As John mentioned on Monday, our full bathroom is in need of the full monty. Sure it’s great from afar…
… but up close it’s a bit more, um, not great. Sadly, after over fifty years of use, the once wonderful black and white basketweave floor tiles are cracked, stained, and worn down beyond repair…
… and the white tiled walls are in pretty scary shape (shattered in some areas and dingy and worn almost everywhere else).
We’re all about saving what you can and working with whatcha got, but in this case we’re sorry to say that after a pretty serious cleaning and recaulking effort a few years back- which certainly tided us over for a while- the time has come to bring the bathroom up to speed. But of course that doesn’t mean that we’ll be bringing in materials and colors that feel all futuristic and out of place in our half-decade-old brick rancher. Our plan is to walk the line between classic and current while choosing tiles and accessories that should fit right in with our 50’s home without feeling “so 2009” in a decade or so (since we hope to enjoy this new bathroom for at least as long as the old one lasted, which happened to be half a century).
And since we know you guys love the play by play when it comes to our actual planning process, this post is all about the brainstorming and beginning legwork that we put into the bathroom waaay before we even picked up a hammer and got to the smash-em-up demo part. As many of you know, one of our favorite first steps to any makeover is to hunt for inspiration images in magazines and online. We get tons of emails each week from people who just don’t know where to start and we always suggest what works for us: look for rooms that you love and let them be your starting point.
And not just one. It helps to hunt down at least five or so. Sure they might all be a bit out of your price range, but you’ll notice patterns start to emerge as you add more images to your inspiration folder (ex: you’re drawn to white cabinets for example, or you seem to like mosaic tile) and you might even find the “jackpot room” that you can literally follow to the letter if you’d like (grabbing a paint color that matches, choosing similar tile, snagging nearly identical window treatments, etc). And of course you can duplicate the look for less thanks to lots of stores like Target, Z Gallerie, Ikea, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods which carry high-end-esque items that don’t break the bank.
So since we knew a bathroom makeover was in our future for the past six months or so, we slowly but surely built up a little folder of inspiration and recently sifted through it when the time came to settle on tile choices and a color scheme. Here’s the single most inspiring image from our hunt (found on Canadian House & Home’s eye-candy riddled site).
Now at first glance you may laugh because this luxe and spacious floor plan is nothing like our own, but the reason we were so drawn to this room were the mocha floors paired with lots of airy light colors everywhere else. Because our entire house has dark hardwoods (even our half bathroom, laundry nook and kitchen) we loved the idea of carrying the deep mocha tone into the bathroom for a more seamless feeling. No more stepping into a little box of light tile after roaming around a whole house full of mocha flooring. And the bathroom above showed us that you can mix light tile with dark floors for a stunning and open effect. Yes, part of the reason it looks open is because this bathroom is about as big as our entire house, but we’ve learned over the years that contrary to the “lighter’s always looks bigger” rumor, keeping flooring cohesive in a small house makes things flow more easily, breaks things up less, and- you guessed it- can actually make rooms appear more expansive and open because there’s not a hard and fast boundary when you step from one space to another. Plus dark floor tile means dark grout which is a dream to keep clean compared to the white stuff.
So it was settled: we were gung ho about a dark mocha floor. But we didn’t want hardwood in our home’s only full bathroom (tile is notoriously better when it comes to moisture & water- and because it’s the only shower/tub that we have, it definitely gets a lot of use). So we set out to Home Depot and Lowe’s to scope our floor tile options in the dark mocha family. Of course we had no intention of coming home with anything… we were just doing a bit of legwork before possibly checking things out online or hitting up a specialty tile shop. Home Depot had a few basic porcelain and ceramic options in brown-ish tones, but they all sort of mimicked the look of travertine (which is a bit more new-traditional than the classic meets modern effect that we’re leaning towards).
So off to Lowe’s we went. Which is where we literally struck gold. Ok, we did not literally come into a small fortune thanks to discovering gold bars in the tile aisle, but we did find gorgeous mocha tiles (marble ones to be exact!) that were normally over $10 per square foot marked down to $2.50 each in the clearance section. It was love at first sight. And we did save a fortune so we might as well have actually struck gold. Since our bathroom only calls for about 30 square feet of tile for the floor (there are some perks to a small bathroom!) the cost to retile the entire room came in at around $75 (of course we’ll have some other flooring materials to add to that price, but because we’re doing all the work ourselves – well, with the help of John’s dad- we’ll definitely make out like bandits).
