Oops, your link shows nothing about your existing bath. Care to try that maneuver again? :)

Hi Max,
That's quite a project, but I am sure will be well worth it. So many of your questions are about personal style and the overall feel you are going for in the house and how that will play in terms of eventual resale unless you are planning on this being your forever home. It would be easier for folks on the site to help you if you could give an idea of the style that you like.

All that said, my initial gut says that you can have a lot of fun and play off your existing floor. It's got a really cool look and could go modern, vintage or play with color and go to a sort of moroccan feel. My first instinct is that I'd paint the vanity black (what is going on with the center section of that vanity?) And when you say finish, do you mean paint finish? It you are DIY'ing, it might be cool to try to do a distressed black finish something like this...

http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=64741&index=8&currentPage=1&searchQuery=sinks&searchType=photos

- here's instructions on that http://www.paintpro.net/Articles/PP903/PP903-Technique.cfm or simply high gloss it. If you don't like the design on the doors, I've been told you can fill in the areas with wood putty and then sand and paint but you may want to check in with a paint store on that.
If you want a more modern esthetic then maybe something like this

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.decorpad.com/photos/2010/06/06/3d0161838c5e.png&imgrefurl=http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm%3FphotoId%3D75759%26relatedPhotoId%3D81685%26index%3D3&usg=_O7BEQGGxCpHMywlYN0Ah6LJpkI=&h=340&w=453&sz=182&hl=en&start=42&sig2=cYzOhWRc2Z1sm35BRjNKtw&zoom=1&tbnid=ys7JzxG5PTMuiM:&tbnh=147&tbnw=196&ei=_qLWTPiTEsSblgfQ84X-CA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmodern%2Bbathroom%2Bwith%2Bblack%2Bvanity%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1267%26bih%3D616%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1217&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=644&vpy=215&dur=482&hovh=157&hovw=210&tx=155&ty=93&oei=7qLWTNCeO4H98AbUl9jtBw&esq=3&page=3&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:42&biw=1267&bih=616

If you like the clean white look... you could really play up the kitchiness of the vanity and go with something like this...
http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=82047&index=19&currentPage=1&searchQuery=sinks&searchType=photos

I used formica in a prior home but it took a lot of searching for just the right finish and a beveled edge to make it work so you'll really need to go look at this based on the esthetic you choose. I'm inclined to say that if you can figure out how to save else where... I'd spend your money upgrading the vanity top.

With the tile in the shower and the tub... Since you are on a tight budget, my insinct says go look at lowes and home depot for white field tile in a (3x6) or 4x8 and use that with a similar grey grout as the floor. They generally always have something on sale... or look on ebay. I'd go simple there.

For your walls, since you've already "stripped" the paper from most of it I'd recommend talking to someone in a paint and wall paper store about your options... I am sure there is someone more qualified than me to help on this site.

Lights and mirror you can really find a lot on sale with lots of variety so I'd be opportunistic with those.

Last but not least... go check out this bathroom remodel and website for inspiration on how to overhaul a new house in a thrifty way..
http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/01/tackling-the-bathroom-the-big-reveal/ they've repainted cabinets, etc and DIY'd a couple of bathrooms.
Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: young house love

I actually really, really like the floor tile. We recently came back from touring mansions in Rhode Island and you may be happy to know they had this exact same tile in the master bathrooms =)

For the walls, I just want to say I'm dealing with wallpaper headaches left and right. We even have wallpaper on our ceiling. Sigh. For your situation, what do you think about wainscoting? We have the MDF kind in our laundry room. It looks like wood and that would hold up well in a bathroom.

I really appreciate the feedback!

Decorating is not my strong point so with this major rehab I'm leaning toward a safe transitional style. I think that's what it's called.

Since I am always second guessing myself, I was thrilled to hear your responses on my existing floor tile. So the floor is a keeper.

I've decided to paint the vanity white.... I think.
The center door of the vanity is pretty well shot so I am going to try filling in the routed design with putty, then sand and test the paint.

If I don't replace the center vanity door I might paint the interior of the cabinet and install two shelves for baskets. Any opinions on this idea?

If I don't use formica on the vanity top, what is next frugal choice of material?

As far as the walls are concerned, Lowes has a product that I'm going to try that supposedly seals the damaged rock. I will then cover the walls with a paintable wallpaper that has some texture, and then paint. I don't have any idea what color to paint the walls.

As I progress I will post updated pictures and will look forward to your advice and opinions. However, for the next few days I have to focus on the exterior. Minnesota winter will be here shortly and I have to make decisions on the roofing, siding, and trim. The color choices will be a challenge for me.

I also have to finish the stone fire pit I started installing. Another DIY project that was working out well until I fell into the fire pit and hurt my hip. Lesson learned was not to jump on the stone block in order to level it. LOL.

Thanks for your input.

A girl named "Max"

Hi "Max"
I ran across this bathroom this am and it reminded me a bit of your situation and your floor. Check out the link below.

This has a rustic feel to it... but I was thinking that if you wanted a pop of color, maybe you could try this blue, then if you went with a grey tone formica top it could look cool. I was thinking of a similar solution as your paintable wall paper, except I was wondering if you could simply create a rough skim coat with sheetrock mud for almost a fresco old world feel that could complement your tile. Here's a link to another discussion on how others have tackled this...
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/decor/msg032320294218.html?14

The baskets sound like a great idea. I have heard of people using Ikea butcher block and coating it with tung oil as an economical alternative to formica.

Good luck with the exterior!

Here is a link that might be useful: knock off Sarah Jessica Parker's bathroom

Meant to add... if you go with the white vanity, then I believe formica makes a dark charcoal textured surface that almost looks like rough slate. That would be more scratch resistant and a nice contrast.

Also check out overstock for some great deals on things like faucets...
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Metropolitan-Chrome-Widespread-Bathroom-Faucet/1839479/product.html?rcmndsrc=2

a.girl.named.max, you're off to a good start with all the good advice/ideas you've gotten so far :)
I just wanted to add my experience with wallpaper. I think
southerngalinnyc may have touched on it. In 2004 we remodeled our daughter's old room. One wall was wallpapered. That wallpaper wasn't going ANYwhere without taking the sheetrock paper with it! My 70+ year old sheetrock/texture guy said "don't worry, I can go right over it" :o And he did! He textured over it to match the the texture on the other walls. You would never know there was wallpaper underneath. That was a little over 6 years ago.
Monica

For painting the vanity, check out threads in the GardenWeb Kitchens forum about painting existing kitchen cabinets. There are a lot of steps I recall from sanding to primer to coatings over the paint when finished, and tips on what to do about the hinges and hardware. Also look at vanities on the sites for Ikea, Costco and Overstock and Home Depot to see if you find one that fits your budget since painting the existing vanity will take a lot of prep and time, and time is money.

One budget friendly idea for the walls is to add beadboard/wainscoting from floor to ceiling. I've even seen it painted in colors other than white and it looks very pretty. You can put this up over the existing wallpaper "situation".

You might also search blogs (Google blog search) for DIY tips about repainting the vanity. I plan on repainting mine once I get to it!

This project is off to a slow start. After having to get a bit testy with the GC, she is finally ordering the tub/shower faucets today so the tub, tile and faucets can be replaced.

When her part is done I can start finishing the walls, ceiling, vanity, lighting, etc. The GC's completion deadline is February 16 then there is a $50 a day penalty written into our contract.

I know there are often delays but this has been going on since the end of October. (Big Sigh)

Tub, tile, tub/shower faucet are finally installed. I can't use them until Sunday night. I love it so far. Now on to the DIY part with walls, ceiling, vanity, lighting, etc. etc. etc.

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