Here is a picture of the shower. Those blue subway tiles are so pretty. I like them.

You could always paint over the existing tile around the tub as a short-term fix and as a way to test colors in the room.

Glad you like the them. Your shower tiles looks very neutral so you can basically go with anything.

What lovely old tiles. I would go for blue in the shower like the subway tiles suggested, keeping it quite pale but in the same tone as the original blue tiles. You will never be able to get an exact match to old tiles and if it's quite close it actually emphasises that they are different and that you haven't been able to match them. Blue glass (either tiles or whole panels) would pick up on the blue tile but clearly be something different and special.

For the floor, how about a timber-effect vinyl which could be laid over the existing tiles. This would give some warmth to the scheme and is much less expensive and disruptive than re-tiling. Just make sure you go for a good quality vinyl which is quite thick and has a textured grain (sorry I can't suggest products as in the UK). If you are set on tiles I would look for a timber-effect tile as again a near match in tiles is far worse than a contrast.

How thick is good quality vinyl? Do you have any links of what you mean so I can get an idea of what it would look like? Blue glass would be cool! Thanks for your input!

Tear it all out and start over with a new layout and whatever tile/stone you want. There's a reason why the grout is damaged in the shower...dry-rot behind the original tile. Do you really need a shower and a tub? Old is quaint, but an updated bathroom will improve resale value. I once worked on a bath from that era that featured celadon green tile with black accents and lavender fixtures (tub, toilet and pedestal sink)...

I would kill for your bathroom! Does the floor tile really need to be replaced? Perhaps it just needs to be regrouted. Re: The Shower... Don't try to match the tile. It's impossible unless you have a huge budget. Then you can buy vintage replacement tile or have the color custom made. If your budget is limited, a simple glass subway tile (available at the big box home improvement stores) is fabulous. I would replace the shower door with a sandblasted glass door. It will pick up the blue in the room. Just puttin' in my 2 cents.

Good quality vinyl in the US = resilient vinyl. It comes in planks for wood look and actual 12" tiles for stone look that are grouted like ceramic tile. We just put Congoleum Western Maple in our kitchen/laundry room/half-bath and an Armstrong slate-look product in our entry and 2 full baths. You really cannot tell they aren't the real thing because of the superior coloring and texturing. I know they can be laid over existing vinyl, but am not sure you'd want to put them over tile. We had an ugly mauve tile at our entries taken up first (a big mess) and the slab beneath resurfaced and leveled. Go to a good flooring store in your area for the best selection and installers who know what they're doing. PS: I think the wall tile in your bathroom is very charming. Blue and yellow is a wonderful combination to work with and so cheery.

wanted to write something, but I am too hot and tired today.

If you have a second bathroom to use, gut the bathroom! (Keep any tile you really love). Start off fresh, replace the dry rot...definitely the window! (If you have left-over siding for outside the house, I'd have ribbon windows higher up, and add solid wall where your window now is. Add a solar-tube, heated floors, everything that this bathroom does not have--and you want! There's always sales...and if you and hubby are DIY, all this IS affordable! *Think shower stall w/open doorway! For inspiration ideas---Go to a local Manufactured home display lot, and see how they do their awesome bathrooms (especially open showers!)...it's NOT yer old "trailer house" anymore!
*Don't forget a heavy-duty exhaust fan!

I love the original tiles and those cool little accent tiles that are sprinkled here and there. I hope you can keep them. The tub area could just be regrouted, or if you want different tile in there you could find something to coordinate with the original.

Here is what I did to keep the original wall tile in the half bath and adding a new shower. The floor had to be raised so it is tiled to match the rest of the house. I would have preferred to keep the original floor but it could not be done. You can see the multicolored tile I chose blends the two blues and the pale gray in the original tile with the pale terra cotta in the new floor tile. I originally picked pinwheel tile in white with a sapphire dot as a trim tile to go with the pale terra cotta, but then I fell in love with the Flintstone tile instead.