But did we just buy 30 square feet of the clearance floor tile? Heck no. We actually employed an old trick from my house-renovation-loving mom and step dad and purchased twice as much tile as we needed. Home Depot and Lowe’s are great about taking back full boxes of tile that have been opened as long as they’re undamaged and not missing any tiles, so my mom her husband always purchase twice as much as necessary when it comes to tile with irregular patterns (like veiny inconsistent marble) because there are always tiles that you love mixed in with oddly spotted or colored ones that you’re less crazy about. And when you have twice as many tiles to choose from, you can hand select the ones you like best and return all the rest to the store unharmed in their original boxes for a full refund. Not a bad system, eh? And it’s totally above board! In fact we’ve heard of many a contractor who does the same thing (and even chats about their approach with store employees as they return half of the tile). As long as it’s undamaged and back in the original box it’s a great way to ensure a floor that you love instead of having to hide a few tiles that you’re less crazy about behind the toilet. Note: buying at least 10% more tile than you need is always a good bet because you might have breakages during installation and will also want to keep a few spare tiles on hand for replacement down the road.
But what about the rest of the room? Well from the beginning we’ve been sold on classic white subway tile for the shower surround (it’ll go all the way up to the ceiling for added height which makes a room feel taller and less broken up). The perks of subway tile are nearly endless. It’s affordable and timeless and perfectly appropriate in a 50’s ranch (in fact the white tile that we’ll be replacing is pretty similar except that it’s square instead of rectangular). And you can’t beat the price. It’s just 21 cents a tile at Home Depot (compared to a few cents more per tile at Lowe’s- yup every penny counts!). And when it comes to the tile you see around the rest of our bathroom (behind the toilet and the sink) we’ll be demoing that out and replacing it with drywall for a less broken up effect so we can paint those walls floor to ceiling in the same tone for a streamlined and open look that’s still totally workable in a bathroom (who needs tile behind a toilet anyway?). Using semi-gloss paint will keep it just as wipe-able as our half bathroom walls (the toilet and sink in there get tons of use and the semi-gloss wall paint is super durable and perfect for the job).
But onto the vanity. From pretty early on we decided that we wanted to make our own using a sturdy piece of furniture like a cabinet or an end table and retrofitting it with a sink and faucet (just like my mom did in her bathroom over ten years ago).
We love the classic lines of a dark wood cabinet paired with a crisp and current clean-lined sink. And after a full day of driving our bums all over town (we literally visited three thrift stores followed by TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, HomeGoods, World Market, two Pier 1 locations, West Elm, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel over the course of about five hours) we finally discovered the perfect base for our DIY bathroom vanity. So for anyone at home who wonders how we find what we do, there’s usually a bit of old fashioned legwork involved (and we like to do it all at once in one chunk of weekend time so all of our options are fresh in our minds and we don’t have to spend ten evenings in a row ducking out for a half-hour each night).
But back to the vanity we found after some pretty decent store hopping. We were looking for a very specific size (around 18″ deep , 23″ wide, and 30″ high) so it wasn’t all that easy to find. And of course it had to be sturdy enough to support the weight of a sink full of water and adaptable enough to accommodate the pipes that will need to be integrated into the base. So when we stumbled upon the perfectly sized night table at Crate & Barrel we were both thanking our lucky stars. Plus with a 15% off coupon that we happened to have in the car (tip: keep coupons in the car so they’re most likely always with you- and they don’t clutter up your purse) we snagged it for just $165! Not bad when you consider that many of the wood vanity bases sold at places like Home Depot and Lowe’s are around $500 (which don’t include the above counter sink and faucet, btw) like this one and this one. Heck even this tiny one is $199, so we’re feeling pretty good about our lucky Crate & Barrel find.
And once we add a discount sink that we tracked down (hundreds cheaper than this one from Home Depot) and an affordable ebay faucet, we’ll have a totally customized classic-meets-modern vanity for around $380. Which is cheaper than most of the vanity bases (not including the sink and faucet) sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s! And it’s even more of a deal when you compare it to similar pieces sold for around $1500 at stores like Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. Crazy, huh?
