How clever. I love the plywood floor. I have been drooling over the white wood floors that are the rage now. I thought i would rip up the carpet in my living room; it's old and nasty and the only room not yet switched to hardwood and paint the plywood white. A new hardwood floor is not in the budget now. you have given me inspiration. The only thing holding me back is how to disguise the seams.
Did you stain your "tile" lines ? How did you deal with the plywood seams ?
Sadie

BUDGET is my middle name and your photos are a real inspiration!!!!

I'm giving you E-Pats on the back for a fantastic job on a budget!

Very creative...I'm impressed!

WOW! Looks fabulous! And I love the Budget DIY aspects --

Oh bravo!

I spent many years as a renter (eternal NYer) and always found cheap places that needed a little TLC and personalization, and would often just change out lighting or paint or add some touches, many of which I could even take with me!

Even though yours is MAJOR TLC and work and craftsmanship, it still goes to show how one can use creativity and effort in place of pure cash to create a phenomenal space!

The whole room is incredible, but I hope you get a chance to post a pic of the floor in closeup- it is spectacular!!

Well, I think I will call you the Budget Minded Creative Genius of the year! I love this. Congratulations. Where did you get your old bathroom magazine adds? You have just given me a idea for my 1952 bathroom.

Fabulous and thank you for posting.

pupwhipped

Really great, dainaadele! I had once seen the most beautiful 'panelled' ceiling, only to find out that it was a budget makeover done with plywood...I've been waiting to use that trick for years! Yours looks fantastic!

Thank you for sharing.

Sandy

Love everything you did, but especially the floors. Brilliant, in both vision and execution!

I thought some of you may like it! Thanks! The floor is funny. It was an act of desperation and it think it is most everybody's favorite thing. (Mine is the ceiling.) After it was done, I did entertain a the thought of burning in a pattern on the new stairs we were putting in..... then I chickened out. :) It was very easy to do and the wood burner was I think a $13 purchase. It came with some basic shapes including the petal pattern that I used as leaves. The plywood came precut in 2x2 pieces. Then I used some small oak trim for the "grout". There is a ton on poly on there that kind of filled in tiny cracks left behind. Here is a close up back when I was installing it:

You did a great job! I love your creative solutions, it's very cute!

Oh my gosh. How long did it take you to burn the design into the floor? You were seriously committed, woman! : ) You did a really awesome job here. I love the ceiling, too. I think I saw them do something similar on Trading Spaces many moons ago where they used squares of stained plywood in a drop ceiling.

I still think the floor is my favorite, though. If you have regained feeling in your fingers I say to go for it on doing a design on the stairs, too. It looks so homey.

Very impressive!! great job and so original.

Can you tell me where you got the small oak floor trim and is it nailed or glued? Also what color is your light fixture sprayed? I can't tell in the pix.

I'm blown away with the creativity, ingenuity and artistry you brought to this space. What a wonderful job you did and I will add my floor raves to everyone else's. While the rest of the bathroom is merely magnificent, the floor is incredible.

Absolutely beautiful and so cozy & welcoming too! You are so resourceful--I am envious!!! I may just have to try out the plywood floor technique myself! Thanks so much for sharing.

Would you mind letting us know what model soaking tub you chose? It looks fabulous...makes me want to go for a long relaxing bath right now...wonder if I have any Calgon!

Wow, you are so creative. It looks fabulous. Love that chandi. Very nice job. Now tell me, are you an artist by trade? I can't imagine me being able to do that stained glass thing or the floor. How do you get the lines straight on the window? I'd love to do that on my transoms, but am terrified. Can you tell me what supplies you purchased for the window? Thanks

I love it too! We are planning on doing a similar ceiling in our basement bathroom, but I will paint the wood white. DH wants access to pipes and electrical (we still have more renos to do), and I absolutely refused to consider the typical suspended ceiling.

Sadie,

Before we redid our DR floor, I had faux painted the particle board subfloor. I just used drywall compound to fill the seams and cover the nails. I then covered that with many layers of paint and urethane. My only regret was not screwing the floor down (thought it would only be a temporary fix for 2-3 years- but it turned out to be 10 years!), and so a few nails popped and the seam/drywall cracked in a couple of places.

It was a huge amount of work (I made it look like tile), and I rec'd tons of compliments on it- many people thought it was real tile at first glance. I wouldn't do it again, but at the time I was younger and had more time than money, and knees that could hold up! :>)

Thanks for all the compliments! There is an astist strain that runs in he family. I have a sister that paints, etc, but my skills are in other areas. I seem to have a predilection for power tools. But I guess the main thing is that I am always willing to step out of the box and look for cheaper solutions. (One of the advantages for growing up extrememly poor.) I love to stroll slowly through our Menards, looking at stuff, creating a mental file box for future use. I guess my main thing is that I really never settle for just "cheap" it always has to have a "pretty" aspect to it. And don't get me wrong, I try not to be stingy in everything I do, there is a place for granite and expensive fixtures, but when it is not in the budget...... (Grin.)

Answers to questions:

The light - a can of silver spraypaint.

The tub is by Maxx. I can't remember the name.

The floor - Wood burning the floor was actually really, really fast. I think I got it done in under 2 hrs. That wood burner gets hot! Each leaf was about 4 sec of pressure. I had settled down in front of the TV thinking it was going to be a long night and I remember being finished before the movie ended. I used screen door trim for the in between lines. It was the layer upon layer of poly that took forever. A word of warning about plywood on the floor: Who knows how long it will hold together. Like Rachelen says, it is a great temporary when you know something permanent is coming in a few years.

The painted window - They sell "lead strips" that are peel and stick for straight lines. :) So I put the lines in, and then filled the open areas with the paint. It is a much prettier solution than stick on contact paper for privacy. Also, I took a chance and did it right on the window. The instructions say that it should not be used on glass that has direct contact with the cold. I did that the first month we bought the house 6 years ago. It went on in November and the first winter it crinkled really strange on our coldest days and I thought it was ruined. But when it warmed up the glass expanded again and it looked normal. Alfter that winter, I guess the paint had a chance to cure against the glass and it hasn't happened since. I used the paint on our master bath when I built the pedestal. I wish you could see it at night when the LED color changing night light is on inside.

I threw my photobucket link down if anyone wants to look at other pictures, there are a few closer looks at things in the bath. I am a bit of a diy freak. Most of the furniture in the house was built by me. When we bought out house it had great bones and was very well preserved, but no one had done any work in it for about 40 years.

Here is a link that might be useful: My photobucket page

i enjoyed reading your post and the photos are very nice. you are so creative.