I want to follow this discussion so I'm leaving a comment, but have I nothing to add. I love the hint of blue subway tile for your shower and the shower door suggestion as well as a wood grain look for the floors in tiles or vinyl. I think keeping the original tile is great because I'm a fan. I also agree you need to gut the shower and be prepared to repair water damage.

Thanks for the input everyone!
@Tight Lines Construction -- we have a small child so I think a tub will be a necessity at least for the next 5+ years or so. It's the only bathroom in our house so doing a full gut remodel is probably not an option.

@Karine I've thought about just re-grouting the floor, but the tiles themselves are pretty dirty -- I think I've tried every cleaner out there to get them sparkling clean but nothing seems to work.

@ikwewe Your bathroom looks like the exact same layout as ours! You said you added a new shower, so that shower wasn't there before? Or did you gut an existing shower? I've thought about making our shower have a half wall like yours does, but that would require moving the plumbing in the shower walls around -- I don't know how hard that would be (or expensive!). That multicolored tile is so fun!

The shower was not there before. The half bath was added to the garage, then a makeshift entry was added from the front bedroom, but it dropped down to garage level. We tore out the makeshift entry, raised the floor to the house level including in the half bath, then built the shower. We took the orignal walls of the half bath down to half walls to add light. The shower half wall has frameless glass on top, and the front of the shower is a sliding glass door. We did not have a problem with the plumbing since we built the whole shower to our own specs. Originally the contractor wanted to tie it in to the sink, which would have been the same as your situation, but since the whole back and side wall was built from scratch, it was no problem to move the plumbing around.

That makes me wonder if you could gut just the shower, to make sure there is no problem within the walls, then you could open it up and put the plumbing on the back or on the other side.

I always hate it when people rip out old vintage tile like that, but I can understand it if it's too far gone and if there's water damage. I would try to keep it~ it really goes with the character of your 1940s house. 2nd/3rd the idea of light blue subway tile for the shower.

Ikwewe: love the beach scene in your shower.

Here are more pix to show better how the shower and pebble and sea glass tile look. The pebble and sea glass tile is on both side walls and the floor and shower sill. We also used it to finish the edges of the half walls. Originally I had planned to use the white pinwheel tile with sapphire dot on the shower walls, then I saw the pebbles shown just that way with the terra cotta back wall. SOLD!

Oh, yes,the beach scene came from ArtworkonTile on eBay. They have a great selection of tile murals in many sizes and different kinds of tile. Since we don't have a beautiful view, why not add one?

I googled vinyl for bathroom. It looks promising. This link is to a wood look vinyl http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/luxury-vinyl/luxe-plank.asp

HOW ABOUT A BLUE GLASS TILE FOR THE SHOWER?

The blue glass would look awesome. I think I have a pic with a bluegreen glass shower in our master bath which used to be a regular bath tub. It makes me feel like I am at the beach every morning.

Consider a pale yellow hex for the floor, and pale blue 4x4 or 6x6 (match the size of the wall tiles) for a shower re-do. Basically reverse the color scheme of the walls for the shower.

The full-up 1940s-50s baths with separate shower stall had matching or reversed color schemes for wall and shower. My aunt's bathroom from that era had a dark tile wainscot with pale trim (burgundy and pink in one, charcoal grey and flamingo pink in another), and inside the shower was solid pale pink tile with the dark tile used in a soap and shampoo niche.

@tsudhonimh That's an interesting idea -- I hadn't thought of reversing the color scheme in the shower.

Does anyone have any ideas on what to do around the border of the shower on the outside without making it look TOO obvious that the whole shower has been replaced?
Has anyone removed the false ceiling above their shower before? That's another option I was thinking about. Thanks everyone so much for the suggestions!