But enough jibber jabber. Here’s our little mood board of sorts for the bathroom so you can start to see how it’ll all (hopefully!) come together…
1. We plan to bring in soft gray-blues and light taupey-green tones in the accessories and the wall color while the floor is that delectable rich mocha tone and the shower/tub tile (along with the shower curtain) are crisp white for an open and airy feeling. Status: no specific paint colors or accessories have been selected as of yet- we plan to get the tile up before crossing that bridge.
2. Here are our tile choices together (the cheap 21 cent subway tile for the shower walls will hail from Home Depot and the clearance $2.50/square foot mocha marble from Lowe’s will go on the floor). Status: all the tile has been purchased- and our wallet hardly felt it!
3. We searched high and low to find a clean-lined white sink that’s hundreds cheaper than most of the others we hunted down, and when it’s paired with an affordable ebay faucet the savings will really start to add up (without sacrificing an ounce of style). Status: we already received the sink and LOVE IT, and as for the faucet we ended up snagging a similar but less bamboo-ish version right here.
4. Here’s the night table that we’ll be turning into a vanity sink base thanks to the perfect size and sturdy construction (and also thanks to a 15% off coupon that helped us snag it for $165 total). Status: it’s here in a box just waiting to be assembled.
5. We already have an extra long white floor-to-ceiling waffle curtain that we’ll stick with for the new bathroom remodel (you can read about how it came to be right here). And adding some softly patterned towels in taupey-green and gray-blue along with a few accessories, a bit of art, and other finishing touches will really tie everything together. Status: as mentioned we already have the curtain so we just have to grab towels along with accessories after the tiling is completed.
So that’s the plan for the big bathroom overhaul of 2009- and of course we’ll include a big budget breakdown when we actually take things from mood board to reality. We can’t wait to get started and share every detail with you guys along the way. And since we’re all about bathroom steals and deals, we’d love to know what cheap-o projects you’ve completed yourselves. Or what sorts of discounted items and accessories you’ve found that have resulted in a so-fresh upgrade without emptying your piggy bank. Do tell.
zoeB says
Who needs tiles Behind a toilet !!!!!! very obvious you don’t have little boys visiting or you supervise them when they go !
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, for everyone who wants tile behind the toilet for little boys, I actually grew up with four younger boys in the house (yes, four!) and I know exactly what you mean about an aiming problem!
I guess we’re just huge fans of semi-gloss paint, which we actually use in place of tile in our kitchen backsplash (it really is super wipeable) and we like it in lieu of tile because it’s easier to switch out when your mood changes- and for someone who loves to paint as much as I do, that’s a very good thing!
We also really want the seamless and expansive look of all one color on the back and side wall (instead of breaking things up with a chair-rail of tile) so it seems like the perfect choice to us. Hope it helps explain our thought process in the bathroom!
xo,
s
Annelise says
Can’t wait to see the after pictures!
The coupon tip made me think of a good idea for your coupon-in-the-car storage AND that of the new baby’s things : when we were little, my mum made us bags hanging on the back of the front car seats. Actually it was a big cloth with lots of smaller bags so we could store our books, travel toys, walkmans and the occasional candy in front of us so they wouldn’t end up all over the car floor. A bit like this http://www.1st-harrison.com/shop2/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=174 but a lot nicer, more colorful and homemade of course!
Maybe you already know these things but I thought I’d mention it anyway :-) Good luck on the new projects!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Annelise! We love anything that keeps us more organized!
xo,
s
amyks says
Hello, I just wanted to add a couple of comments, seeing how we just redid a couple of bathrooms in our soon to be finished gut rehab…first, marble tile shouldn’t end up being too slippery, we have marble flooring in our bathroom currently and we haven’t found it to be a problem. Second, I love your choices,subway tile for such a low price, crazy! I can’t believe that you are gong to repurpose a night stand into a vanity, I can’t wait to see how that turns out, but I do have a question for you regarding the vessel sink. It looks kind of shallow…aren’t you worried about splashing water everywhere when you wash your face, brush your teeth, or when John shaves(assuming he does;))?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amyks,
Our vessel sink is actually around 5″ deep so it’s one of the deeper ones on the market (which we intentionally chose to cut down on the splash factor). I think at the end of the day we ended up wiping down the old sink in there along with our pedestal sink in the half bathroom pretty regularly (the pedestal sink is also 5″ deep so we should be fine with that depth since we’re already used to it). In short: I’m sure there will be wiping, but that was a regular occurrence even with our old bathroom sink (which was only around 5″ deep as well) so it seems like it’ll work for us. And of course we’ll be applying a protective seal to the vanity to keep it waterproof for the long haul. Stay tuned for more details soon…
xo,
s
AlysonO says
OMG LOVE LOVE LOVE the moodboard!! We have such similar tastes – this is almost exactly how I want to do our master bath, haha!! Thank you for such in-depth explanations of your process, we’re still new to this and its so nice to hear a step-by-step from a “seasoned pro”!! GOOD LUCK!!!
