10 weeks to decide tile for new addition bathroom nothing is simple
Eleanor Smith-Litt
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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how do you decide on tile for all those bathrooms?!
Comments (14)jaymielo- I don't know if I did things 'backwards' by most standards, but it worked for me! I picked out my tile before anything else in the bathrooms. I did a lot of magazine clipping for inspiration. I found my cache of clippings the other day and was surprised to see how closely I ended up following their general themes after all. Although I didn't have specific colors picked out for each bathroom, I did have a general FEEL of what I wanted. For instance, in my boys bath, I knew the design needed to be more masculine, what an adult would feel comfortable with (since they won't be little for long!), and also something that would work if a girl ever entered the family picture and used one of the bedrooms sharing that bath. Honestly, I didn't even think about the countertop at this point, since I knew that it would be easier to pick that out after figuring out the tile. We ended up doing the copper slate bath up there: For our master bath, I had found a pic of one that had a creamy yellow with darker wood in it. Then we went on a trip to Santa Fe and stayed in a B&B that had the most awesome travertine shower in it. DH and I knew immediately that we wanted to find a similar tile for our master bath. We also had known for a few years that we wanted to do a pebble floor in there. Adding all those ideas together, we came up with this: I guess my best suggestions would be to 1)Get your magazine/photo clips out and decide what it is you like about them in particular. 2)Decide of the main function of a particular bath--kids, light or heavy traffic, guests, etc. 3)If you want individuality, do each bath one at a time so that you don't overwhelm yourself. Keep in mind that even though they will all be different, if they fit the general color schemes of your house, there will still be a 'flow' throughout. 4)If you want even more cohesiveness, pick a general tile and mix the accent pieces/countertops to individualize each bath. 5) Remember that you can always change the paint color, but it's MUCH harder and more costly to change tile! I'm sure whatever you do will turn out great. It's just the process that can sometimes be overwhelming!...See MoreBathroom Reveal, Thanks to the Bathroom and Remodel Forums! (pic
Comments (56)This old thread got revisited. @dmac1108 to answer the question about extra probe, I believe I ordered an extra one when I bought the set up. The probe wire is just setting in the junction box I think but honestly I cant remember. When I laid out the underfloor heating and the probe, I just ran another probe near the first probe, and it was then sealed into the floor self leveling compound as per instructions. then the end was just threaded into the wall like the one that would be live, and not connected, but just laying there in the box. Regarding the tile layout. I just decided to run it this way, after getting instructions on the 90Degree way, IIRC. The herringbone that I love is from my childhood and the side walks in my neighborhood that all ran at 45Degree. so that to me is herringbone. I know you posted on @sochi thread about her amazing bathroom and a wall mounted faucet. I would totally do it if I had the right sink for it. In my case I had made my sink out of soapstone and an integrated backsplash. The pictures of this bathroom reveal are no longer available because of the use of photo bucket, when it was Gardenweb. I did not keep my account with photo bucket. I'll add some of the reveal pictures so you can see the sink and floor. Regarding the sink there is no ledge for water to drip from my hands when using the faucet. The water drips right into the sink. In my other bathroom with a deck mounted faucet I am always wiping up drips and it is a nuisance. I much prefer the setup for this sink. Below: I love the flush finish from the faucet to the bottom of the sink. nothing drips on a counter or edge of a sink. Below: looking in from the doorway. Below: Here I am finishing up the sink. the backsplash was epoxied on as a separate piece. The whole soapstone install in the room took next to nothing to buy as they were all small pieces that I epoxied together with a 3 part stone epoxy. Below: this is the counter at the tub, and is in 2 long pieces but I was able to epoxy them together at there edges to make a wide slab for the top. All the soapstone was finished with a 60 grit sandpaper to be rough and this lovely soft tone of blue/green/gray/white. I did not oil it so this color tone would remain light. Below: If I recall correctly @sochi helped me decide on this Hubberton Forge Mirror. I have 3 different metals in this room, but they are all a cool silver to black color. Below: the center of this tower shares space with the kitchen on the other side of the wall. there is also some extra space that houses some electrical wiring. this is an old simple house. this bathroom was an add on when it got move to the farm in the 30s IIRC. The plumbing was all rearrange and some of the details that were orignially there I kept but updated it, such as this tower feature. The old one went and the carpenter did a wonderful job with this one. Below: This feature was another thing I kept from the old bathroom but flipped it from the other end and had the carpenter put drawers in it. Before it was a hell hole. things got lost and the build was soooo old and creapy I didn't like using it for storage. Now it is perfect for storage....See MoreBathroom makeover! How do you decide what style you want to go with?
