First: I apologize for subjecting you to more pictures of toilets. I’m sure you don’t read our blog for pictures of toilets. But on the other hand, I’m kind of excited to show you pictures of our new, distinctly not-almond toilet. Because, if you recall, this guy wasn’t exactly our cup of tea. We know some folks would have been just fine with Mr Almond, but a crisp white toilet makes us very happy Petersiks. Not only to brighten things up, be more true to the mid-century age of our home, and tie into our newly white-ified trim & shower curtain, but to LOOK CLEAN. I can’t explain it, but even after we scrub this baby down it never quite felt fresh and new. It’s not dirty, it’s just almond. So it never looks sparkling clean like white toilets do – even came-with-the-house white toilets that are ten or twenty years old. To the point that we were laying in bed saying things like “tomorrow is going to be awesome” the night before going toilet shopping.
This almond came-with-the-house toilet is a bit space age looking for us (admittedly not as space age-y as the one we joked about getting on April Fool’s Day), but it’s actually a fairly high end fixture. According to the Kohler website, it retails at over $1,300 (click the almond box to see the price jump – it’s actually more expensive than a white one of the same model)! Who the heck woulda thunk it. But ever since we moved in 15 months ago we’ve longed for, craved, and daydreamed about a nice traditional looking white toilet. And well, our posteriors aren’t sophisticated enough to really tell the difference between a one thousand dollar toilet and a one hundred dollar one anyway.
Before picking our replacement toilet, we double-checked our measurements – mainly the “rough in” measurement (i.e. how far the bolts are from the wall) and the clearance for the door. The rough-in made me nervous because it measured closer to 11.5″ (12″ is standard). But since the existing model was listed as a 12″ we figured another 12″ model should fit. Of course since this is a small room, taking note of how much space we have between the wall and the door helped keep us from buying an elongated bowl variety, which would have caused the door to slam into it. And that wouldn’t be good. We’ve thought about switching the way the door swings, but if we switched it to swing out into the bedroom it would block half of the sink nook, which looks so nice with the chandelier reflecting in the mirror centered over the sink – so leaving that area open without any door-infringing is best for reasons of function and form.
I’ll skip all of the toilet removal / installation pictures because I covered them fairly recently in this post. But here’s your obligatory shot of the old commode coming out. After Sherry took this picture she actually helped me carry that sucker out of the room since it’s all one piece (we’re used to tanks that detach from the bowl to be carried separately).
And here’s the always-pleasant toilet equivalent of a chalk outline:
Fortunately that gunk / rust line wiped up pretty easily, so we were ready for the new potty in no time. You thought I was gonna say it was potty time didn’t you? Pun narrowly averted.
Speaking of the new toilet, here’s what we got. It was this $88 model from Glacier Bay from Home Depot. I’ll admit it wasn’t a decision we researched like crazy – it fit our measurements, has a great “flush rating”, is eco-friendly (can cut water bills by an average of $90 a year – plus we’ll add our handy little dual flush feature to conserve even more), it looked good, it was the right price, and a bunch of you had good things to say about Glacier Bay in a few former toilet posts of ours.
It also came with all of the pieces you’d need to install it, but we ended up having to buy a separate wax ring kit because we needed the extra thick version since our toilet flange was kinda set into the tile. No biggie, it was just a few extra bucks.
We also tried out one of the tips a few of you mentioned in one of our past toilet-related posts: placing drinking straws on the bolts to help guide the toilet bowl in for, um, a smooth landing. Oh and that stuff around the black ring isn’t anything sewage-y, it’s just leftover wax from the previous wax ring that we scraped up.
The straws were actually a big help! It was much easier to get the bowl lined up with the extra length on the bolts (although Sherry stood there tossing out hints like “a little to the left” to get things going.
Again, I’ll breeze past all of the installation details because I covered ’em here. But I just had to share this pic, since I managed to catch that special time of day when the sun shines right into the toilet bowl and makes it glow like we just opened up a portal to another dimension. Beam me up flush me down Scotty.