Jen Z. says
LOVE IT! Can’t wait to see it finished. Gorgeous colors and those tiles for the floor are just beautiful. Great find.
Verna says
What happens to the poor sucker who buys the box of unwanted, unloved (and presumable ugly or flawed) mocha marble that you’ve returned to Lowe’s? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Verna,
We were waiting for that question! The thing about veiny textured tiles like marble is that their beauty is totally subjective. So something that we think looks too veiny might be someone else’s favorite look. Or something that we think is too light or dark might give the next person the higher-contrast dimensional look that they’re going for. I guess in the end the boxes we picked up might have already been picked over by many a carpenter, but we’re happy to sift through what we have, pick our favorites, and continue the process of bringing back the ones that didn’t work as well for us. Who knows, they might be just the thing for the next guy! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Laura says
We only have one tub as well (actually one bathroom) and everytime I think about renovating I wonder, “What are we going to do without a bathroom while we’re renoing?!”
What are you guys doing for showers etc? What’s the plan?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
Well, John is showering at the gym in the morning before work and I’m borrowing my nearby sister-in-law’s shower in the evenings. So far so good! Totally worth the end result… assuming we can put our bathroom back together again after all this work!
xo,
s
misty says
we just scored a $600 Bosch dishwasher for 300 bucks brand new. That’s what Googling can do for you!
katia lambert says
Wow! what a great mood board. You’ve saved money but did not lose an ounce of style. Are you also replacing the tub and shower?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katia,
We’re keeping the tub (it’s original and in great shape except for the need for reglazing) but will be retiling the shower surround and replacing the shower/tub fixtures. Stay tuned for more details as we go…
xo,
s
Danielle S. says
Thanks so much for all your hard work and posts! You gave me some great design advice a couple months ago. Your humor and down to earth posts really help people not feel intimidated by decorating. Good luck with your bathroom! I have 2 kids and wish I had worked on my house BEFORE they were here. I would love to read about how you handle your little one AND DIY projects. Always looking for some tips… I am also in the process of a bathroom reno(slow and tedious) and saw your tile, priced much higher around $10 sq. ft. Nice work! Looking forward to seeing the progress :)
Rebecca Foxworth says
I’m what you would refer to as “inseam-challenged”. Knowing Sherry is in the same (5’2″ish)category, I have a question: was it more difficult for Sherry to close and open the shower curtain with it hung over a foot-and-a-half higher? Oh, and as an afterthought, can she recommend a great place to find stylish inseam-challenged jeans (she always looks great!)?
YoungHouseLove says
Good question Rebecca! And the answer is “not at all”. Since the shower curtain rod is super slidey (that’s a technical term), the rings slip right over it to open and close, even if I tug it from halfway down the wall because I’m also “inseam-challenged.” Hope it helps!
xo,
s
tammylee says
just looked at the height of your nightstand that you will be using for the vanity. Isn’t that pretty short for a sink vanity? john looks pretty tall…..
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tammylee,
Good question! It’s nearly 30″ when it’s assembled and the above counter sink that we’ll be placing on top of the vanity is actually super thick (5″ deep) so that puts the vanity right at the height of our kitchen counters, which are super comfortable for both of us. Our old sink was much shorter than that so it should be an awesome improvement!
xo,
s
Claire says
Hi S and J,
I’ve enjoyed reading your plans and the comments. I have almost the exact bathroom in my 1950’s house here in Richmond. I spent a year debating what to do about the cracked wall tiles on a limited budget. Then miraculously the problem was solved… a neighbor down the street was demolishing his 1950’s era bathroom and I acquired over a hundred intact perfectly matching vintage tiles from his dumpster. My tile guy did an awesome job chiseling out the individual broken tiles in my bathroom and fitting in the “new” ones (after cleaning off any residual cement) and then regrouting the walls. Unfortunately, the neighbor didn’t have the old basketweave floor tiles anymore so the refurbishment is incomplete – I just hide the cracked floor tiles with a bathrug. If you still have the old floor tiles around post-demo, would love to talk to you about buying some!
