The Bathroom Remodel

BEFORE

Here was the bathroom in the house before we remodeled.  The sink vanity had to be cut away from the pipes which ran up from the floor and not out of the wall behind.  The old dresser was nailed to the sink vanity.  A painted board was behind the sink as a backsplash.  The inset mirrored medicine cabinet was a keeper, but needed paint.


The shower was not a shower, but instead had a shower head attachment on a faucet that was probably 15 or 20 years old.  The pipe coming out of the wall where a shower head usually sits, is only nailed to the wall and holds the shower head.  New plumbing had to be run from the faucet for a new shower.  We did not replace the almond-colored tub or toilet.  We had a budget and we also did not want to put more money into the house than necessary.  The house is a mid-range and we weren't going to go high-end on things, since we know how much will be reasonable for an asking price in the end.  You don't put marble floors and chandeliers in a hunting cabin.  Though this isn't a hunting cabin, the same logic applies.  The tub surround is linoleum on drywall.  Yikes.

AFTER

Since I planned to keep the almond toilet and tub from the start, I was able to choose a color scheme fairly easily.  Grays and silvers compliment any color and look especially elegant paired with browns and taupes.  I chose plain 1x4's for the trim around the tub and window and ran another strip along the wall for chrome bath hooks.  The 1x4's were painted with mildew and mold resistant primer and gloss.  I gave them 2 coats of each.  An old stool fit perfectly between the toilet and tub and acts as decor as well as a guest towel holder.  A new chrome towel holder above the toilet replaced the old tension-loaded cabinet.  I chose chrome accessories to give the room a clean, fresh feel.  The tiles, though square, were placed in a 1/3 off pattern, giving them a more modern look than 1/2 set or aligned.  The same was done with the vinyl floor tiles, which were adhered directly to the old linoleum.  We tried to avoid removing any old linoleum, as it may have contained asbestos.

Because the bathroom had no closet, I chose a leaning shelf ladder which conveniently matched the vanity. Miscellaneous baskets, boxes and useful decorative containers easily held many items which would have been tucked away in a closet.  Beautiful clay teapots serve as Q-Tip holders and baskets hold neatly rolled towels.  Boxes hide away and organize everything quite conveniently  One box holds all cold medicines, another holds dental products.  

The recessed medicine cabinet was pulled out and sprayed with silver.  The hole in the wall for this cabinet was non-negotiable.  There were no available medicine cabinets that fit this spot, which made me refinish this mirror and I was glad I did.  It came out beautifully.  I even sprayed the floor registers in the same silver, which compliments the floor tiles.  A mirror propped behind the door adds depth to the room.