bathroom redo

Parent Cafe
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<p>Please share your bathroom reno tips with me. DS2 graduates this weekend and redoing our master bath will be my next top priority. Currently there’s nasty white and brass fixtures that must go! I’d love a doorless shower but due to layout I don’t think that is a possibility. </p>

<p>Any recommendations on flooring? Probably granite counter tops but I have no clue about sinks.</p>

<p>Off to houzz I go!</p>

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<p>I have slate-like porcelain floor tiles 12" x12" in a tiny bathroom laid on a diagonal. I love them. I also have this sink: [KOHLER</a> | K-2838 | Ledges Under-Mount Cast Iron Sink](<a href=“http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Ledges-under-mount-bathroom-sink/productDetail/Under-mount-Sinks/425919.htm?brandId=651402&categoryId=651399&hash=id%3Dfilters%26startIndex%3D0%26scrollTop%3D1060]KOHLER”>http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Ledges-under-mount-bathroom-sink/productDetail/Under-mount-Sinks/425919.htm?brandId=651402&categoryId=651399&hash=id%3Dfilters%26startIndex%3D0%26scrollTop%3D1060) White subway tiles with a seaglass and chrome border tile that go with the sink and fixtures.</p>

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<p>We have a soft gold marble counter, antique white cabinets, with porcelain sinks in bisque. Our hardware is all oil-rubbed bronze. Our tub enclosure is bead board, with matching marble lip to the sink. Our floors are hand-scraped cherry wood, except for a tile area trimmed out in wood outside the shower. The one thing I would do differently is go with a 3-hinge shower door. When you use thicker glass, there was too much weight on the 2 hinges. Even though it was within the weight limit, don’t chance it if this is the (frameless) style of shower you are going with.</p>

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<p>mathmom - Tell us more about the 12x12 tiles on diagonal in a tiny bathroom. We were considering that in our downstairs bathroom? What color… and did you use similar colored grout? </p>

<p>jshain - Do you like the marble counter? The carerra white marble we once considered was beautiful, but worried about stains.</p>

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<p>colorado_mom, We don’t have any issues with ours but we keep it sealed. I actually like the look better than granite for a bathroom. The pattern seems more subtle than granite, except for those small “fleck” patterns seen in some granite.</p>

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<p>I like the look of the marble too - it looked beautiful, white with black veins - white undermount sink and black vanity. We’ve procrastinated on that redo and could still go the marble route. Also considering “quartz” but was surprised it is even pricier than granite.</p>

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<p>For our kitchen, we used a granite called Vermont White. It looks like marble. Here: [Google</a> Image Result for <a href=“http://www.vermontmarbleandgranite.com/marble/montclair_slab.JPG[/url]”>http://www.vermontmarbleandgranite.com/marble/montclair_slab.JPG](<a href=“http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vermontmarbleandgranite.com/marble/montclair_slab.JPG&imgrefurl=http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0722053116394.html&h=405&w=537&sz=24&tbnid=ADH6iE762zNucM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=123&zoom=1&usg=__2muODM_m94KJH8b4gvzZdr6x8kM=&docid=d-VIS_kyZyigtM&sa=X&ei=1YysUa7DBc3a4APIpYGIDQ&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAA&dur=627]Google”>http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vermontmarbleandgranite.com/marble/montclair_slab.JPG&imgrefurl=http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0722053116394.html&h=405&w=537&sz=24&tbnid=ADH6iE762zNucM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=123&zoom=1&usg=__2muODM_m94KJH8b4gvzZdr6x8kM=&docid=d-VIS_kyZyigtM&sa=X&ei=1YysUa7DBc3a4APIpYGIDQ&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAA&dur=627)</a></p>

<p>All of the practicality of granite, but with the look of marble. I’m happy.</p>

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<p>The tiles are a dark grey close to black. [METEOR</a> Tile from Arizona Tile | Meteor Tile | ceramic and porcelain tile](<a href=“http://www.arizonatile.com/METEOR-SERIES-P786.aspx]METEOR”>http://www.arizonatile.com/METEOR-SERIES-P786.aspx) I used a gray grout that was lighter than the tile but not hugely lighter. I think largish tiles often look good in small spaces though a mosaic with a border is another look I like.</p>

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<p>We have a 4x6 foot tile shower w/ no door and no threshold to step over(just have to have the shower floor slant slightly downward toward the drain so water doesn’t run out in the floor) and a skylight overhead…love it. </p>

