Moving a waste line can be very expensive, so if you haven't gottena bid for that yet you might prepare yourself accordingly.

I encourage you to embrace the retro and avoid making modern style renovations a la big box stores. If you haven't discovered Retro Renovation, have I got the blog for you! Here's a link to Retro Renovation Bathroom Blog Posts. You might have to scroll down to see all the links. Enjoy!

OK, here's what I'd do:

1. Get rid of the shower head.

2. If that's not an option: I wonder if you could put up tempered glass panels, using the same fastening method as for large mirrors, so either gluing, clips, or metal strips. If budget is of concern, look at IKEA's tempered glass shelves, either for their kitchen cabinets, or for the top of their dressers. They are very inexpensive.

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If possible, I'd remove the grab bars. Of course, I don't know how to cover up the remaining holes :(

The grab bars aren't wonderful, but removing them and trying to deal with the holes would make things worse.

stainless steel, or chrome grab bars would look better

Go to the decorating forum pronto!

Are you renovating to live in or to sell? If the latter, I'd just sell it as-is, especially since you don't have the funds to remodel it.

I just replaced a similar bathroom after living with it for 8 years. When we moved in, I had the bathtub re-glazed. It cost about $250. It held up well for about 7 years before it began peeling off. We left the original tile, but ours was gray and I liked it. In our half bath the 1950s tile was pink and blue and I didn't care for it. We painted over it, and surprisingly it has held up well. But since it's a half bath, there's no moisture.

Tbh- I suggest living with it for a while and if you plan on selling, like others have suggested, perhaps changing the grab bars to chrome.

Good luck!

I had a similar tub situation except the tile was all one color: grey. We added a row of white tile, then tiled up the rest of the way in another grey. Color wise, it was fine. But. New tile, even if it's supposed to be the same size, is not the same as old tile. The way it is set, the thickness, the shape of the edge, you can just tell. Unless it is made to look old, and that will probably cost. All that said, if you found a color that works (good luck with that), you could tile the rest of the tub surround. Almost no one would see it, so it would be okay.

The tempered glass sounds like a cook suggestion. I wonder about any moisture that might get behind, the eventual mold would be visible.

i wonder if a really good vinyl wallpaper, well-adhered, would work for you?

i wonder if your budget would allow for a new penny-tile floor in black and white?

Is it easy to change out the grab bars for chrome?

I lived in a rental house with the same tile scheme! Here's what I would do- paint a light gray on all the walls. Use light gray towels, grey and white shower curtain- lots out right now in geometric designs. I was going to put up black and white family pictures in shiny silver frames with black mats on the wall in my bathroom.

For above the tile in the shower I would do some bathroom anti mildew/moisture primer and then a wipeable bathroom paint. The paint store should be able to give you advice on how best to do it. If moisture is collecting on the painted wall when you shower, then hang a chamois to use to wipe the walls before you get out of the shower.

I agree do not remove the tile. It's wonderful. (See different strokes). If the grout is dirty look at ways to clean it. I'm sure some of the folks here would have some ideas.

Then I would change the grab bars to chrome ones.

Change the shower head

Paint the walls a soft grey

And redo the floor.

Thank you everyone for all of your replies! Sorry for the absence...I have no internet here at the house yet. In response to questions/comments:

kudzu9: There are areas of the grout that are missing, and the remainder has turned yellow. I would like to replace the missing grout and whiten the yellowed. We hope to rent out the home, so I don't trust tenants to wipe down painted walls. I'm hoping to find a complementary alternative.

benjesbride: Unfortunately, the reason I have little budget now is that most of the original plumbing has to be redone. The drains are all old cast iron, and have degraded...there are lead pipes too. So, since they are replacing them, I figure that now would be the time to relocate. Thank you for your advice on "embracing the retro" and your link!

nosoccermom: I cant really remove the shower head, as its the only bath in the home. I LOVE your idea of glass, and will research it. Have to figure out how to seal it from moisture and how to make area where it meets tile waterproof.

Fori is not pleased: LOL!!!! I'm not pleased either! Thanks for the laugh and suggestion. I will def head over there once I have internet at the house, and am ready to make all the decorating decisions.polly929: I had considered having a company reglaze the tub & tile white, but the many opinions of keeping the original intact have made me reconsider. I am keeping the home, but am trying to fix it up to rent out for now.

bpathome: Thanks for sharing your experience. I was considering adding 4x4 tile above the existing, but someone else said it wouldn't look good and hearing your experience too really gives me pause. I agree that the glass sounds like a cool possibility, but I need to research the installation issues. Would wallpaper hold up in a shower??? Yes, I absolutely need to redo the floor. Its a pier and beam home, so I am avoiding any real tile. However, I have looked at black & white LVT alternatives in both the hex and penny.

jesshs: That is amazing! I cannot believe someone on here has actually had this tile! And its funny you mentioned grey....that is exactly the color I was thinking of going with on the walls! As far as paint on the shower walls, as I said above to kudzu9, we are planning to rent the home out and I worry about tenants taking the time to do that sort of maintenance. I want to go with something I don't have to worry about them taking care of.

cpartist: Another retro vote! I'm coming around :) The grout is yellowed, and missing in a few areas. I'm hoping there is a way to bring it back to white. I agree with you, and everyone else, about the grab bars, as well as the shower head. And so glad to get another grey vote! I am absolutely redoing the floor. Just haven't decided what would go best.

Again, THANK YOU everyone for your opinions and suggestions. Please, keep the ideas coming!

