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Looking for help/ideas with master bedroom shower stall update.

6 months ago

I have a master bedroom that had a partial update probably about 10 years ago. New vanity, countertop sinks, light,... The shower itself got a glass door and shower panel.

The tiles are all original, beige builder 6x6 porcelain. While not my choice, I don't hate them.

The shower would need rerouting. Also, I always wanted to remove that soffit on top which does not serve a purpose.

My idea was to retile the shower (possibly reuse the glass door if the hardware is still good)

The fiberglass shower pan is a bit of a curve-ball. I can't find the size (after accounting for tile, drywall). It might be that it got forced int there somehow.

On the one hand I don't mind such shower bases. I like the clean look and keeps things less busy. But would not mind looking into a tiled shower base idea.

My biggest concern is to not make things look too buys / mix&match.

What would you do? With possibly keeping the floor tile?




Comments (36)

  • 6 months ago
    last modified: 6 months ago

    that is the idea to gut the shower.... That is what I meant by retile

  • 6 months ago

    thanks for letting me know there is a duplicate. I don't know how. But will delete one

  • 6 months ago

    I'm a little confused here. It seems that you don't mind much of anything in your bathroom or shower but want to gut the shower because you don't like the soffit? If you painted your walls, ceiling, and soffit the same color the soffit would disappear. Problem solved. Wait to gut your shower until the next time you want to update much more of your bathroom.

  • 6 months ago

    Ok, change of plans. I want to retile floor, shower etc. Just keep the vanity with top, sink etc.


    I imagine with this counter and vanity a natural type of tone would be best for tile? Even a grey?

  • 6 months ago

    Personally I think the shower is the least offensive item in the room. Dated tub, awful sinks, tower that cuts counter space.....these are the items that I would be focusing on.

  • 6 months ago

    Agreed. Shower and floor tile are the nicest parts of this bathroom. If you like everything rlse, just leave it as is. Vanity looks very outdated and unattractive to me but if you love, who cares?


    I’d just select a different paint color for the room that males it feel more cohesive. The wall color and countertops are fighting each other.

  • 6 months ago

    Why do you want to change the shower? Do you want to make it bigger or just a different appearance?

  • 6 months ago

    Can you remove the part of countertop that extends into the tub area? That doesn’t look quite right. The shower area and floor tiles look fine enough to leave as is. I would remove that wall cabinet that is chopping up the mirror area.

  • 6 months ago

    Thank you all for your ideas.


    Here are some flow ups:

    @Wendy H:

    I believe that that tub-counter areas is hollow. So, it could be removed. Would require to cut or replace the quartz. Never liked that middle cabinet. Would need to find some space somewhere else or move it or replacement of it


    @apple_pie_order

    Main reasons: feels "old" - would need to reroute and possibly reglaze fiber base. Also, don't like that shower panel that is taking away space in a small area. If I removed the panel I would have screw holes to deal with. Similar, would lover to replace the basket in the corner with a niche. There is also an old (unused) soap holder tile. Not sure whether it would be feasible to remove some tiles and replace


    @Kendrah

    I do not like the paint color.... What would you recommend with current design?



  • PRO
    6 months ago

    Here's a visual of the small changes I would make.

    - paint the soffit to match the wall colour

    - replace the mat for a softer colour (not so stark)

    - replace the window covering with white

    - replace the bath towels from gray to white

    - place some tall decor at the end of the counter near the window


  • 6 months ago

    I like your vanity and if the sinks work for you , keep them.

    The shower looks to be 36X36, which if there was some way to enlarge it ,would make the shower redo worth it.

    If you removed the middle cabinet, you do just one long mirror over the vanity.

  • 6 months ago

    It is a ~40" x 32". Only wiggle room I have to make larger is 2-3" to move door more out.

    Everything else is adjacent to other rooms with no room to spare.



  • 6 months ago

    Get shower glass film that looks like frosted glass. No pattern. Once the shower doors are frosted, the soffit will make sense visually.

  • 6 months ago

    I could remove the sofit regardless. Granted, more works than putting a film on glass. This is almost something I could handle. Big challenge would be to figure new tile ending as current tiles got cut on top to fit.

  • 6 months ago

    Are you sure there aren't any ducts or whatever in that soffit?

  • 6 months ago
    last modified: 6 months ago

    Paint the front of the soffit the wall color.

