How should I redo my old bathroom?

12 years ago

I have been renovating a midcentury ranch in upstate NY, and have touched almost every room save this small bathroom. It's the only full bath in the house and it sure is pitiful.

WALLS
I was considering re-tiling, then looked into tile paint (less than desirable), and have now come to the conclusion that it would probably be cheapest to just remove this old tile and have painted sheetrock. Problem is, I have no idea how hard it is to remove these old tiles or what's underneath them.

FLOOR
The floor is also pretty ugly, but I'm not sure what to do about that. I'm thinking the only option is re-tiling.

TUB/SHOWER
I'm clueless here. The tub is in decent shape but the tile surround needs to be ripped and the shower head needs replacing. The plastic privacy pull curtain is going to be the first thing that gets trashed.

SINK/VANITY
This sink is very tiny and I'd like to spend a little money on getting something a little roomier. The light fixtures and mirror are also very much outdated and pretty sorry looking.

If anyone has any suggestions for color schemes/logistics or just basic decorating tips, I could really use them! Thanks to everyone here that has helped me out on my past projects!!

Featured Answer

Laurie

12 years ago

Unless you need the storage a pedestal sink would be nice as well and make your bathroom appear larger. If you don't want to replace the tile on the walls, I would inquire about maybe painting over them. Just replace the floor tile, I just heard about a tile that looks like a wood floor, which would be a nice solid look and then do the other updates after you get that all done. Those white surrounds would be a nice thought for the tub/shower area and replace that plastic curtain with a tempered glass shower door that would sit on top of the tub and slide to the one side. If you will be needing the medicine cabinet then maybe a mirrored one would look nice above the sink instead and then put some artwork of some sort above the toilet. Don't forget that darker colors tend to close in small spaces! So depending on what you do with the wall tile, any neutral colors or light shade of the gray or taupes would be perfect! Good luck with your project!

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Comments (6)

sdnick
Original Author
12 years ago
....and the shower.
PRO
Cinar Interiors, Inc.
12 years ago
More than likely the tiles on the walls were applied with mastic. There's a very good chance that you will tear up the sheet rock when removing the tile so be prepared to replace the sheet rock. To add some caricature to the walls why not have a faux paint job. (picture included to give idea)
For your floor you should look at porcelain tiles that mimic travertine. (pic included)
Shower walls can be the same tile as the floor or a lighter shade to help make that area pop. Add some decorative tiles as inserts or a border to add some pzazz. -- you can look at the "products" on houzz to get ideas for decos or borders. I will recommend finding a product that comes on a mesh that can be cut down with a knife vs a premade borders that can be expensive in the long run.
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PRO
Cinar Interiors, Inc.
12 years ago
Forgot to add the tile picture
sdnick
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions!
sdnick
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the input! I'm not as concerned about making the bathroom look bigger as I am about making the space functional. There's a lot of empty space that could be utilized but it's a bit of a weird layout. This being the main bathroom in a 3 BR house (the other bath is basically a closet with a toilet) I think the sink should have some counter space and storage if possible.

I agree that the space needs to be painted a light color and the medicine cabinet mirror that's currently installed needs a modern replacement.