Ironically, I first heard about your blog due to the floor tile cleaning post. Someone pointed it out when they heard I lived in Richmond and had a similar bathroom.
Claire
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Claire,
What a cool story about how your bathroom is shaping up! We don’t believe our vintage basketweave tiles can be saved (hence the reno, we loved them and did our best to remove stains and salvage ’em) but unfortunately over time they’ve become cracked and etched (basically the seal has worn down so they’re super porous which allowed stains to get into the tile so they’re permanently yellowed and even brown in some areas just from use). We’re all about keeping them from going to a landfill though, so if you’re truly interested you can shoot us an email (see our contact info on the sidebar). Again, we pretty much have bags and bags of debris with many cracked and some still whole but yellowed/stained tiles. But just say the word!
xo,
s
Jess says
Looks like a great plan! We just finished our master bath remodel and started working on the main bath last week. We only plan on being in the house about 5 more years. So I am afraid to use tile as the tub surround because of how easily it tends to easily get mold and mildew build-up. Do you have any suggestions how to avoid this without using harsh chemicals? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jess,
Sealing the grout around your tiles really can make all the difference, so if you go through with the new tile surround just make sure you seal your grout thoroughly to cut back majorly on any mildew and mold. Then you can just use mild cleansers like Mrs. Meyers and warm water (with an old toothbrush) to scrub any stubborn mold and mildew stains. Even all natural scrubs from water and baking soda should work. Also getting a vented fan added to your bathroom ceiling can really cut down on moisture (which helps breed mildew and mold) so while you’re remodeling you might want to throw one in if you don’t already have one. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jenna says
Hey Youngsters! I didn’t read through all of the comments so you may have already answered these questions but:
– how far have you gotten so far and what order are you going in?
We’re remodeling our only bathroom and have started Phase 3. We started with the cabinet above the toilet (replaced with open shelves now), the toilet, and the medicine cabinet. Next we did the floor (which involved reinstalling the toilet) and vanity, as well as repairing any drywall and then installing new baseboards and lights. Now we’ve started the shower including replacing the window in the shower with glass blocks.
– I saw you’re planning on having the tub re-glazed, is this something you’ll DIY or hire out?
Best of luck to you! We’ve run into a couple of interesting things in our including the original flooring (4 layers down), which could not be removed because it was put down with Portland cement, and now in the shower, we found the current tile was glued onto regular drywall, which was put over wall paper (which has a lovely velvet flower pattern), which was put over what I’m assuming is lead paint over plaster.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jenna,
We just posted the latest chapter in our big bathroom remodel this morning, so you can read all about it right here: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/12/tackling-the-bathroom-chapter-two/
So far we’ve demo’d everything out and begun putting things back together so stay tuned for updates as we go. As for the tub reglazing, we will definitely hire it out! We’ve done a bunch of research and have heard nothing but bad things about the DIY options for the long run so we have no issue calling in a professional when it comes to getting something done right. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
threadbndr says
As several others have said – please reconsider the no tile behind the toilet. Having a scrubbable surround is a lifesaver when you have little boys. I know you think you’ll teach them better, but they really don’t have the coordination to ‘hit the mark’ for several years.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Threadbndr,
Trust me, I grew up sharing a bathroom with four younger boys so I know what you mean! But we’re just semi-gloss lovin’ fools. We even chose it (over tile) for our kitchen backsplash- which holds up amazingly well to grease and all sorts of crazy spaghetti sauce splashes (which is also acidic… just like you-know-what). It’s totally personal preference, so we understand how people could love it for the convenience, but we’re really looking forward to a room that’s less broken up by paint and tile. And of course we can appreciate how easy semi-gloss paint is when it comes to changing out the color whenever we get urge. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
beth says
we have an identical floor rot next to our tub!grrrr. planning to tackle that after our new years wedding. can’t wait to see how you fixed yours. hope i don’t fall through the floor in the meantime. wish me luck.
