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Help me remodel my tiny bathroom please!

14 years ago

I've been talking about re-doing my bathroom for 3 years, but I haven't done anything because I'm so confused and overwhelmed at all the choices. I've read through the forum and I've seen so many great ideas I'm hoping you can help me.

My bathroom is like a small powder room, but it is the main bathroom for my family of 5. We plan to gut it.

This is what I know:

- I want a vanity, and will have to have someone make it (I currently have one that was clearly homemade) since the space is small and has to accommodate the door opening.

- I don't think I can rearrange the placement of fixtures because the tub will only fit in one place and I need a tub for the kids.

- I'm seriously considering tiling the walls at least halfway to keep it very cleanable. If there's tile in the shower and behind the sink anyway, there's very little extra space to tile - just behind the toilet and a bit beside it, so it shouldn't be too much more $.

This is what I don't know:

- everthing else!

- What tiles for the floor and wall? I like white, but is plain white too stark? I don't like the white/grey marbled look, my mom has it and I think it's too stark to have it everywhere.

- If I do go with white tiles, then what would I do for a countertop? What kind of material is best? And what could I choose that wouldn't be too strong and would keep a fairly neutral look? I love colour, but I think the room is too small and I don't want to hate it 5 years from now.

- what kind of lighting? Beside the mirror? Above it?

- I saw a photo that had a very shallow storage tower thing built on top of the vanity and it seems like it would be very useful, but then would it seem too claustrophobic in a small bathroom? And then I couldn't have a vanity, it would just have to be a mirror?

AAAAH! Help! Please.

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Comments (5)

skippy05
14 years ago
Can you have the door open out? Put in a bifold door opening out not in. Could go with pocket door but bifold is cheaper & less work!
Our bathroom is very small also, we have a bifold door.
dave777_2009
14 years ago
Could you please post a picture and some room dimensions? I don't know the dimensions of a small powderroom.

We have a small bathroom as well. It is 'so small' that I leave the door open when others are not around, since the toilet seat used to rub on the door, but we got a different seat. Very tight space. We also remodeled it.

Put in a Whirlpool tub (American Standard) that fit into a 60" space (our wall studs without any covering.)

We also shoehorned in a 1 person Vanity. We found a vanity which we liked, with a drawer down toward the floor and stuff - but it wouldn't fit because of our plumbing. They didn't make a reverse or opposite. With some effort we took it apart and rebuilt it the way we needed it - so it would fit into our plumbing...

It is now a very nice, and VERY small bathroom. It is also the only one my wife had growing up (she grew up in this house) - and was used by 5 people as well.

With drywall, etc. our bath is 4'11" wide *except for toilet area which is less (4' 9.5" wide) & the total length is: 7' 11" deep.

I have seen smaller bathrooms. But if you would give some dimensions... I am really surpised that we managed to shoe horn in the nice tub.
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Hello Marcia, Sorry to come so late to this party. I know you said that your husband likes "uniform finishes" but I'd like to suggest a tile which I installed a while back and was very pleased with the results. There is a subtle pinstripe to the tile, but you (and your husband) may find that you like the variation better than a monochrome? It's a rectified porcelain from Walker Zanger called "Groove" and it's available in 7 colors in 18"x18' field and 4"x18" bullnose trim. Here are a couple shots of the project I installed. The color was "Lava", the darkest in the series. This first shot is a close up of the shower pan mosaic I cut down from the 18" field tiles. (The tiles are skewed because I haven't racked them into line yet) This next is a view with the white wall tile for contrast. Just thought it might be worth considering? Shaughnn Here is a link that might be useful: Walker Zanger catalog
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It all depends on what you are going to do with the bathroom. I typically do the following; 1. decide on the layout and design of the room, is it a simple replace in kind or are you relocating fixtures and moving walls? If you are making changes, you will want a floor plan with dimensions to start. 2. Are there budget constraints? If so, some options cost more than others (a slide in tub/shower costs less than a custom walk in shower, keeping fixtures in the same location costs less than relocating, etc.). 3. What is the style of the bathroom to be (ultra modern, traditional, Asian influenced, etc)? This will help narrow selections. 4. If these issues are addressed, then we look at finishes and fixtures. Typically, we prefer to select the tile first, since that usually has the greatest impact on the aesthetics of the bathroom. As indicated above, paint is usually last. We also like to get a sample of the intended tile and take it to showrooms to match up with the fixtures, vanity and counter. It is really helpful if you narrowed down ideas with Houzz pictures.
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Leena braich 3:31 PM Update- Bedrosians will let me exchange my polished wall tiles for the honed ones that were more earth tones. At least my floors and walls will be cohesive. There are a lot of plain tiles in that batch so I can use the plain ones on the wainscoting wall. The shower is in a separate room so the room won’t look as busy. I will have mushroom color cabinets to ground the space as well. Once the cabinets and tiles are in place I can decide on the counter top.
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myladyfae
14 years ago
dave,

I'd be interested to see a drawing of your floorplan! The dimentions sound an awfully lot like ours, but I couldn't really work in a vanity at all (since we lose a foot as you come in to a linen closet off the hall and the heating unit)
weedyacres
14 years ago
mae: We really need a floor plan to offer any helpful advice. Photos would help too.
flowerpwr45
14 years ago
Our small main bathroom reno was recently completed, and while our kids are adults, here is one thing I have realized; the new tub is higher than the old one, and with the added height from the shower door tracks, I would hate to have to bend over it if you are bathing kids. Something to keep in mind, maybe.

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