Let’s skip to pictures of it installed and looking all bright and fresh up in here.
We think it helps draw attention away from the beige tile and more towards the white accents in the room (which now includes the curtain, trim, door, light switch and outlet covers, and some tones in the art). And the white roll of t.p. of course. Haha. It also feels a lot more in line with a mid-century ranch and is totally a close relative to the other two white toilets that we have in our other bathrooms, so for some reason that gives us a thrill. What’s that saying? Happy wife, cohesive toilets, happy life. Oh but ignore that old brassy doorknob. It’s on the list!
Thankfully, even though our new bathroom friend isn’t quite as high end as the previous toilet – it seems to be functioning just as well. It’s actually a bit taller so it’s more comfy to sit down on in my honest tall-guy opinion. And even the short wife said “I feel less squaty on the new toilet” which she meant as a compliment. Plus, I can retrofit this one to a dual flush (the conversion kit wouldn’t fit in the other more futuristically shaped almond one). Oh and we’ve purchased the kit, but just wanted to let it run as Glacier Bay intended for a few days before we supe it up to be sure all is good under the hood.
So our formerly beige box of a room…
… is slowly coming along. Still have some things to do, but it’s feeling more like us each day.
Of course some of the other angles are a little more fun. You know, since it’s not always just about the toilet.
Here’s our updated to-do list:
paint the walls so they have some contrastreplace the boob lightpaint the cream trim whitehang some bathroom-friendly artcraigslist the toilet and replace it with a classic white one- do something to add privacy to the window
- remove the door so we can shave the bottom to allow for a rug/bathmat (and add a door stopper so it doesn’t squash the art)
- replace the border tile around the room (maybe in phase 2?)
- move the blue pendant light to hang centered in front of the window
- replace the floor tile down the road (just to break things up since there’s so much of it)
And here’s the ol’ mood board we whipped up a few weeks back (see the full breakdown here), just for reference when it comes to some of the bullet points above:
We actually have the old toilet up on craigslist. Sure, it’s a gently used toilet, but it’s a $1,300 Kohler toilet – so we thought it would be nice to see if we could make some money to mentally put toward the purchase of our new toilet (we had someone offer $60 for it, so it’ll hopefully find a good home soon). We’ll keep you posted. But enough about us and our toilets. Has anyone else posted pics of their porcelain throne on their blog lately? Please tell us we’re not the only ones. Or do you have any other toilet-related upgrades (photographed or unphotographed) to speak of? Or other instances of a beige/almond/biscuit colored items that you’ve switched out for something white or stainless?
Psst- To follow this bathroom sprucing project from the start, check out this planning post, this painting post, this light-swapping post, and this art and trim-painting post.
Kristin H. says
I’ve always seen the side pipe/tubey part as the toilet’s legs and feet. Your new one has such fancy curvy legs! And still has cute lil feet to boot :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Kristin! The toilet is blushing!
xo,
s
Jen @ Our Fine House says
Whoa! That makes a HUGE difference. The room looks so fresh now. Who knew that the change from almond to white would make such a dramatic difference? (Well, I guess you knew!)
Laura says
So. Much. Better.
Ginny @ Goofy Monkeys says
Love the new toilet! The old one was so weird & low.
I was going to ask which one of you got the first flush…but maybe that’s too personal :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- it was me! Ladies first!
xo,
s
Pat E. says
Can I just say that I’m crazy proud of John for wearing shoes this toilet changing time? (I worry about his toes!). Now if I can just get you guys to buy a ladder I’ll be a happy gal.
nikki says
I have a random craigslist question…it seems like you’ve been posting ads on the site awhile :)
I’m trying to sell a few items on CL in Los Angeles before my out-of-state move and people keep lowballing me before they even come to check it out…it’s frustrating because the items were all bought from designer boutiques. Any advice on wording/posting an ad and how to get a fair/decent price? Thanks!