Sources for vintage style tiles:
http://retrorenovation.com/2012/07/16/12-places-to-find-4-x-4-ceramic-bathroom-tile-in-vintage-colors/

http://retrorenovation.com/2012/04/04/ceramic-floor-tile-that-looks-like-slate-including-small-random-mosaics-in-8-colors/



Recessed soap dishes: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/11/15/4-places-to-find-recessed-soap-dishes-and-ceramic-bathroom-fixtures-including-both-vintage-and-new/

All of this really depends on your budget & your personal taste. Many people are moving toward preserving the vintage bathrooms. There's just not that many out there. If there is no water damage in the shower, you should be ok to work with what you have. Also, you could have the shower tiles reglazed as well as the tub. A good glazer should be able to match the existing tiles fairly closely.

Wow what a great bathroom! But if I were you I would stay as close to orgiginal as possiable. Perhaps you could reseal or glaze the tiles in the shower and do the tub...it would look great and last more than the years you need it too!

OK
One more brainstorm idea. You said this is the only bathroom in the house. Why not turn your existing tub into a tub/shower combo. I would just add white subway tile in a running bond pattern (just like bricks are laid) above the vintage tiles all the way to the ceiling. Then, you can hang a lovely shower curtain instead of a glass door. (Much easier for bathing children.)

The secret to giving your bathroom that fab decorator look: Don't hang a shower rod. Bed Bath & Beyond has the perfect curtain rod that can be hung from the ceiling & can expand flush wall to wall with flat end covers. Instead of hanging on the wall, you hang the rod from the ceiling. Purchase 2 extra long fabric shower curtain liners to protect 2 new stunning off-the-shelf curtain panels. Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and Potter Barn are great resources. Make sure they are long enough. Then put a command hook at either end of the tub walls & use curtain tiebacks to keep the curtain open in the middle (No damage done with permanent hooks.) you want to show off your great tub & not let the room get overwhelmed with a wall of fabric.

Tear out the frustrating shower & replace it with fabulous storage. Nothing like a nice big linen closet in the bathroom. It may make more sense since it's the only bathroom. If you must replace the floor tile, go with something large scale & neutral. A 12x12 tile in a light cream will not create any unecessary distraction, but rather enhance the existing vintage tiles. Plus, it's easy on the budget, just be forwarned, you cannot save any tile during demolition. These all bathrooms were not installed with modern thinset. It's a bear of a job to rip up. Almost like pulling out a concrete floor. The new floor will need o be leveled and a concrete backer board put down for the new tile.

P.S.
A cute skirt attached with velcro around the sink will add more instant (& low-cost) storage. You can make it out of a matching curtain panel. You could also make a cute valance for the window & plain white shutters for privacy.

P.S.S.
If your tub is not in fabulous condition, spend the money to have it professionally reglazed. Depending on where you live, it could cost anywhere from $350 to $500. I always use standard Kohler White. Well worth the investment because I'm sure that's a cast iron tub. Worth it's weight in gold. Really retains the heat.

Good luck!

Hi again. Glad to see you are getting lots of input to this and that you have been given some useful links for vinyl flooring as well as lots of support for your lovely vintage bathroom. I would usually specify a thickness of at least 3mm for vinyl flooring as this should give a decent wear level and comfort underfoot. I want to second the comments about the difficulty in removing tiles of this era - they will not just pop off and if the floor is sound it is preferable to lay on top of existing. If using vinyl flooring you should use a latex screed to smooth out the surface and prevent the grout lines showing through the vinyl (won't show when first laid but will appear as it is used). Not a major job and the flooring contractor should be able to do this as part of the job. For the best results whatever floor you choose you should remove the legs from the basin while the floor is being laid. I can't tell about yours from the photo but these are usually adjustable within the top bracket so should be able to slide up a bit higher to accommodate new floor level. It probably has angle supports at the wall but I would also make sure you use a good temporary support laid across from the bath to toilet so prop up the basin as it will be heavy and you don't want it falling off the wall!

Tile damage in the shower does not necessarily indicate dry rot, however it's never a good thing and if not addressed could result in serious damage to your property so it's a good thing that you are dealing with it now.

You asked about ideas for around the shower door. How about a painted timber architrave to echo the bathroom door? You don't have to use tiles as properly painted timber will be able to cope with the amount of splashing you get outside a shower enclosure.