<p>Our bathroom is small…no tub. We used 12x12 tiles on the bathroom floor and shower walls with 6x6 tiles on the shower floor…also put in the tiled corner triangle seat for leg shaving ease. The tile is dark with w/ sort of a grayish/greenish/gold mix. The grout is a light gray.</p>

<pre><code>The cabinetry is maple w/a honey colored finish. The granite top is “verde butterfly” with tradiational undermounted porcelain sinks and Our dark wood framed mirrors over each sink.
</code></pre>

<p>Our craftsman style house is on the waterfront w/ big screened porch and lots of trees so we wanted to have homey a cabin feel.</p>

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<p>These sound lovely! I just had such a nightmare with my kitchen contractor I’m having trouble getting up the energy to try another “project”.</p>

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<p>My focus when we remodeled our master bathroom was more on improving structure and performance, so I hope I don’t regret any finish choices. After living with costly and not easily maintained real stone, I opted for porcelain (not ceramic) tile. More important to me was the underlayment. Instead of using his usual subs, my contractor hired a guy who only does Kerdi/Ditra bathrooms. The floor has a Ditra uncoupling membrane over the plywood subfloor and the shower walls and floor are Kerdi. (Both are Schluter products.) We had floor cracks, shower pan leaks and other problems in our relatively new house, and I wanted to make sure we would not suffer them again.</p>

<p>The subfloor was beefed up by sistering LVLs to the existing joists and then cross bracing, just to make sure the very heavy cast iron soaking tub wouldn’t cause any problems. That part of the master bath is over a garage so access was easy.</p>

<p>Our tile is by Crossville and was made in TN. I try to buy American made products as much as possible, but it was tough for the bathroom remodel. We replaced granite counters with quartz and changed our faucets (and all hardware, lighting, etc.) from ORB to brushed nickel. The overall look is much fresher and lighter.</p>

<p>Other changes we made were to replace the standard toilet seat with an Inax “Advanced” seat (Japanese made bidet seat) and to have radiant floor heat installed beneath the tile floors. The toilet is a Toto - a Japanese brand manufactured in Georgia. </p>

<p>Our HVAC vents were moved from the floor to the vanity toekicks and the walls, so I no longer worry about splashes or debris getting into them. We upgraded the exhaust vent from a loud and not very effective builder-basic model to a Panasonic WhisperWarm for the shower and a Panasonic WhisperFit for the water closet. We also replaced two fixed single pane windows with double pane low-e casement windows for better ventilation in mild weather.</p>

<p>I did a lot of reading at the GardenWeb bathroom forum, as well as on the John Bridge and Terry Love forums (tile & plumbing.)</p>

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<p>LOL, my master bath is being tiled as I type this. Am doing a redo of many things in my house. Decided to keep the tub, but switched from Jacuzzi to a soaker. Countertops will be in granite, white/ivory background with gray flecks, tile on floor and shower and around tub will be dark gray (matte textured finish on floor, glasslike finish on walls). Am keeping the current cabinetry because I want to save money and it’s not heinous. Will either paint it ivory or white (leaning ivory). Second bathroom is also a redo with a more vintage look (hexagonal tile on floor, soapstone countertops). Also updating the kitchen! And eating a lot of takeout</p>

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<p>All- I am in the midst of the master bath reno process now. As to your wish for a doorless shower, one disadvantage of that in many climates is that it feels cold or drafty, according to my designer and backed up by one experience in a hotel. My 10x12 bath currently has a huge 2 person jetted (read loud) tub, surrounded by a large deck. We have a tiny corner shower and are replacing it with a large tiled one with a niche for toiletries built into the wall. The Jacuzzi goes away and is replaced with a nice deep standard sized tub, with a sprayer feature for washing it and my hair. One of my favorite parts is that the 2 “black hole” for storage vanities are combining into an 8 foot long vanity with double sinks with designated storage underneath, a bank of drawers in between the sinks and narrower storage tower on top to hide plug-ins like hair dryers, razors and toothbrushes, as well as keep items too large for the depth of medicine cabinets handy. I want everything out of sight and that was a major goal of the renovation. Now let’s see if I can live up to that standard when it is complete.</p>

<p>Houzz is a great site for photos and ideas.</p>

<p>Good luck with your project.</p>

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<p>OP, I love love love reno’s! I wish I was close by to help out!</p>

<p>How big is the room? What is your budget? Do you have a color in mind?</p>