Spout.

Replace a Damaged Tile Section.

9 Toilets.

Unclog a Toilet with an Auger.

DVD: Replace a Flapper.

Repair a Leaky Flush Valve.

Replace a Flush Valve.

Replace a Fill Valve (or Float Cup).

10 Walls and Floors.

Install Grab Bars or Hand Grips.

Hang an Over-the-Toilet Cabinet.

Install a GFCI.

Install a Wall-Mounted Towel Warmer.

Intensive Treatment.

11Sinks.

Install a New Faucet and Pop-up.

Install a New Drop-in Sink.

Install a Pedestal Sink.

Install a New Vanity and Vessel Sink.

12 Showers.

Install a Shower Door.

Replace a Leaky Shower Pan.

13 Bathtubs.

Tile a Tub Surround.

Replace a Three-Handle Tub/Shower Faucet.

14 Toilets.

Replace a Shut-off Valve.

Install a New Toilet.

15 Walls and Floors.

Tile a Floor.

Install an Exhaust Fan.

Total Indulgence.

16 Footprint and Layout: What Works for You.

Exploring the Possibilities.

Master Bathroom.

Kids’ Bathroom.

Guest Bathroom.

Wheelchair-Accessible Bathrooms.

17 Design: Creating the Ideal Look and Feel for Your Bathroom.

Where to Get Started.

Flooring.

Walls.

Cabinetry.

Fixtures, Faucets, and Accessories.

Lighting.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Vally, TV DIY celebrity and repairwoman, presents in these two books kitchen and bathroom projects ranging from supersimple repairs to complex and time-consuming renovations. The projects are all doable, arranged by skill level, though hardly unique. Each of the accompanying DVDs shows only three projects from the books. The DVDs have much better instruction, with cautions and tips not given elsewhere in the books. Text instruction is basic though not particularly insightful, with some accompanying illustrations.

—Karen Ellis

Library Journal