And finally, if you do decide for a wood effect floor I would add a toning wooden cabinet or shelf unit above the toilet, or in the unlikely event that you have too much storage space, a picture in a wooden frame.

It's time consuming but why not just regrout? Remove the old stuff and put in new grout. It comes in a lot of colors, so matching shouldn't be too much trouble. Yes, it's time consuming and messy but certainly less-so than re-doing the tile.

@Karine Garcia -- what a cool idea about using a curtain rod instead of a shower rod, I've never thought of that before. My husband hates shower curtains and that sounds like a good solution! Haha. It doesn't show in the pictures, but we actually have a linen closet in the bathroom already with enough storage to hold everything we need (towels, toiletries, etc). I definitely want to have the tub reglazed -- I agree about being worth it's weight in gold! And thanks for the input on ripping up the old tiles. I like the idea of 12" x 12" tiles on the floor -- less grout to clean!

@pollyannagal -- Thanks for the info on vinyl flooring, not sure if I want to go that route or not, but it's good info to have nonetheless. Having a wood architrave is cool idea, I hadn't thought of that before.

What a great forum this place is! :)

Lots of great ideas here..Personally, like the idea of light blue (coordinating) subway tiles for the shower and keeping all the vintage features possible. Skirt would be cute with curtain - certainly 40's. Mainly, tho, consider an acrylic liner for the tub. We did that with ours - custom form - more than 10 years ago and still looks like new. Less expensive than a reglaze and totally functional.

I'd gut the shower area and have it fully waterproofed. I'd put white hexagonals on the floor and white subways on the walls. Then I'd paint the top half of the walls a soft white. This will make your tub, toilet and vanity look nice and fresh, and enhance the warm buttery tones of your original tiles. It is also fairly cost effective and is in harmony with the original character of the room. I work with tiles and know how difficult it is to marry two shades of blue in a retrofit scheme! You should also seal your grout so that mould and dirt cannot penetrate and stain it. Old tiles are made to last forever and your bathroom is so gorgeous, I'm so glad to hear you're not ripping it out! Good luck x

Just ran across your bathroom question- if the grout is missing on the shower floor and you're concerned with possible leaking- consider removing the floor and replacing the with a rubber membrane under new floor tiles- those small hex tiles in blues would be awesome and would work well to create a slope to the drain..

Has anyone ever painted tile and if so how long does that last?

there are people who specialized in that, if you hire them, it's should last min. 5 years. if you do by yourself, it's very cheap. better re-do the bath, must be a lot of hidden bad beyond this walls.

@cwemyss---until you use a good cleaner! Remove (gut it) it (bet it has dry rot underneath, if the grouting is worn out or missing).
The ppl that re-do bath-tubs, w/a special (very expensive) paint, can do tiled areas. It's all relates to what you want to "cover-up" ! Still has to be re-grounted, or there would be dips which would not look right!
I'm for the Holmes on Homes method----Do it Right!
Take pride in doing a good job, for the generations to come.

If you are interested in wood effect vinyl, try Amtico or Karndean. They are good quality, and look great if professionally fitted on a latex screed. I bought my Amtico flooring on EBay for pennies, and am really pleased with it. I chose it because of a ceiling height issue that meant other thicker options wouldn't have worked. My parents have it in their downstairs toilet, and it is so hardwearing it looks as good now as it did when it was laid in 2001.

I have attached a picture of the bathroom (not quite finished yet) showing the flooring for you.

I am with you Karine Garcia - if can keep the existing floor tile and go with blue glass in shower!

Do like the flooring in gingerclaire's photo! Nice pick!