You guys are amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
People generally expect to be able to haggle on craigslist and expect things to be 50% (or more) cheaper than resale price, even if something is new or in good condition most times. For example, if you got something new for $400, I would sell it for $150. Just because listing it for $350 might not get anyone to take you seriously or bite. I usually search craigslist for other similar items and undercut them so ours is the cheapest. For example, our $1300 toilet got listed for $80 since I saw other Kohler toilets listed for $100 (and because it’s almond, which isn’t always the most desirable color). As for wording, you can say $100 firm if you mean firm and don’t want to come down. We usually say “or best offer” since we’re flexible, but sometimes we stand by a price and say firm. Good luck!
xo,
s
Gretchen says
I’m loving the upgrades guys! My Beau & I just moved to South Florida (I’m originally from the good ol’ RIC) & everything down here is the warm beige, brown, tan colors. I don’t mind it but I’m in the process of trying to infuse some classic white & BEAUTIFUL bright colors. Thanks for the continued inspiration guys!
Ali says
Ok, I initially thought it was a little silly that you were replacing the whole toilet, but heck, it looks so much better! I stand corrected. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Ali!
xo,
s
lemur_lass says
Awesome change up. I was more excited about new toilets than anything else in the bathroom remodels. I have the dual flush Glacier Bay (score for $89) and other than a thinner seat cover, I like it just as well as my Ariel toilets (think 4x the cost). Good call on saving some cash there!!!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad to hear that!
xo,
s
Angela says
why not make a simple shade out of some of the fabric you’ve bought for your photo sessions with Clara? You could do the same in your kitchen.
YoungHouseLove says
We have considered that but don’t want to block the light or lower it every time we want privacy so we’re excited to use frosting film!
xo,
s
Brian First says
You might laugh at the Kohler toilet but I’m a guy and would love to have that in our condo. Just think of all the money you would save not having to buy toilet paper. $88 is a nice price for a toilet and within our budget. Would you recommend the Glacier brand with the seat issues or should I we look at other brands?
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely love our toilet. We haven’t had any seat issues and it’s much more comfy to sit on than the $1300 Kohler one since it’s not as short.
xo,
s
kathie garrett says
Straws! That is GENIUS!!!! My old house has a 2.5″ gap between the tank and the wall and whines for several minutes when flushed. After main line issues and Richmond DPU on speed dial last fall, I was just happy to see water go down the pipes! Now I think an upgrade is overdue. It’s laid out like your first homes bathroom. Good ol’ basketweave floor tile, lots of charm, NO space.
Jessica says
OMG!!! That space age toilet is in the thousand range?!?!??!?! We have that same toilet in white (and it doesn’t feel any better then almond, trust me) and I CANNOT believe my in laws who own the home paid that much for that mofo ugly can. Of course all their light fixtures looked like space ships as well (before I changed them out).
Bathroom looks amazing btw.
Krissy says
Redoing our bathroom was probably my favorite thing so far in our house, because the bathroom was so disgusting when we first moved in. I didn’t even want to hover over the original toilet. We got a white Glacier Bay toilet too, but it’s elongated (recommended by men for lesser “pinch” risk) and we replaced the handle with a brushed nickel option to match the rest of the hardware.
Oh, and the refrigerator that came with the house was a beautiful shade of “Harvest Gold,” which is levels beyond almond (in my opinion).
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, Harvest Gold is up there too!
xo,
s
K says
I have never commented here. I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks. I don’t know if anyone has suggested it yet, but have you considered a bi-fold door for your bathroom?
I have a very small bathroom in my bedroom (just toilet and shower) and like in yours, a person could not sit on the toilet and close the door at the same time. My husband made a bi-fold door by modifying a closet door from Home Depot (we have since upgraded to a custom bi-fold) and painting it. It makes the bathroom look a lot bigger and now you can sit on the toilet and open and close the door as you please. Even my 22 month old daughter loves it. We have a double rod on the shower to hand towels.
