We have to redo our master bath, unfortunately. The prior owners did a poor job and lots of things are failing. The layout is fine, but we are going to have to take the shower to the studs and redo it and redo the sink/vanity.
I have never redone a bath. Every house prior to this I’ve lived in had a fiberglass surround - this tiled shower has leaky grout that stains easily etc. It’s a nightmare.
They also put fancy fake molding/wainscoting that has a TON of horizontal surfaces that collect dust. Seriously I can wipe them down and then the dust magically reappears!
So I am looking for all your suggestions about durable, easy-to-keep clean ideas for this reno. Both in the shower and elsewhere. I am overwhelmed looked at Houzz or Pinterest for shower ideas. I don’t want to spend a lot and I am not picky - there are lots of showers I find attrractive.
For me, the most important thing is what’s under the finishes. I like the various Schluter system materials and would insist on a Kerdi shower (walls and floor) and Ditra underlaying beneath the bathroom floor tile. A nice splurge is radiant floor heat under the tile.
If you choose tile for the shower walls, I think that large format tile is best (fewer grout lines) and I prefer epoxy grout because it doesn’t require sealing and is mold resistant. We’ve also had shower walls in two bathrooms made of sheets of cultured marble (all white, no swirls) and Corian, which meant no grout cleaning.
Schluter also makes perforated aluminum shower niche shelves in a variety of colors. I like them because they let water drain quickly so my bar soap lasts longer and there’s less cleaning to do for the niche. If you don’t do a niche, there’s also a triangular shelf that can go in a corner.
I dislike cleaning shower glass. We have an obscure glass door for one shower that doesn’t need constant cleaning and use shower curtains on another.
I like wall mounted vanities, but that’s a pretty modern look and won’t work if you prefer traditional. I went with slab front doors on all cabinets and drawers so they don’t hold dust or body powder.
My favorite sink is a Ledges model by Kohler. It’s a fairly wide undermount sink that has an integrated recessed shelf on either side. We used leathered quartzite for the counters as they are durable and look good no matter what H does to them.
Wall-mounted hard-wired towel warmers are nice to have, too. They dry our towels quickly, warm them enough to feel cozy in the colder months (but don’t have to be left on in the summer once the towels are dry) and are handy for drying some delicate things. You could have a timer switch or programmable switch instead of a regular on/off switch for added convenience.
Fiberglass surrounds are making a comeback. They are cheaper than tile and could be easier to clean. Personally, I like the look of tile over fiberglass. Silpat’s suggestion of a large format tile is a nice compromise.
Definitely large format tile for the walls and 200% epoxy grout! For safety reasons, large tile can’t be used on the shower floor,
so epoxy grout there is critical.
What’s your rough budget? I know you “don’t want to spend a lot” but that means different things to different people. And will you be doing any of this work yourself?
What period or style is your house? choosing period-appropriate finishes helps narrow down your choices and will look good.
Large format tile makes sense, and good info about epoxy grout.
The current shower has glass and that seems to be the only thing they did right. We use a squeegee but even on days when we are lazy, it does not seem to create soap scum. And it cleans pretty easily. The contractor said you can get glass coated with something to make this easy to clean.
We have a rough estimate of $35k. Have not yet looked at vanities, I think we can be happy with a basic model.
The house was originally an old farmhouse built in the 1700s. The bed/bath was added on in the 1990s and it is a traditional/slightly farmhouse-y feel.
We just finished a huge kitchen renovation so we were dismayed to learn that we really can’t put off a bath reno. I imagine it is going to cost the exact amount of credit we have left on our home equity line LOL.
We coated our shower glass with EnduroShield almost 10 years ago. It is still a breeze to clean with 50/50 mix of vinegar and water and a microfiber cloth. I have a squeegee but neither DH nor I are very good about using it.
I applied the EnduroShield myself before any water touched the new shower. The glass guys told me to get it. But I was really miffed when they said they can apply it professionally before installation and that method comes with a 10 year warranty. I wish they had offered that to me! But they said everyone is out of $ by the time they are buying shower glass so they don’t want to pad the estimate with extras. Several years later we had to replace some glass in another shower and I gladly had them coat it first.
Our house isn’t as old as yours (120 years old Tudor) but we wanted something pretty timeless when we created our primary bath. I agree with everyone else on proper installation being the trick. Water proofing, the correct water proofing backer board, the right grout, etc…
We went with a large format marble tile for the walls and coordinating small hex marble tile for the shower stall. I clean it with a mixture of dawn and water and it’s easy peasy. I use daily shower for the glass door.
The one spurge that I’m thrilled with are the quartz counters. I have gotten hair dye on it (more than once), and it wipes totally clean with soft scrub.
In terms of cabinet style, we did a traditional shaker style because that’s what is in the rest of the house, including the original built ins.
I’ll be watching this thread. We will be doing our master to remove the huge jacuzzi we never use. We will do a walk in shower instead. No curtain needed. Our shower faces a window overlooking the woods. It will be a glass enclosure…with the stuff that makes it easy to keep clean without water spots. Friends rave about that. We will be using large tile for the enclosure, epoxy grout. Floors will hopefully have radiant heat.
New vanity, higher toilet, new towel and TP holders. Different mirror arrangement.
Have fun…and keep the ideas coming…I’ll be looking for good hints!
We are also planning to soon remove that huge garden jacuzzi tub. It’s too big to even fill with hot water- you run out before the highest outlets are covered!
Debating tub or not.3x3 shower being replaced with 3x5 looking out a window at nature. Thinking light colored tile wall, heated large format floor. Glass enclosure, curbless shower. I did not know about these glass coatings, checking it out!
For my next bathroom I make sure that the shower is easily accessible by wheelchair, in case ever needed.
When we redid powder room, I was so happy to have the built-in TP holder removed and a nice, elegant free-standing holder replace it (left a clean wall space that didn’t highlight the TP!)
Also - the mirrors with the lights behind them are so cool looking…
And water valves are w/c accessible too, and bonus points if they can be accessed without having to get in the shower and wet while the hot water comes up to temperature.
We just replaced our shower with the Onyx system. It’s full walls so no grout ( which I absolutely refuse to have grout). It was affordable and beautiful. We love it.
Just finished my bathroom remodel project less than 2 weeks ago and following for tips. I’m still in the honeymoon phase of having everything clean and pretty. I’m really enjoying the new chair height toilet (or more specifically, my arthritic knees are enjoying it).
I’d second (or third) large format tile. My traditionally sized subway tile in the shower has been a nightmare to keep clean as there are so many grout lines and we have hard water that has discolored it. I’m not a fan of fiberglass surrounds as I’ve found they can get discolored over time (this has happened with my fiberglass soaking tub and our shower pan as well - unfortunately). Pottery Barn actually has some nice vanities that are better priced than what you might see at a bathroom showroom - also you can find a lot of fixtures more cheaply on-line.
For safety reasons, large tile can’t be used on the shower floor,