I didn't see any of your original comments stating that there was any damage or rot to the walls, so I'm not sure why you are getting comments from readers stating that you need to gut it to get the rot fixed. My guess is that those comments are coming from people who simply do not like the look of your bathroom, so make sure that you do what YOU want, not what others would do for their own house. As far as resell value...I'm currently looking for a house and am more likely to buy one with your bathroom than an "updated" one which has a style no longer fitting to the rest of the house and often of poorer do-it-yourself construction quality.
Rather than give you advice, if you are wanting to keep your original wall tile (which I'm in love with along with your bathtub), I suggest you check out a different website...www.retrorenovation.com. You said your house was from the 40s and that site is dedicated to mid century houses. There are hundreds of examples of bathrooms from the 40s, 50s and 60s which will be exactly what you are looking for in terms of working with the tile you already have. There is a sister site to Reto Renovation called www.savethepinkbathrooms.com. Either will have an incredible amount of information. They even have resources to brand new - old stock tile, so it's possible you can stumble on an exact match to the tile you want to keep.

Also note that those sites feature several examples of bathrooms that were recently renovated using off the shelf tiles, yet still keeping the style of the mid century bathroom.

Kudos to you for wanting to keep the features of your vintage bath. That retrorenovation.com is a great site for advice and resources. It has a sister site, savethepinkbathrooms.com-which is as whimsical as it sounds, but they have a serious objective to save vintage baths like yours, whether or not they are pink. Another site that you can get fixtures for the vintage baths is deabaths.com.
I think the hexagon tiles for your floor would be great. You wouldn't have to have several shades of blue, but a mixture of white and a coordinating blue would probably look fantastic and really add to the vintage "ambience."

Mrs. Cobbler,

You should call a tile person and get a bid first. I would ask him/her to bid on replacing all damaged grout, and taking off the shower pan to investigate if you have water infiltration behind the walls. If the structural framing is dry, have him/her redo the shower with a membrane specifically for shower pans. It will last for more than our lifetime. The problem is that your shower has already started to "fail" by virtue of the grout deterioration. You need to determine how far the damage goes. Nothing wrong with your shower, they all fail, it's just a question of when. This is where modern construction techniques and the new membranes will have a big impact. Make sure you seal the grout properly after the work is done.

Now, tile and decorating: IMHO, It is a mistake to put anything modern in your bath or shower. As tempted as you are to choose glass or something cool, I urge you to stay in period to the style and date of your home. You will be amazed at how closely you can match the existing tiles.

If you wish to change the floor to a different tile, the white hex tiles, (or white and black, not in a high polish finish, but more of a un-glazed finish) are easy to find and are a classic look that could have been original to your house. A tile store will give you lots of options and ideas, and can advise you on what is appropriate for the 40's period.
Definitely shop around, but call a tile guy first and soon. There maybe water behind the walls already.

Good Luck.

Having worked for several hazardous materials companies, I have to ask - have you had the tiles tested for lead? Please do this before you do any demo, especially if you have kids. And that would include paint from that era as well. Just being cautious!

@gingerclaire -- Wow, that vinyl looks really nice. I think I'd like to stick with tile, though. I think it will fit in better with the style of the bathroom.

@marvinone I have checked out retrorenovation.com before and found some good ideas. I love that site.

@lucindalane I will definitely check out deabaths.com. I like the idea of white hex tiles with a coordinating blue.

I've gone to one tile shop and they had a lot of options, but weren't that great in helping me pick something. They didn't seem to "get it" that I wanted to keep the style of the bathroom the way it is. I'll have to keep shopping around.

@Bobbi P I haven't had the tiles tested for lead, but thanks for the tip. I've heard about the precautions you need to take with paint, but not with tile. I'll make sure to check that out.

I've painted the bathroom since I first uploaded my pictures. I painted it Kelly-Moore's Swiss Coffee. Sorry it isn't the best lighting for the picture and I have to do a little touch up in one of the corners. Here is what it looks like now:

That shows the tiles off nicely - I hope you find a solution to your tiling conundrum. Make sure you put a really good light in your shower cubicle. I have showered in so many of those cubicle style showers that have been beautiful apart from the fact that they're really dark!

No matter what type of tile you use I would recommend that instead of using the normal sanded grout you consider using urethane grout - it does not require resealing and is much better against water penetrating through the joint.

These tiles are amazing they have stood the test of time !

how very true.

@Vikrant Sharma Homez I wish I could say the same for the tile in the shower!