Kitchen and Bath Renovation | Bathroom Reno’s General
Mar 29
Today we really want to focus on bathrooms, and we have quite a few questions that were even sent in. This might actually stimulate some ideas for your own bathrooms. You might be sitting at home thinking, “I really want to change this. What could it look like?” So I’m just going to show you a few before-and-afters that I think are really neat.
Clear Glass Shower Enclosure
There was a drywall shower at the end, which closed off the space, so it would be nicer if we could open it up. So what we did is take out the drywall shower and put in a nice clear glass shower enclosure, and by doing that, it opened up the space a lot. Even the tight little vanity, which is only 18 inches, got put in again, but with a nice quartz top. And, of course, lighting it up by lighting up the floor even lightened up the space a lot.
Elegant Powder Room and Soaker Tub
This next one was really interesting. She already had a shower in another bathroom, and what she wanted to do was make this bathroom, which was on her main floor, into something almost like an elegant powder room/soaker tub room. So she said, “I don’t want a shower, just a regular tub or a beautiful freestanding tub.” So what she did is we went with a 54-inch tub, and there aren’t a lot of 54-inch tubs out there now, but I think they’re becoming more popular. Accent wall with the chandelier really showcased that whole bathroom and made it very elegant.
Floral Wallpaper and Carpeted Bathrooms
Now this next one is a huge difference, as you can see by the floral wallpaper that was way back in the ’80s. Even the carpeted bathrooms, there are still a few of them out there, and they had such a huge space. I said, “Let’s move the vanity to where the toilet is, and let’s put the shower over to where the vanity wall is and leave that one wall that actually has the window. Just leave it open.” So by pulling this all out, taking down the partial, like the interior walls where the shower was, and opening it right up, they completely changed this bathroom.
It’s much more elegant, and it’s got a little bit of rustic vinyl flooring and cultured marble walls with the bench seat 2 tone there, and then built a little niche for her towels, as well as a really unique wallpaper that got put in there. And a lot of people often think when you put up wallpaper that it’s an old style like this floral one, but you can get some really interesting textures like grass and brick and stone. So this one came out very nice in the end, and I just wanted to add.
Grounding the Tub with Paneling
In this scenario, this bathroom here, she kept her tub, but I said, “This is such a large space, and it just looks like it’s floating that tub. Let’s try to ground it by putting in some paneling,” and that’s what we did. We did some custom paneling to mimic exactly what they had on the tub as it was, and just doing, like sometimes, a little DIY project that can really spruce up a bathroom and especially an on-site like that makes it very elegant.
Ensuites: One Sink or Two?
My customers will say, “Should we do two sinks or should we do one sink? What do people look for when it comes to buying a home, when it comes to an ensuite? Do you have any input on that?” You know, it’s all dependent on the buyers and what their needs are. Everybody differs.
And some people don’t have a lot of room to keep a second sink.
They would rather have that counter space because their husband goes in after when the wife goes in or whatever it is, and she needs that counter space for her makeup. So sometimes that works out a little bit better. So, I kind of say it’s a personal preference thing, and also just check with your real estate agent if you’re going to be selling in a while, see what they say.
Every area, I think, is a little bit different as to the demographics for real estate. So I just kind of defer to you professionals in that instance.
Again, it’s going to depend on the size of the bathroom and if it makes sense to have the second sink, the price of the home, and you know, it always comes down to the buyers and what their needs are for the house, of course.
Paneling for Classic Elegance
Some people do beadboard, but I find that square frame paneling gives it more of a classic elegance, especially for suites. When a space feels so big like that, and honestly, in that case, the toilet was just kind of swimming off to the side. It worked out better to ground it with a little bit of paneling sometimes. Some people will use something different, but I prefer paneling. It looks slightly more elegant, but sometimes people paint it differently and add a chair rail. I prefer solid paneling as it gives a little bit more, I guess you could say, classiness.
Protecting Wallpaper with Quartz Backsplash
So, with wallpaper being behind the sink, would someone have to worry about it possibly bubbling or having to remove it and change it up in a couple of years? In this design, we actually did have a quartz backsplash that went up against the wallpaper. I think it was about a four-inch quartz backsplash. So, that’s going to protect against that kind of lower splash. That’s the only time the water will really get up there, but there was also a fan in the bathroom, so we made sure it was a really strong fan.
Because with bathroom fans, you want to think about what’s called CFM, which is cubic feet per minute of the air that it sucks up, and there is an equation. You could probably Google it to find out how much CFM you need for your fan based on the size of your bathroom. This one had to be one of the largest sizes just because I knew from that shower it’s so big, and a lot of steam will be coming out. We want to make sure there’s not a lot of moisture.