Anyway, just a thought.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s such a smart solution! It’s totally a possibility, although since our current door works since it doesn’t hit the toilet it’s not too bad (and we have a mirror on the front of it that we use while getting dressed since it’s near the closet).
xo,
s
Suzanne says
With a colorful nice-size rug on the floor, maybe you won’t need to replace the beige tiles afterall.
Karen L. says
Love the fresh white look and the style, too. Is it just me or does anyone else wonder how you can wait to have something for privacy on your window in there? Wouldn’t y’all feel exposed without something on the window even if it’s just temporary? Just curious over here….
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thankfully the way it’s oriented (that window is our back window) there’s not a house that’s very close to us back there – but there is one about 300 yards away or something- so John does sometimes feel weird looking at that house at night while he’s standing up doing his business. Haha.
xo,
s
Leticia says
Wow!! It really makes a difference! It even makes the tiles look better! This gives me hope as we’ve got a beige on beige with highlights of blue, timber and gaudy gold tapware. Not to mention the timber toilet seat!! Unfortunately for us the tiles have been laid around the toilet but I’ve found someone who will come and spray paint my toilet and ugly tiles for $400. Not exactly thrifty but I dont think its a job we can do ourselves. Have you ever used tile paint?
Again, great job!
Heather says
Ooh! Glad I checked in! I am in the last stages of a bathroom renovation and have been for like a week now. And by “last stages” I mean “everything is done, I just need to put everything where it belongs.” And then I need to take after pictures and get them up on my blog.
I guess that’s this week’s Dude, Get On That Already project!
kelly ann says
” To the point that we were laying in bed saying things like “tomorrow is going to be awesome” the night before going toilet shopping.”
… and that is why i read your blog.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Kelly Ann.
xo,
s
Colleen says
If you guys are ever up here in Wisconsin, a trip to the Kohler factory/showroom/museum would be right up your alley =)
Susan says
Your new toilet makes such a difference! Which kinda surprised me–who knew a toilet could do so much :-) BTW, we just installed the same toilet and are ‘flush’ with happiness.
Sheila says
We replaced all the toilets in our house with that exact model two years ago and are super pleased with them. While we already had shiny white toilets to start with, they were not very efficient. One weekend Home Depot had this model on sale for $75.01 – and in our municipality you get a $75 rebate for each toilet you replace with a more efficient model. Needless to say, we rushed to HD, got the last ones in stock and swapped all of ours. We *did* have to pay the tax so all in all the project cost us $9.76 a toilet.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
-John
Kim Birum says
We also swapped out toilets recently. Ours wasn’t a subtle beige, but baby blue. It also flushed randomly all day long. It’s amazing how much a white toilet adds to a space. We also have a gray toilet that will have to go.
http://bigwhitehouseonthehill.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/toilets-were-never-meant-to-be-blue/
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it!
xo,
s
pippin says
Well done. When my husband was installing one of our new toilets, it slipped out of his hands, and sadly it cracked right up the middle. He was so mad at himself, because he literally flushed $300 down the drain.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I feel so bad for him. That stinks. Har-har.
xo,
s
Maria says
Great post! Swapping out toilets is such an underrated DIY job- flush power, water savings, a clean bright white color, and the newer ‘chair height’ all make a big difference! For your door stop, I was wondering if you are considering a hinge pin style stop- so easy, plus they can be adjusted to allow the door to open to different degrees (can be helpful for a tight space like a bathroom when the door only opens 90 degrees).
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh, never even thought about that!
xo,
s
Jenny B. says
I love that mirrored door! Did you guys DIY it, buy it, or did it come with the house? I’ve been dreaming of putting a mirrored door on our laundry room to brighten up our windowless kitchen. :)
YoungHouseLove says
The mirror was up there, we just framed it out. Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/09/mini-makeover-many-hiccups/
xo,
s
Tanya says
Good job, guys!
LOVE the white bright n grey ‘After’ pic!