:)
LCA in RIC says
Love the moodboard and have enjoyed watching the bathroom reno! We have an almost identical bathroom in our 1950s Richmond, VA ranch, and I’m really inspired to make some updates! Bathroom paint question: I know that you are using semi-gloss for the walls, but what do you use on your bathroom ceiling? Also semi-gloss? We have some peeling spots and paint mishaps I’d like to fix, but I don’t want to use something that’s going to mildew or bubble. Suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey LCA,
Good question! We plan to carry the semi-gloss paint right up onto the ceiling for a seamless look (we’re going with a light enough color that it’ll help blur the boundaries of a room which can make it look bigger). Our advice to you would be to sand down those peeling spots and spackle anything that needs filling in. Then prime the ceiling and then apply the semi-gloss paint. It might seem like a lot of prepping but it’ll hopefully leave you with a ceiling that looks great for the long haul (whereas painting right over those peeling spots will look good for about two minutes) Hope it helps! Good luck…
xo,
s
Betty in Munich says
Just found your site via the Homie awards. Love it, have it bookmarked! Question on your bathroom redo, did you consider glass door vs shower curtain? And if so, how did the shower curtain win out? I am one of those that can’t stand the flying shower curtain while showering. Was it a cost consideration? In one of the first idea pictures it had a lot of glass….
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Betty,
Good question! We actually considered a seamless and modern glass shower door (which would definitely keep the room looking open and airy) but they’re a good deal more expensive and we also worried with one baby on the way (and hopefully more to come) if we would feel safer with cloth which is why we went with a curtain. By hanging it at ceiling height it’ll still add drama and some fresh texture to the room, so we can’t wait to see it all come together. Hope it helps! And we’re so glad you found us!
xo,
s
Kylie says
Awesome!!! I am a fellow RIchmonder, just discovered your site and I’m hooked. We have the EXAcT same tile both floor and wall in our bathroom. Our house is from the same decade and there are so many similarities it’s crazy. I am thrilled at having found you guys and can’t wait to get started on our own diy’ing!
Emily says
Our bathroom is so similar to yours, and we want to redo it in the summer. I love your mood boards and information. Our bathroom tiles above the tub are the same except they aren’t cracking at all. Would you recommend redoing them or just regrouting them all? The grout in between is so old that it is incredibly difficult to keep clean.
YoungHouseLove says
If the tiles are in good shape just regrout them! For sure. We wish ours were in that condition. It’s a nice vintage look and adding soft neutral walls and fluffy white towels with a crisp white shower curtain can help you achieve a super fresh and current feeling in there without clashing with the vintage style of the tiles. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Deb says
Hey, love your site and have used several of the how to’s :-) I’m working on diy’ing my bathroom. I bought my house mid-October and am finally working on doing bathroom projects I had in mind from the start. I’m wainscotting with vinyl beadboard, painted the original wood (and icky looking) vanity a crisp white, installed new hardware for towels, toliet paper and drawers, a nice crisp white medicine cabinet. My question is about vessel sinks. I love the look of a vessel – especially simple round ones. I want to reuse my vanity. Currently there is a seashell sink as the vanity top, which is all one piece. I’m guessing my options for a new vanity top is either to install plywood (or some kind of board?) and tile or to buy a piece of stone. Found one piece that would be an ok color that is pre-drilled for a single faucet and vessel sink hole, but seems pricey. Guess my question is what you would recommend. It’s a very small vanity – 31×22 and a small bathroom 8×6 or so.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Deb,
Our first suggestion would probably be stone (since it’s so great in wet areas like a sink). Something predrilled to accommodate a sink and faucet would be ideal. Our second suggestion is a lot cheaper though- how about a thick wood or butcher block type countertop (Ikea sells them super cheap) that you could retrofit with a vessel sink and faucet. You can also oil or varnish the wood to give it some water protection. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Brianne says
I am a renter, but still feeling inspired by this post! Our bathroom is typical of NYC – small and old. Also, our landlord did a really poor job when regrouting and there are streaks of grout all over the tiles – I’m guessing they did virtually no wiping with a damn sponge or towel like you. Do you have any tips on how to fix this? Do we need to pick the grout off and is that even possible?
Brianne says
Oh dear, I meant DAMP sponge! I guess I’m frustrated about my bathroom.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Brianne,
Hmm, they actually sell tools that are meant to “cut out” old grout from between the tiles so you can regrout but we’re not sure if they sell anything for scraping the surface of your tiles (you don’t want to etch or scratch the tiles). We would ask around at your home improvement store to see if there’s a solvent or a tool to help you dislodge some of that gross grout on top of the tiles. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lissy says
Loving the blog.
You’ll have to let us know how slippery the marble is when wet.
