10 Pretty Bathroom Features

  Now that my bathroom has been featured on Remodelaholic and Inside-Out Design- it's famous!! 
Just kidding:)
I've received a lot of questions about the decorative items and paint colors. So I've decided to write this post about the finishing touches- the pretty stuff.


1: The art.

This is leftover Piero Fornesseti wallpaper from our walk-in closet. It was very pricey so I wanted to be sure to make use of every last piece. I simple wallpapered a masonite/hard board (it's the same material as pegboard but with no holes) purchased at Reno Depot for $8. Then added the trim which is the same trim used on the walls (approximately $15). We nailed (using finishing nails) the whole thing to the wall so that it's tight against the wall. 

2. The light switch cover:

The light switch cover was collected from a friend's renovation. It was goldish in color and I sprayed it black.

3. The soap dish:

I couldn't find a soap dish I felt would pop in the room- and they were wall so pricey! And then I thought of using these sushi dishes. I purchased them in Montreal's Chinatown for about $3 each.

4. Useful little cups:

There are the matching saki cups. I use them for q-tips and cotton pads.

5. The light fixture:

This is the best find yet! I rented a dumpster to empty out the shed- which was a hoarder's paradise. I looked through a box and found some of our home's original light fixtures. Again, it was gold and I sprayed it black. My husband and I love chandelier medallions. This one is so pretty and simple. 

6. The Kleenex box:

This was an original feature of the bathroom and we kept it. It was the only thing that made it back into the bathroom. Again, I sprayed it black.

7. The sconce:

From a friend's renovation. Also, sprayed black.  A black spray can is like a little black dress. Always have one on hand:)

 8. Towel storage basket:

This black leather basket holds the extra towels. It was purchase at Home Sense for $20.

9. The storage cabinet:

Purchased at Home Sense for $100. The drawers are actually clear but I didn't like that the mess was visible (visible in the next image). So I purchased some dressy paper, cut it to size and slipped it behind the glass. Much prettier.

10. The mirrors:

The mirrors are from a store called Zone located on St. Denis boul. in Montreal. They were pricey $150 each. But they make the room shine!

Also, many have asked about the wall color. It's called Silver Strand from Behr. The ceiling and trim is painted Little Dipper from Behr.


Check out a previous post about the larger bathroom items (sinks, tub, tile, etc.).

Please don't hesitate to comment and ask questions!


Smiles,
Nancy

Mainfloor Bathroon Reveal!

THE REVEAL!!!

The sconce was a generous gift from friends who renovated their home and were kind enough to give into my pleas for their light fixtures. It was originally gold in color and I sprayed it black.

This was an original feature of the bathroom and we kept it. It was the only thing that made it back into the bathroom. Again, I sprayed it black.

Black leather basket used to keep some extra towels on hand. I drape the towels over the tub instead of having a towel rack.

The inlay that took sooo long to complete!

Now, in case you forgot how the original bathroom looked, here it is:

See previous posts about this transformation:
Goodbye pink bathroom
Inspiration and choices
Hard at work


I uploaded this transformation to DIY network's rate my space and I currently have a 4.3/5. Not too bad:)


Also, I received an email from DIY network and they might feature a short segment on my bathroom transformation!!!! Super excited!!!


Nancy


Linking to:

Mainfloor Bathroom Renovation: hard at work!

Once all our shopping and demolition was done, we got to work rebuilding the bathroom. This took us, no joke, almost 5 months. We worked on it mainly on weekends and also during the Christmas holidays (on Christmas eve, day and new years eve and day we worked on the bathroom!).   


Regarding design and layout there were many changes. We removed a linen closet from the hallway and a bedroom closet to expand the bathroom. We installed a separate shower and bathtub, heated floors under the marble tiles, double pedestal sinks, and much more.


Here are some of the steps we took: 

Cement board was placed on the floor- better than plywood for a bathroom because it's mold resistant.
Click here for detailed installation instructions.

Then the gyprock (plasterboard- walls) was installed and the moldings followed by plaster work. In a bathroom use mold resistant gyp since there is a lot of moisture. Click here for gyp installation instructions and see this site for plastering tips.

Hard at work sanding the plaster. Notice the forced smile:)

We went with the Schluter Shower System, which was actually very easy for DIYers. Very important to properly prepare your shower since it is exposed to water.

Tiling the shower. If you are using natural stone you'll need to rent a wet saw. We rented it at Home Depot.

A thin coat of thinset should be placed over the heated floor wires.

Notice my pants-I'm just a tad bit messy when tiling the floor:)
The location of the inset is key. In our case, it needed to be lined up with the door and not the center of the room. It honestly took me almost two hours before I placed the first tile since the room isn't square and the inlay isn't centered in the room. Tony kept saying "Please, just lay the damn tile!" 
Tip: use thinset that is the same color as the grout that you intend to use. In case it seeps between the tile it won't show once grouted.