Cost-Effective Wallpaper vs. Tile
A roll of wallpaper and the cost difference between that and the tile. We had thought about tile at one point; we even thought about taking the same flooring, which was a vinyl flooring that looked like a barn board, and carrying it up the wall, which can be done as well. But it gets a little bit more costly that way. Whereas, a roll of wallpaper for that 110-foot section wasn’t that bad, and we also happen to carry that wallpaper into behind the shelving as well, just to kind of give it an effect like almost the two exterior walls had brick, which is a great segue into our questions because I know we have a question right off the bat about should I tile or should I do a tub surround. So I’m going to go ahead and pop the question up.
Choosing Between a New Tub Surround and Tiling Shower Walls
With her existing bathtub and walls, should she go for a new tub surround, or should she tile the shower walls? Which is better? My answer to that basically is it’s a personal preference as both are good, and both cost-wise aren’t that different. It all depends on the kind of tile that you choose or the solid walls that you choose for your tub surround.
Options for Tub Surrounds
So if you look to the first one, which is to the left, here it says the solid material, one-piece walls like cultured marble have no grout, and they’re very durable, much more durable than what I call those thin-walled tub surrounds that are available at big box stores. So what I recommend is something that’s thicker than those really flimsy ones. So you could do stone, you could do quartz, you can do cultured marble, which is much more cost-friendly.
And then, there are a lot of new products actually coming out on the market now that you can kind of cut on-site and put in, and they’re panelings that are basically waterproof. So those allow you to just wipe it down very easily and clean and neat. However, the installer just has to cut it to fit that room specifically.
Considerations for Tiling Shower Walls
The other option is tiling the shower walls. Tiles come in a variety of materials such as ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone. They also come in different sizes and shapes, allowing for a lot of customization. One important thing to consider is the grout lines between the tiles, which can be harder to clean and maintain than a solid tub surround. However, tiles offer more flexibility if you want to make changes in the future, such as moving or adding grab bars. If you drill through a tile, you can take it out and replace it if needed. But with a one-piece tub surround, any holes made in the walls are permanent.
Large Format Wall Tiles
The other picture there shows a large-format wall tile like a porcelain tile. If you do a large format, which basically means 12 by 24 or 24 by 24, then you have fewer grout lines. It also adds a little bit more texture with seeing the grout lines, but that way, you can still get the large solid look.
Waterproof Backer Board
The only thing is the backer board that has to go behind the tile has to be waterproof. We use the Schluter Kerdi board, which is the Orange Board, that you might see at the big box stores, and that being waterproof, you don’t have to worry about it leaking through the tile or the grout into the walls. So those cost a little bit more, but the tiles are probably less, whereas the cultured marble sheets cost more.
Personal Preference Situation
But you don’t need a waterproof drywall behind it, just need to cut their regular basic green board, and it’s a little easier to install for the guys, but the sheets cost a little bit more. So, it’s kind of one half dozen to the other. So, I say it’s a personal preference situation. You’re not really saving any money by doing a tub surround.
Choosing the Right Tub Surround for Your Bathroom
It would be about the same price as what you’re saying if you’re doing what I call a thin-wall tub surround; they are less expensive. I’ll be honest, they are less expensive than both of these cases, but they’re not going to be as durable for the long run. And when I mean thin wall, I mean like you can take it, and you can kind of move it back and forth, and it’s called ABS walls. So, if you do that, there are companies out there that go over the top of existing tubs, but if you have a water issue behind your tile now, you’re still going to have it when you put a tub surround, like basically the walls over the top of a tub, or you tear that out and put thin walls up. It’s just not as waterproof as a solid surface like cultured marble or quartz or stone or these new composites that are coming out. They’re much more waterproof. If it’s installed correctly, you could probably get at least 20 years out of these. If it’s done well and it’s completely sealed, it’s pretty much ongoing.
The Importance of a Waterproof Surface
Now you’ll see a shower in the background, that’s actually a reflection in the mirror behind the vanity. So it’s not the shower behind the vanity, but it’s just a reflection on the other wall. So what I see here is I had a couple of ideas.
Choosing the Right Tub Surround for Your Bathroom
It would be about the same price as what you’re saying if you’re doing what I call a thin-wall tub surround; they are less expensive. I’ll be honest, they are less expensive than both of these cases, but they’re not going to be as durable for the long run. And when I mean thin wall, I mean like you can take it, and you can kind of move it back and forth, and it’s called ABS walls.