  • 6 months ago
    last modified: 6 months ago

    Thanks for info. In this case, replacing the shower with a newly tiled one could result in a big mismatch between bright and shiny new shower and older fixtures - "the shower from Mars" effect. I would save up for a complete remodel with new tub. If you love the vanity, it could work with a new countertop with new sinks that don't poke up.

    In the meantime, a beautiful rug, new towels, and a trio of blooming orchids would spiff up the room. As tracefloyd says, paint the front of the soffit with the wall color.

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  • 6 months ago

    New paint colors: start with priming the walls with two coats of white primer. Then consider white paint (trendy with black countertops), classic sky blue paint or individualistic coral-to-salmon paint on walls. A "creamsicle" combination of vanilla and light orange would also be dramatic.


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  • 6 months ago

    Google "terracotta" for a new fashionable color for 2025. Flip through the photos at The Company Store, Frontgate or Restoration Hardware for inspiration.


  • 6 months ago

    would those colors work with my exiting vanity, counter and the beige tile?

  • 6 months ago

    The colors that work well depend a lot on the lighting and existing colors. That's why painting over exisitng colors with white primer is a good idea: no green reflections in this case. It's also why changing your lighting (or light bulbs) before finalizing your paint choices is a good idea. You can buy a fan deck of paint chips from your local dealer, usually under $50, which will give you a quick way to narrow down the choices to half a dozen. Then order samples at Samplize or pick up a sample pot or two at your local store.

  • 6 months ago

    I’d find a paint color closet to your wall tile. Paint all trim, walls, soffit, and ceiling this color. With this fresh new back drop, focus on grey/black accents that relate to your countertop.


    Remove the middle vanity tower, get one large mirror. Keep your vanity light. Hang a picture to the left of your vanity. Pick a nice window covering, get grey/black towel rods, and handsome masculine vibe towels and shower rug.

  • 6 months ago

    The frosted shower glass is so you can't see shower tile. Voila.

  • PRO
    6 months ago

    Kendrah has a good suggestion in simply repainting the room. I would choose a warm white that is in the same tones as your tiles and paint everything in that colour (matte or eggshell for the walls and satin for the wood trim). Replace your mirror, vanity light, and window treatment and complete the decor with black accessories and bath towels.



  • 6 months ago

    thank you. regarding that "warm white". Will this be war white towards brown given the beige tiles, brown countertop, oak vanity?

  • PRO
    6 months ago

    It's impossible to tell precise colour on a computer screen as each screen shows colours differently. However, here are a few warm whites that you can look at to see how they coordinate with your tiles. It has to be in the same colour tone but I would choose a lighter shade than the tiles.



  • 6 months ago

    As mentioned, you'll want to find out if there's anything hiding in the shower soffit, there's obviously a light there. I can imagine the soffit may have been put there to better contain the warmth while showering and not have the warm air escape over the top so much.

  • 6 months ago

    @jackowskib. A while back I removed the inside can and pushed into the soffit and then used my cell to take pictures and look around. I could not find anything.

    My hypothesis was that the trusses above would have prevented to install the can centered in the shower. Given all the LED disc options that will no longer be a concern.


    Did not think about "containing warmth"



  • 5 months ago

    Thank you all. I am in the process of implementing the suggestions.


    I have one question regarding the mirrors/removing the middle cabinet between mirrors. I believe that I need some of that space. What are your thoughts on using two shallow medicine cabinets as mirror replacement (and remove existing wall cabinet)?

    There are not that many choices. I found one that is very simplistic:

    https://www.kohler.com/en/products/mirrors-and-medicine-cabinets/shop-mirrors-and-medicine-cabinets/maxstow-15-w-x-24-h-medicine-cabinet-81144?skuId=81144-DA1&gQT=2

    Frankly, I preferred one with a nice slim frame.




  • PRO
    5 months ago

    The medicine cabinet you show seems to be too small. You have the option of buying a large triple cabinet such as below available in different sizes and frame finishes...


    https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/winston-porter-chouchanik-recessed-and-surface-framed-3-door-medicine-cabinet-with-mirror-and-shelves-w100322901.html?piid=1196920670%2C1196920665

  • PRO
    5 months ago

    You can have 2 and install 3 sconces something like this (not necessarily the shown sconces);



  • 5 months ago

    @lisedv. that would like great as well. But I can't or don't want to the electrical changes as this wall is a firewall between two townhomes... In this scenario how bad woudla n on-top light bar look like?

  • PRO
    5 months ago
    last modified: 5 months ago

    With only 2 mirrored medicine cabinets...



  • 5 months ago

    I think that type of linear fixture would work.

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