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kelly_tooley27

Kids bathroom help

2 years ago

This is the bathroom for my two boys and it's my least favorite room in our new house. Aside from the fact that the color palette is all brown and the vanity is outdated and rotting, the layout is not functional. The door opens in and blocks the bathtub making it super cramped when giving the kids baths. The sink/vanity is hard to access with more than one person in the room. Would switching the door to swing out instead of in solve this problem? A pocket door would be ideal but there's electrical in the walls. Would the layout be better if we moved the vanity to the wall next to the toilet (obviously, replacing it with a smaller one)? And then switching the door to swing into the space the vanity is now? We're on a small budget and hoping to do this ourselves so that may rule out moving the vanity. For aesthetics, I'm considering painting the tub/tile white and giving the walls some color. Possibly painting the floors too. We are new to DIY so the simpler the better. Any input is appreciated!




Comments (8)

  • 2 years ago

    Switch the door to open out. Get a new white vanity. Paint the walls , medicine cabinet, and ceiling a crisp white. The floors and shower tile are neutral enough to leave as is. (Tile paint is super toxic and might not stand up well.) Have the boys pick out a shower curtain they love. It is easy enough to change as they grow.








  • 2 years ago

    I agree with the other commenters about not trying to paint the tile. Painting the walls will change the look substantially, and if the vanity is rotting, surely you need to replace that. A shower curtain will improve the appearance of the room as well. While a lighter wall color would be an improvement, I would be careful when choosing a white. There are a lot of different shades of white. Make sure you choose one that will go with the tile. It probably won't be one with a blue undertone. The tile looks a little pink in the picture. But pictures can be deceptive as far as colors, so I can't tell you exactly which color will work. You may want to look at off whites.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Moving a smaller vanity to wall next to toilet not a good idea- plumbing already in place plus heat vent right there. Impossible to easily clean around toilet. You have two boys! Door opening out, new vanity, over door towel rack so towels aren’t directly above toilet, take out wicker shelf, and more fun paint color will be perfect solution.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    IMO bathroom doors should always swing out it just makes sense if you fall and block the door it will need to taken off to help you So change the door direstion the replace what needs replacing . BTW I had 3 boys the rule in our house was if you want to pee standing up you also get to clean the bathroom even my husband followed the rule . Ther eis no reason for men to pee standing up in a home ever .

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Some quick and easy steps to take while considering the excellent suggestions above:

    Remove the outer shower curtain to reduce crowding. If no one takes a shower in the tub because the kids are still taking baths, you can remove the shower curtain altogether. Put it up again when they are old enough or if you have guests using the shower.

    Replace the wicker shelf with a towel bar ($25) at kid-friendly height (about the same height as the vanity) to the left of the vanity. Put a plain wood shelf ($25-$50) above it to store whatever is on the wicker.

    Remove the towel holder from the back of the door once you have installed a new towel bar to the left of the vanity. It will remove the annoying flopping and crowding of the towel.

    Hang the artwork over the new towel bar and shelf or hang it over the current wicker shelf.

  • 2 years ago

    If you want to see if experienced DIYers think the vanity can be salvaged, please add brightly lit photos showing the water damage and rot. Sometimes things can be fixed, sometimes it's time to replace them.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Save your money and redo the bathroom when you can. That vanity is too large for the space. If I was re-designing, I'd get a smaller vanity and put the toilet in the corner on the same wall as the sink.