YoungHouseLove says
So far so good! We definitely step out of the tub onto a mat and the room is so small that we never really have a running start so the marble seems to be a great choice for us. Of course if we think it’s too slippery at any point down the line there are easy products that we can apply to add a bit of “grip” to the stone’s surface and make it less slick. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
andrea says
Hey Youngsters…
Love the way the bathroom is coming along. My boyfriend and I will be tackling a full bathroom remodel ourselves in the very near future. Quick question (and you may have already answered this) but what was your initial budget for this project and were you able to stay within it? We have a similar size bathroom and will be replacing everything… floor to ceiling (I know that you guys did not replace the tub/shower from what I have read, so I will take that into consideration). Hearing how you tackled the budget issue may help us to get a better idea of what to expect! Keep up the good work!
Have a great day!
-Andrea
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Andrea,
Within a week all of your budget questions will be answered! When we share our big reveal post early next week we’ll be discussing our initial budget and how we were able to come in UNDER! Wahoooooo! We definitely gutted the room entirely except for the tub (new walls, new floor, a new tub surround, a new vanity, etc) so we’re super proud where we ended up when it comes to the numbers game. Stay tuned!
xo,
s
kay says
u have given me inspiration I have the old subway tile walls white w/black trim and black and white beautiful basket weave floor i will keep it all what wall color have u chosen to go w/your color scheme…please do tell. love the look kay…
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kay,
The color we used in the bathroom with the old black and white tile was a nice cool sandy neutral called “Sand White” by Glidden. Then when we redid the bathroom (since we unfortunately couldn’t keep the black and white tile) we went with Benjamin Moore’s Dune Grass (color matched to Olympic’s no-VOC paint since I’m prego). Hope it helps! Here’s the post of the new bathroom reveal with the green walls and all the new tile:
https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/01/tackling-the-bathroom-the-big-reveal/
xo,
s
Jamie says
I hope I’m not asking a repeat question here, but how do you know what size tiles to buy for bathrooms? Do bigger tiles make the room look bigger/smaller? We are about to get a quote for the labor costs to do three bathrooms, from a teeny powder bath to a fairly-decent master bathroom and I’d love any suggestions!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s really all about personal preference. We’ve seen large tiles in small rooms and small mosaic tiles in large rooms and everything in between. We’d suggest going to a tile showroom and buying a few “test” options (each square should just cost a few dollars each). That way you can take them home to see which one you like best in your room. You can never go wrong with classic floor choices like white hex tile or larger travertine squares (or anything else that feels timeless and easy to decorate around). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jason says
I like how you’re using NO-VOC paint. I think most people are unaware about the toxins in our air and around us that could be making us sick (unbeknownst to us). I think this is partly why the cancer rate in industrialized countries is so much higher than the rest of the world.
Anyway, back to your blog. That second bathroom IS some serious eye-candy. I look forward to seeing the final version of your new bathroom.
Melissa says
Hello youngsters!
First off, congrats on your beautiful new addition, Clara!!
I wanted to get some advice on a quick & cheap bathroom makeover. Ours is a smaller bathroom with old tiles on the bottom of the wall and paper on the top. The tiles are in good condition, but dated and we don’t have the funds to resurface. The tile color is beige with faint brown “specs”. What I’d like to do is to paint the top part of the wall a rich brown, similar to the specs in the tile. Our fixtures are off white and the floor tile is beige too. I’m wondering if the darker color on the top of the walls with the lighter tile on bottom will look bad? I’m going for an updated look here, and don’t want to end up with the opposite result!
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
It sounds gorgeous and luxe. We would definitely say go for it! And it’s only paint (and just the top part of the wall) so if you step back and hate it, it’s really not the biggest deal to redo it. We’re betting you’ll love it though! Especially if you break it up with some art and a fabric shower curtain, etc- just to keep it from feeling like one big heavy span of color. Good luck!
xo,
s
Toronto Julie says
The new trend in most Toronto´s apartments is to use translucent glass or glazed porcelain to add a shimmer or sheen. Apply textured trim and accent tiles in small doses to create a unique look. My secret tips: mosaic sheets can be used whole or cut apart to create small scale design details; the same choice of tiles can look completely different with coloured grout lines.
Lindsey R says
I love your website and am perusing thru your archives looking for inspiration. Looks like your cool sink is still available on overstock.com Do you still love it? The price is good compared to a lot of the vessel sinks I’ve been looking at. And what about the faucet? Love how it looks but are you happy with how it works too? (hoping you will get notice of this comment on an old post!)