Comments (19)I agree with a lot of the advice you've been given. Your first step is to determine your budget. The second step is to find a reliable contractor that can work within the confines of your budget. Get a bid for all labor and services to be performed, line by line, in writing. Ask for references and don't be afraid to contact them. Ask for proof of insurance and licenses. Verify that those licenses and insurance are up to date. Do yourself a favor and spend time looking at youtube videos to learn about proper waterproofing techniques. Educate yourself about building codes so you know that what is being done is correct. Check with your city or town code office to see what permits and inspections are required. Arm yourself with information so you don't end up like so many others on here with dilemmas about improper installation and waterproofing and bad tile jobs. Remember that you don't know what you don't know. I had spent a few weeks learning about kitchen design and caught my cabinet guy in a few mistakes that would have been very difficult to correct after the fact. The pretty is the easy part. It's everything that goes on underneath that determines whether the pretty will still be functioning correctly in 5 or 10 years. As to what you've chosen, I would stay away from acrylic tubs. They can be cheaply made and don't always hold up well. They also don't hold heat well so if you like to soak in a bath, acrylic won't work as well as cast iron. Based on the color of your current cast iron tub, it's been there for 40 or 50 years. There's a reason it's held up for so long. You want to replace it with something of the same quality. When you look at toilets, consider an elongated bowl, comfort height toilet. They're a lot more comfortable to use. I just installed two with an enclosed trapway and it's so much easier to keep clean. I would also stay away from anything too trendy or difficult to maintain. Porcelain is easier to maintain than marble. Larger format tiles in the tub area are easier to keep clean than smaller ones due to less grout. Even easier are solid surface walls in the tub, such as Corian. Drawers in a vanity will give you a lot more storage than doors. Good luck with your project!...See MorePlease help with my bathroom remodel starting this week-thanks so much
Comments (26)First, I do agree with @emilyam819 that it’s important to budget for the things you don’t see. The materials needed to properly build and waterproof the shower are not cheap and shouldn’t be skimped on. Also, shower and tub fixtures require parts that go behind the walls. Be sure any plumbing fixtures you buy include all that parts necessary for assembling them. For example, check to see if sink faucets include hoses and a drain. Often they don’t and you have to buy those items a la carte. Also, to help with suggestions, it would be helpful to know if you prefer wall mount, four hole, three hole, or single hole. Also don’t forget to budget for your sinks and countertops. I definitely would stick to tile only in the shower and on floor from a budget perspective. More tile looks gorgeous but adds up in terms of both labor and materials. Also, make sure you talk to your contractor about exactly how he installs and finishes tile (including the prep steps he does before he ever puts the first piece down). Read up on Houzz on proper tile installation - you won’t become an expert but you’ll learn enough to spit red flags. Just search the advice forums for tile questions - you’ll be horrified at what you see and it will help you be cautious and ask good questions. Love everything you’ve picked out and I agree that vanity is a steal. Personally I would choose all gold. Mixed metals can look great but I’d be uncomfortable attempting it without a pro advising me. As for the floor, I think it’s important to consider the other flooring in the house, especially in the area where the bathroom is. I wouldn’t do the wood look tile if you have hardwoods elsewhere. And if there are bathroom floors elsewhere that you plan to keep, I’d choose something relatively similar for this room. Or if you plan to rip up other bath floors later, consider something you’d be willing to use on those floors as well. The idea is to not have the floors in all the rooms of the house feel like a quilt - all different, with no relationship to each other....See MoreEleanor Smith-Litt
3 years agoDragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.
3 years agoEleanor Smith-Litt thanked Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.Eleanor Smith-Litt
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