Oh! One other question.....for those voting "keep the retro", would you still keep the matching tiled counter??? Since its the only bathroom in the home, I was really hoping to install a new cabinet with double sinks but that would require a new countertop. Also, if I take out the tiled countertop, I would have original tile to use to replace the tiles drilled into for the grab bars.

Thanks!

I think pulling out the vanity, installing a double-sink vanity with a new top would make the bathroom more functional. Not necessary to keep the tile top. Perhaps the top could reflect the gray that you intend to use as a wall color. I love the existing tile in the other areas. Try cleaning it with tile cleaner, which may get rid of the yellow and then see if you can find a grout color that matches the existing. It would be easy to regrout the areas where grout is missing if you can match the color. You may be able to buy two tubes of grout and mix them together to get the color you need.

Diane

For a rental, I would look into getting a shower curtain set up for a clawfoot tub, kind of like this, but make sure that the whole wall is covered. You need to make sure that the shower head reaches over/into your "enclosure" and the wall is protected.

I wouldn't trust tenants to protect the wall and would get them the plain shower curtains/liners to go all the way around. They can get a pretty one for the front.

Maybe shower wall panels http://www.onyxcollection.com/shower-wall-panels.html

Below a link that includes discussion of materials one might use if there's no tile on a shower wall.

http://style-files.com/2008/11/28/no-tiles-in-the-bathroom/

The other question is what kind of wall you have there. Is it plaster,
drywall, any kind of water proof material? I mean even when you tile,
you can't just slap tile onto any old wall.

Has this shower really been used without adverse consequences on the wall? I'd seriously consider removing the shower head and adding a hand shower (no wall attachment).

I would carefully lift the tiles up from the counter and use them to replace the tiles where the grab bars are. Then as suggested get a pretty new vanity. There are wonderful granites that have lots of gray and the burgundy colors in your tile. I'm sure you could find a remnant in a stone yard.

Look on google as to how to rejuvenate grout or maybe one of the bath gurus will have some suggestions for you. Maybe post a separate thread asking how to fix yellowed grout. :) In the far reaches of my brain I'm remembering peroxide but don't quote me on that as I may be totally wrong.

realjoy-

Be aware that it may be hard to remove tiles intact from the countertop or to clean enough mortar off the backs without damage so you could reuse them. Also, it will take quite a bit of skill to remove the drilled tiles without damaging adjacent tiles or possibly cracking the wall behind them. You may get lucky...but you might consider the easier and safer route: leave the wall tile alone; remove the existing grab bars and replace them with chrome grab bars that have escutcheons big enough to hide the old drill holes.

If the tile counters are in good shape, I'd leave as is. At least you have more counter space that way.

Clean as much as possible, regrout or add thinner layer to freshen up, add shower curtain contraption, add a fancier shower head. maybe replace faucet or handles, and style with some accessories.

Rent.

Who are your potential tenants?

realjoy-

I doubt that you have lead water pipes. If you, did they probably wouldn't be corroded, although people living in the house would be suffering from lead poisoning! What you probably have are galvanized pipes, which do get internally corroded over time to the point that it reduces the water pressure. I used to own a house built in the early 50's; in the 90's I started progressively replacing the corroded galvanized over a several year period with copper. Just so you know: you do not necessarily have to replace all the piping in the house at one time.

Hi kudzu9,

Thanks for all of your advice so far! Sorry, I wasn't clear on the plumbing. The drains under the home are all cast iron, and have corroded. The various plumbers (for bids) & the home inspector also found lead drain pipes under the sinks that they recommend removing, even thought they aren't corroded. The incoming water lines are copper, but were soldered with lead. We don't yet know if the incoming water main is lead or not, until we dig. Also, the sewer pipe is old clay that is broken (been that way for many years). In addition, all of the gas lines are copper, which is against code, and since I need to install a new water heater, they will have to be replaced also to pass inspection. Oh, and my favorite was finding out why my grandmother always said "only do small loads in the laundry and only fill it half way because it will overflow"....evidently, the washing machine drain is old oil field pipe, which isn't large enough to handle all that water at once! Finding out about the plumbing, and costs involved, was a huge shock and really ruined my budgeted plans :(

No problem...just wanted to make sure you knew what you were dealing with. Although the solder for the copper may have lead in it, that is not a source of great exposure, and the pipes don't necessarily need to be replaced (although I'm sure some plumber would like the business!). You can deal with it by simply running the cold tap for a few seconds to flush out any minute traces of lead that may be present in water that has been sitting in the pipes overnight, and by not using the hot water to fill tea pots or other water you may boil (lead is more soluble in hotter water). Also, you can install lead filters on potable water taps in the house. I know for a fact that my house and probably a hundred million other ones in the U.S. have/had lead-containing solder in them. I used lead-free solder as I gradually replaced my corroded galvanized, but I didn't tear out any copper that had been previously installed. I just told my kids to run the taps like I explained above, and didn't worry.

Although I doubt that your incoming water main is lead, it is possible and that would be something I would replace right away if you do have it. Some water utilities have programs where they will help out with the cost if you have a lead main. You also don't need to replace functioning lead drains, at least right away, but you could. If you did, the main benefit would be to society since you would be putting a little less lead into the billions of gallons of sewer water in your area, but the difference you will make would not be able to be measured. If you are really concerned about lead in the house, it would also probably mean replacing all of your old faucets and taps because these used to be manufactured with lead content, too!

Please don't think I'm discouraging you from removing any lead or lead-containing plumbing from your house. I just want to give you some perspective so you can better decide what you should do first on a limited budget, since it does sound like you will have your hands full.