YoungHouseLove says
Absolutely love it. Works great and gets many complements. One tip would be to keep the water pressure turned down just a smidge so it doesn’t come shooting out and splash everywhere (it’s not like you’re washing dishes in a bathroom so it saves water and still does the trick with less splashing).
xo,
s
Lindsey R says
oh wow! You found this comment and replied already! Awesome! THANKS!! Can you point me in the right direction (possibly from your archives)to read about new trends for bathrooms and/or “spa like/zen” options for paint colors?
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog and the pictures of that beautiful baby girl Clara too!
YoungHouseLove says
Spa like bathrooms are all about soft greens, sandy tans, white walls, or even soft blue or gray tones. Here’s a post full of our favorite paint colors so just grab a bunch of our recommended swatches and hold them up in your space to see what you like best.
https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/email-answer-picking-the-perfect-paint-color/
And don’t forget that you can get lost of bathroom paint and color ideas from looking around online and in magazines, so you have something to mimic. Good luck!
xo,
s
Catherine says
Forgive me for further extending this ancient post, but your old bathroom is IDENTICAL to mine, right down to the pattern of the floor tiles, the black stripe at the top, and the scummy grout line around the bowed tub. We’re about to do it over, so here’s my question:
we removed one of the white tiles from the tub surround and behind, instead of cement board, is empty space, with the tiles each individually affixed to a cement “pillow” (our whole 1st floor is prewar plaster). We are flummoxed and don’t know what to do; you didn’t happen to deal with this when you did your remod, did you? Thx for a great blog.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Catherine,
That’s so odd! Ours were all set in a bed of mortar and metal sheeting so we didn’t run into that. We would just recommend googling around and even visiting a local tile shop or home improvement store to see what they would recommend for your scenario. Good luck!
xo,
s
Wanda says
I love your bathroom redo and want to use it for as inspiration on my fiancé’s very similar bath. My question is, do you have a suggestion for an alternate floor tile since the tile you used was a clearance item. I haven’t found a tile that seems dark enough. Thanks for your time.
Wanda
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we don’t have anything specific to suggest but perhaps visiting some local tile shops will turn up something darker. Happy hunting!
xo,
s
jackie says
i’m waaaaaay behind on your website (as in i JUST discovered you guys!) but am loving the inspiration and directions. i feel as though i am learning so many new things and am gaining more confidence in tackling projects that i’ve wanted to do for a while.
thank you for taking the time out to write such an informative, inspiring, and entertaining blog!
you’ve got me hooked!
Angeli says
Dear Sherry,I found your website in babytalk mag.I am 42yrs.old,babysit my 2 grandaughters,ages 3 & 4.I was look.through mag.2 day & found your website.I’ve been praying to God for help on redoing our totally disaster to put it nicely bathroom,& I think I just got my answer from your bathroom remodel.Love how you wrote everything down,all the steps,before and after pictures.I have never done anything like this,so need all the help I can get.The city is having city wide yard sale in april.I’m going to bake a bunch of goodies,make jams,& have a yard sale to get $ for my bathroom remodel.My husband & son will be helping me on my bathroom project,they just don’t know it yet,I’m going to take pictures like you did too,I’ll keep you posted,it will truely be an act of God for me to get this done,but w/God all things are possible,& I really want a new bathroom badly,too.Thanks for the inspiration.Angeli
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck with everything! We’re rooting for you!
xo,
s
candice q says
Sherry,
I love your blog posts, its amazing that you have so many creative ideas. I am more of a left-brain person so your site is so helpful (you have no idea!!)
Anyways, I noticed some of your posts have links to the progress/future posts but I didnt see those here. Having links to the future posts will be nice :)
love your site & wish you continued success & happiness!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, someday I’d love to go back and link up all of our old posts so they make more sense. With over 2,500 posts in our archives it’ll definitely take a while though! Wish it was easier to get done or we would have finished already!
xo,
s
remodelQueen says
I am absolutely amazed! I was looking over this article, & this old bathroom has the exactly the same layout & tiling as my bathroom does now. I have been trying to figure out what to change for a remodel & your ideas are really helpful, but I was just flabbergasted to see MY bathroom on the site LOL
Thanks for what you do – its encouraging, helpful & gives me lots of great ideas. Happy remodeling!