Joanna Caroll says
Love your site. Oddly enough, Googled “white floating shelves” and eventually came to your site – and realized, I don’t want floating shelves, I want brackets a la yours in the kitchen!
Boy, are you both in for a big surprise…at almost 60 years old, I’m still doing DIY projects!
Continued success to you talented, lovely couple and your family.
JC
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- love it Joanna! Good luck with your shelves! So glad you found us!
xo,
s
tiffany of camp1899 says
…isn’t it funny how much different what toilet you have can make? we splurged and put in toto wall hung toilets and we love them.. no more bases to clean!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome!
xo,
s
Jessica says
I have a sad story to share. My husband and I were totally excited when we originally read about the dual-flush conversion kits here. We ran out to Home Depot, picked one up, and were ready to install… only to find out that our flush valve was not a standard shape. A walk of shame back to HD to return it, and the plumbing guy there was like, “oh, you must have a Kohler” (we do). Apparently all Kohler toilets (not just your almond one) have nonstandard flush valves, and the standard conversion kits don’t work with them.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man- that’s so sad! Wop-wop!
xo,
s
Casey says
Hey Sherry… our toilet needs to be replaced, today (like because it broke and we only have one–not fun). I’m wondering after a month, how you feel about this Glacier Bay one? We don’t want to spend a lot, but also don’t want to be repeatedly flushing, plunging, etc. As far as we know, the one we’re replacing was built with the house in 1982, and in the seven years we’ve been here has never given us any trouble, or been plugged even once. Definitely want to keep that up if possible at a low cost. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We really like it a lot! As many others mentioned, the seat feels a little flimsy sometimes so we might upgrade that someday but it’s been great otherwise!
xo,
s
Casey says
Good to know, thanks. We actually replaced the seat on our current one about a year ago and really like it, so I think no matter what we get we may just keep that.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a great idea!
xo,
s
Amy says
Many thanks to you guys for having not one but THREE different posts on how to replace a toilet on your blog! I discovered I had a cracked tank last week (when I noticed mass amounts of water leaking down into my basement) and if I hadn’t remembered that I’d read about DIYing this project on here I never would have had the cojones to try doing it myself. It took a bit of time but I got ‘er done! New toilet looks great and is even dual-flush — three cheers for a smaller environmental footprint!
YoungHouseLove says
Congrats on tackling it yourself Amy! Replacing a toilet was one of the first DIY projects I tackled upon becoming a homeowner (our first house had a nasty green toilet in the half bath). I researched it FOR WEEKS before trying it (and even still I had my cousin help me out).
-John
Noelle says
I have a tip to share for anyone considering replacing a toilet… I noticed you had what looked like a rag stuffed in the hole after removing the toilet. My dad, who worked as a plumbers assistant (I guess now that would be an apprentice?) during high school and college suggested using newspaper when we did ours. He has seen way too many rags end up down the pipe, and hence the need for a plumber to come get the rag out. Not that anyone plans on losing the rag, but do you really want to wash it afterward anyway? We used newspaper on ours and it worked great. No smell.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip, Noelle!
-John
Mary B says
Hi,
We just bought the same $88 toilet for an investment property of ours. Before we take it out of the box, i wanted to ask: are you guys happy with it? Have you run into any issues? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we’ve loved ours! The seat is a little thin and flimsy feeling so we might eventually upgrade it but we’re still living with it and everything else is awesome so for the price we’re very happy.
xo
s
Megan says
So I bought this same glacier bay toilet based on your recommendation, as well as the HydroRight dual flush retrofit package. A pro installed the toilet which has been working well. I tried to install the dual flush today and found that it wouldn’t seal at the bottom (where the flapper used to be). Any tips or advice based on your experience?
YoungHouseLove says
Ugh, we had the same issue! The curved bottom just wasn’t compatible, so we updated the other two toilets in the house with the HydroRight. I think Home Depot will take back returns on it if it doesn’t fit though. If only we knew when we bought the toilet that it wouldn’t work! We didn’t find out until later when we tried to install it.
xo
s