Yes, I'm bored. How can you tell?
I am, however, torn about the floor and the tub.
The tub was sprayed with a white acrylic and is now peeling in some places. It is otherwise a decent, heavy cast iron tub.
The floor is well-installed, but the material choice is a 2" white ceramic square with dingy old grout.
Here's the bathroom as is:
1960's vanity mirror and Hollywood lighting is inspiring. It inspires a remodel.
Acrylic coat peel number 1.
Peel number 2.
Formica...my exhusband's obnoxious brother.
The poorly chosen but well-installed tile floor.
Proposal?
Floor: Do I keep this floor or dig it up and put down carerra marble to match vanity countertop? Or do I keep it because it's white and secure?
Tub: Can I respray it? Leave it? Replace it? I really just wanted a face lift.
The inspiration was a super clearance on a vanity - originally $480, marked down to $80. There were 3 in stock, and in a single 20 minute period, they were gone. I saw it, went to a different aisle to get help from an employee, came back, and it was gone! Luckily, they had 2 more in stock. I snagged it and someone took the third 10 minutes after me. Poof! Carpe diem!
But now, I have a huge 37" cherry stained vanity sitting in my dining room, complete with a carerra marble counter top, pre-installed undermount sink, vintage style faucet...you get the picture.
Here's the new vanity:
Sigh...vintage style faucet in brushed chrome, complete with H and C on handles to nod better days.
Carerra marble top with pre-installed undermount sink. Carerra... a good name for my next daughter?
Solid wood, cherry stain (probably will paint white and change handles to glass knobs), with hidden storage drawers inside and blowdryer/curling iron hooks on door. This kind of sophistication and organization in the morning...I might even feel prettier!
So I'm committed now. It's no longer a whim or passing remodeler's fantasy. I now have to decide on at least the floor before installing the new vanity combo.
To frustrate my efforts, today I fell down the stairs and mildly sprained my knee and threw my back out. Ugh. This is also when I'm supposed to be getting stong and limber to do a routine with my potential new dance partner.
Is my body telling me to slow down? Does it know something I don't? I think I have Alien Design Syndrome (vs Alien Hand Syndrome). Parts of my body run away from me and I can't control the fact that I'm suddenly tiling and I don't quite know how I got there or how to stop it...
Truth is, I can't sleep well unless I've done something projecty and designy that day. Hours of HGTV doesn't cut it anymore. I need to move and create (hence my inability to resist a good vanity and postpone a bathroom remodel). Maybe I can just create storyboard design ideas for my house, a dozen plans for each space, and that will scratch the itch and prevent my implusive remodeling tendancies. I truly just go about my day, thinking dreaming, and then poof! I'm tiling and I'm confused. Like sleep walking.
Sleep tiling.
Help.
Me when it's midnight and I'm not sleeping because I'm dreaming about my unborn daughter Carerra...
(PS - no, I'm not pregnant.)
I'd respray the tub but replace the floor - a gorgeous marble vanity deserves a lovely floor too! (And it's hard to say without seeing it but I'm thinking little tiles wouldn't go very well with the vanity style I'm picturing...)
ReplyDeleteAnd then you can come tell me what to do about my curtains :) But I won't show you my bathrooms or you'll never sleep again ;)
I may rip up the tile and install new tile just so I can blog about it.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right: replacing the tile floor is the right way to go. This is not just because the vanity deserves it, but because replacing the floor is the hardest thing to fix in a bathroom once everything else is done. Imagine installing everything and having to take it out and reinstall it to redo the floor later. Grrr.
Charlotte, I really want to see your bathrooms now! But I'd be happy to just talk curtains. They make me happy.
I would vote for replacing the floor.. simply because, from the picture, it looks like it would be really difficult to keep clean (small tiles, etc.).Larger tiles would make it easier to swirl water through, or wipe down.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better and take care of your back.
Girish
Yep, I hate small tiles for precisely that reason. And once you've gone to the work of putting in a new vanity, it's going to be a much bigger obstacle to overcome to take it back out and replace the floor! Of course that's easy for me to say, since it's not my floor to redo ;)
ReplyDeleteYou can come see my bathrooms at book group in july, or, if I can tempt you with chocolate (for you) and shiny things (for Hazel), we can have a little playdate and talk shop. I'll have to try and take some pictures in the meantime. Basically, my downstairs windows are giant blank squares. Boooooring. The upstairs windows are small and cute, but we have short curved ceilings, and they''re giving me fits.
The blog background is from shabbyblogs.com. Very cute stuff :)
Chocolate, sparkleys, and curtains, oh my! I'm there.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with a giant, free standing claw foot bathtub and I have developed a passionate dislike for the bathtub/shower/sliding door thing. The bathtubs are often too small and shallow, the shower doors look grimy and they don't often slide well, and I am routinely too tall for the shower door (and I'm no giant, Steph, I'm sure you've experienced the same thing). However, I think its better to replace the tile now and redo the bathtub down the line. You can always save some extra tile in case the dimensions of the tub aren't the same. (Also, look for tile "bone-yards"--which can be at tile installers or even salvage places. Sometimes people over-buy tiles--just in case they break them--and then end up with extra, discounted tiles.)
ReplyDeleteMy Dad poses this question--What is under the original tile floor? If its particle board, its not a good substance to get wet and you might need to replace it. Before you tile, if you put wonderboard on the floor and greenboard on the walls they will protect the bathroom for very long time. Be sure to use a 35 year caulk when you seal the bathtub too.
You got a deal on a nice, solid vanity but I think that you can add personality to the bathroom by adding an interesting mirror, inventive storage, and lighting. This bathroom is budget but it has cool mirror and an open cabinet. http://www.bhg.com/decorating/room/bathroom/budget-bathroom-makeovers/?page=2.
I hope you feel better. Having been in the situation of having a bad knee (from falling) and a bad back (from a car accident), I sympathize.
Laura, the blog link didn't work.
ReplyDeleteThe mirror and lighting will certainly be addressed. I may consider going to Construction Junction for a tile search. But the tile sample I've been working with matches my vanity top perfectly... I hate masmatching marble.
Will find out what's underneath there soon enough, but will likely lay down new cement board regardless to ensure and flat/level surface. (Tell your dad hi for me!!! And Mom, too!)
35 year caulk? shouldn't caulk last 35 years anyway? That's a new one for me.
I love claw foot tubs, but for everyday use with kids, they sure spill a lot of water... hurumph. We still bathe Hazel in the claw foot on the third floor cuz we can reach her easier than between the shower doors.
Why am I not doing MY bathroom! Stupid guests, the things I do for you... ;P
how about ripping out the tub and building a walk-in shower with shower heads and jets spraying from two sides. for that you wouldn't need the whole width that was previously taken up by the tub. you could build in a dividing wall: on one side the shower and on the other side additional storage space like shelfs or a cupboard. the floor of the shower could be even with the rest of the floor of the room. i always thought that looks kind of dignified.(gosh, it would be so much easier to just draw a sketch)
ReplyDeletethat would be a lot of work, eh? :)
Kudos to the author for making such an excellent blog. It will certainly help many others.
ReplyDeletebathroom remodel
Wow, cool. Thanks Jessica!
ReplyDeletethanks for telling us the cleaning procedure, because this is usually very hectic for me to clean up..Frameless Shower Door
ReplyDelete