So, dear hubby is totally PO'd that I let it get like this and refuses to fix it. It's not your fault the builder cheaped out and put tile over drywall. There is no amount of caulking that could have prevented that from happening. Is the tub in decent shape? If so, stripping out the rotten stuff and installing new tile is not too difficult. If the tub is crap and it's cast-iron, buy a sledge hammer, put on a helmet with full-face transparent shield, and long-sleeved pants and jacket, close the bathroom door and give the tub a few whacks with the sledgehammer. They are brittle and will break into chunks in a spectacular mess of flying shards. Whack it until you have it in small-enough pieces to haul out. If it's enameled steel, it will dent instead of breaking. You'll need to get a SawzALL with a metal-cutting blade and appropriate protective gear to cut it into 2 or 3 pieces to haul out. When the demolition is done, you'll need a plumber for the drain and faucet hookup ... it's not easy.

I can't believe it - I have the exact same bathroom you do, and was just getting ready to post my ideas this morning to get some feedback! Please, any and everyone, I would love your ideas and comments, you would be helping two posters for the price of one! So...here are my ideas for dealing with my miniscule master bath: - Remove tub and replace with a walk-in shower with sliding glass doors. - Replace almond square tiles with white subway tiles. The tiles would go up 6 or 7 feet in the shower area, and then 42" up the wall in the remaining bathroom, with a chair rail on top. (You might be able to see the 42" line I drew on the wall to show where the tile would go up to) - Replace vanity with Kohler Memoirs 24" pedestal sink and install matching Memoirs toilet (round, not elongated as the bathroom is too small) - Remove medicine cabinet on the side wall and remove large mirror and replace large mirror with 31'x21' recessed medicine cabinet with sliding mirror doors (that is the piece of paper taped to the wall) - Install either sconce lighting or lighting over the mirror. - Install custom built-in open shelving behind the door for storage, from floor-to-ceiling (where my necklaces are hanging now). You might be able to see the line I drew on the wall that shows where the shelving would be. - Install hex tile or perhaps basketweave on the floor of the bathroom and shower. They would be ceramic as that seems to be the lowest maintenance option. Here are my questions: - Any opinions on whether to tile up 6-7" or all the way to the ceiling in the shower area? - Opinions on the medicine cabinet? I was also thinking of a large mirror on that wall with a shelf running the length under the mirror at the 42" tile mark on the walls. Ideas on shelving material? - Opinions overall? Should I keep the tub, for example? Finally, I got my inspiration from a mrslimestone on this board, I love her bathroom (see link below). Here is my existing bathroom: Here is a link that might be useful: My finished 'glamour vintage' bathroom by mrslimestone

ahreno, you can free up a bit of space by either changing the door to an outward swing or to a pocket door. Unfortunately, the 2 drawings don't show up well on my monitor so I can't see the shaded blue area. I'd guess it shows as darker grey with a 92" ceiling. If so, by incorporating this closet into your bath, working from the alcove to the tub, you can easily place a toilet, pedestal sink or vanity and a frameless shower stall on the 107" wall perpendicular to your tub along the 84" wall. If you don't add the 92" H area, you'll need to incorporate the red area into the larger closet. You'll be left with a 68 X 84 room. Then you can place a sink where the door currently swings in and may want to place the toilet in front of the wall that the pocket door slides into. The tub still works on the 84" wall and a 36 x 28 tight shower will fit. Not ideal but it gives you the luxury of a fully glassed in single person shower, your large claw foot tub and the necessities. Obviously, you can have a much more spacious scenario by incorporating the closet area, but this gives you an option.

The floor and baseboards are wonderful! It's amazing how varied natural stone is, and it's a look many celebrate. I think once you bring this together you will too. I agree with Les that your frustration with the bath is causing you to panic a bit. If you're happy with your bedroom colors, I certainly wouldn't change it to match the new bathroom. You've received good feedback on the bathroom forum and I almost posted my suggestions there last night but life interrupted. As you now know, the undertone of both wallpapers and their busy movement don't play nicely with the stone. While I love wallpaper and mix it with stone in our home, in your case I'd let the stone be the star and find a soothing neutral paint to pull the disparate colors together. Rather than going down the endless paint sample route which can be arduous, you could find a piece of fabric, paper or dish, etc that works well with the stone and then have the paint store computer match it. (That's actually how I chose our kitchen cabinet color when our cabinetmaker did not have a good white despite a dozen selections. I brought him a bowl and he had it matched perfectly.) You may want to have the vents painted to match the walls. Greywings' suggestions for a glam ceiling could help lower the ceiling a bit if that's still your concern, but I'd probably stick with a pale gold or silver. Not that I wouldn't do a deep tone in a smaller space, but my fear is that a dark silver would make the room cold and a dark gold would be out of place with your other metals unless you unify them as I'll suggest later. You could also paint the ceiling the same as the walls or vary a shade or two lighter or darker. If you stick with white ceilings, maybe choose a white like BM Atrium White which has a touch of pink or Pittsburgh Paints' Atrium White which is a bit warmer. I'd not chose a stark or blue white. One good thing about the clear glass shower doors is that it will help make the dark shower walls less contrasty. I know its clear, but it's surprising how much effect the glass will have. Hopefully you ordered the chrome hinges and handle as I think you may want to stick with the look of your new tub faucets. Based on my monitor and my preferences, I'd paint the cabinets a creamier, warmer white to tone down their starkness against the tile and to blend better with your new countertops, but IRL the existing color may be fine. You'll have a better idea once you decide on the wall color. I'd either frame the mirror in beveled mirror strips or select an art frame to soften that expanse. You can check ebay and on-line stores if your local selection is limited for some different vanity lights, either more in keeping with the shape of the chandelier or more simple and less obtrusive. Perhaps I'd silver leaf the chandie and add shades and/or crystals since it will no longer compete with the wallpaper. If so, then I'd keep any metal on the vanity lights silver. Since you went with chrome fixtures, continue with chrome for the lav faucets. I tend to think of the cabinets knobs as jewelry and usually change them last. But I absolutely would not change the countertops in this case until the major other components, i.e., the paint on the walls, ceiling and the cabinets, were in place. I'd need to really see how the light, both artificial and natural, plays in the room and sometimes it just takes a while to really sense what will work best, so don't be in a hurry to change the tops. I'd also have made a decision on framing the mirrors. Though you'd want to actually have the frames installed after the counters are changed, it would be helpful to have a sample ready to place against the various top ideas, particularly if you don't go with the beveled mirror frames. I think the crema marfil, Botticino Classico or some other light neutral might be lovely, but again you have to remember the undertones and pick your specific slab carefully. The polished version of your floor would look splendid also if you can locate a slab without a lot of fill. I would definitely not bring in more of the tropic brown which will look too heavy, too speckled and is the wrong tone against the marble. The good news is that you can take your time and bring home lots of stone samples to see which would work best before committing. Think of this as a mere hiccup, take your time and you will turn this into a beautiful space.