So, if you do that, there are companies out there that go over the top of existing tubs, but if you have a water issue behind your tile now, you’re still going to have it when you put a tub surround, like basically the walls over the top of a tub, or you tear that out and put thin walls up. It’s just not as waterproof as a solid surface like cultured marble or quartz or stone or these new composites that are coming out. They’re much more waterproof. If it’s installed correctly, you could probably get at least 20 years out of these. If it’s done well and it’s completely sealed, it’s pretty much ongoing.
Design Tips for a Modern Bathroom
A vanity with dark cabinet handles or pulls will help to give a little bit more visual weight. A marble-like quartz countertop will make it look quite rich. So a floating vanity also opens up the space, so I’m thinking she could go for something a little bit lighter and put some dark handles in there. It just kind of helps to give it a modern grounded look. If she wants to do floating, she can, but not a lot of people are doing that just for the sake of making sure it’s nice and secure against the wall, especially with the quartz. This picture here shows someone that was put in wall to wall, so there are supports on either side as well.
Shower Design Ideas
The other thought for her shower is, instead of having a little lines on the shower doors, most people are going for clear glass shower doors, and a NEO angle with clear glass will help to open up the room quite a bit. You can really showcase whatever you put on the wall, whether it’s tile, like this picture here. If you want to do the solid walls, you could do that too.
But these pre-sized combos, I call them, 36 by 36? There are also 32 by 32, these are kind of standard sizes. The companies price these pre-packaged sizes much better than if you’re doing something custom. So if somebody’s budget-conscious, it’s just easier to keep to prefab sizes because there’s a lot more variety available. There are a lot of companies that offer shower doors and shower bases at extremely good prices, and they’re constantly having promos on. So if you have a preset size, it works to your advantage usually.
Transforming a Basement Bathroom: Ideas for Making the Shower Feel More Open
This is their basement bathroom, and in this basement bathroom, can the shower be changed up to make it feel more open? And my answer is, of course, yes.
Drywalled-in Shower
This is what I call a drywalled-in shower. So it’s like walking into a little closet. By taking that wall down and opening up the space with a clear glass shower door, there are a couple of options. There are these seated bases that you can get nowadays if you want to put a seat in there, whether you know you want to sit down. But a lot of us women need a footrest to shave our legs, so you have to think about that. Whether it’s a bar that you just put your foot up on or a full seat like this.
But the seated bases are also great for seniors, and in this case, this was for a senior couple that wanted to have a base with the seat, and this one came with the pivot door so she could go with something like that. It would be a flip for her because her toilets are on the right now, and this, in this case, has the cultured marble walls, which should give it a very clean look.
Tiled Shower Floor
The other option is to tile her floor, shower floor. In this second picture, you can see that the floor has been tiled with tiny little hexes, and there’s a little curb that gets made, and the glass shower door which is usually a pretty precise one, wall to wall, can go in and again open up that space. So that would be my suggestion for the final question is to open it up that way.
I also want to mention, and sometimes seats don’t always have to be built-in. If you look at that picture, you’ll see there’s a little corner seat which this customer picked up. I think it was like Bed Bath and Beyond or something like that, but if it’s made of teak, it’s waterproof, so you can put it right in the shower, and it was a cute little seat that she wanted a freestanding one because I may not want it in there all the time. So there are lots of options for getting all your accessories in there.
Is a Bathtub Necessary in a Bathroom Renovation?
Many people who are renovating their bathrooms often question the necessity of having a bathtub. They have seen various types of tubs, such as corner tubs, big soaker tubs, and ensuites, being used as storage units for kids’ toys and other items. As a result, some homeowners decide to forego the tub altogether, preferring instead to have a great shower experience.
The Appeal of a Great Shower
Homeowners who prefer showers over bathtubs often ask if it’s okay to omit the tub from their bathroom renovation plans. While it may not be a problem for them, it could be a concern for potential buyers, especially those with children who need a bathtub. Thus, it’s essential to have at least one bathroom with a tub, preferably the one designated for the kids to bathe in.
Options for Bathtub Installation
For those who still want a bathtub in their bathroom renovation, there are many options available to make it look elegant and functional. Glass sliding doors, called tub shields, can be used instead of curtains or shower curtains, and they can even swing out of the way to allow parents to lean over and bathe their children without hindrance. Classic built-in tubs are also a popular option that can look stylish and timeless.
Conclusion
While the decision to include a bathtub in a bathroom renovation ultimately depends on personal preference, it’s essential to consider the needs of potential future buyers. At least one bathroom with a tub is necessary, preferably in the children’s designated bathroom. With many options available, it’s easy to make a bathtub look elegant and functional, even for those who prefer showers.
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