 

Here is a list of what we did:

Demolition, framing, soundproofing (Roxul and resilient channels) putting up gyp and concrete board, Schluder shower system, wall and crown moldings, installation of heated floor, tiling the floor and shower, painting, made the wallpaper art, sealed the tiles, and all the other little stuff! 

 What we didn't do was plumbing and electrical- these are best left to the professionals.

Next blog- the reveal!

Nancy

Goodbye pink bathroom: renovating our mainfloor bathroom

Last week I blogged about our first renovation project in 2007 which was the basement bathroom. We waited 3 years before we decided to jump into renovating our main floor bathroom. We knew the cost would be sky high and the work would be crazy!

Let me first show you what the bathroom looked like:

Could there be any more pink in this room???

I am very well aware of the Save the Pink Bathroom movement and after seeing the site I actually, to my husbands horror, thought of how I could make it work. Also, the historian in me felt that the 1960s bathroom belonged in a museum and that it would be a shame to get rid of it. BUT, it was in such bad condition that it was honestly gross! It looks a lot better in the pictures. There was sooo much mold in the grout of the walls and floors. There were silver fish (humidity bugs) crawling in the flooring (nasty!). The cabinetry was falling apart. The tub was permanently dirty. And much of the plumbing needed to be changed. So the demolition began in October 2010.


The night before the demo, dressed in my most 1960s inspired outfit with my pets in hand, I enjoyed posing in my Mamie Pink bathroom.

 

And two days later it looked like this:

And so the rebuilding process began. Notice my forced smile- this is heavy work! But luckily I have my pink steel-toe construction shoes to keep me stylish. It took us almost 5 months to put it back together. 

Check back soon as I describe the rebuilding process.

Nancy

Part 2: project #​1 bathroom renovation

Yesterday's blog chronicled the demolition and rebuilding of our basement bathroom- our first renovation project. The work was done by my father, husband and myself. Our budget was very itty bitty- I was a PhD student at the time so just imagine the finances!


Once the necessary but not so pretty work was done (gyp rock, plumbing, etc.), the exciting part began (tiling, sink and toilet, yes the toilet is exciting!).

My father installing the shower base and tiles.When buying a pre-made shower base, make sure it is a solid fiberglass base. Otherwise it's bouncy and susceptible to cracking.

Boxes and boxes of tiles. Heavy, very heavy!

Tiling the shower in a brick pattern. We went with a classic 12x12 marble tile for the floor and shower. I really like the color variations in the tile: brown, gray, blue, red, etc.

Tip: when choosing tiles for your bathroom my suggestion is to pick something classic that will not look dated ten years from now. Some classics are 12x12 square tiles and subway tiles, classic colors such as whites, grays, creams, are great. You can always pick modern paint colors for the walls or hang some funky art, but tiles are difficult, expensive and messy to change. 



The Reveal:

Clean, classic and pretty. I love it!

The clear glass shower door allows the beauty of marble tile to shine. I love the simplicity.

Not much I can say about the toilet- it works! I have a small basket of toilet paper in the corner- a must. Also you can see that there's a bamboo rug in front of the shower. I don't know why but I have an aversion to actual rugs in bathrooms. There are many nice ones out there but it's not for me.

The mirror is a brushed nickle finish with a beaded trim. Above is the light fixture and it has a painted rose pattern on it. I believe it is original to the house. It's quirky but I like it. The only thing is that the metal plate is bronze so I need to spray it either black or a nickle finish.  

The pedestal sink was the perfect choice for this tight space. I'm a believer that the more storage you have, the more stuff you buy and keep. I did place a storage cabinet above the toilet (see first reveal image above) but the cabinet is practically empty. It's a second bathroom after all. The trash can and soap dispenser are made of travertine.

Total Cost: approximately $4000-  not bad, eh?




Smiles,
Nancy

Amateurs at work: project #​1 bathroom renovation

The first renovation project we delved into was the basement bathroom. It was the first room to "fall apart." What fell apart was the sink plumbing. You're probably saying "sink plumbing can easily be changed for a few dollars, no need to renovate the whole bathroom." You're right. BUT, the sink cabinet was really dingy and used. Also the shower drain had been clogged since the bathroom was renovated in the late 1970s. During the previous renovation, cement fell in the drain so the shower wasn't usable. Funny isn't it??


So we tore the bathroom apart. Not really sure of how to put it back together!!! With help from my father and youtube (lots of great how-to videos) we were able to put it back together.


Before I show you the renovation process let me show you two examples of what the bathroom looked like (since I don't have a before picture).

1. The toilet, sink and shower were in one non-partitioned room. Very convenient for those who wish to poop on the bowl and shower at the same time. Image from poop report.

2. The tile in our bathroom looked similar to this one but with some flowery tiles sporadically placed.
Image from Ugly House Photos

Here are some images of the renovation process:

The walls of blue flowery tiles were completely removed. On the other side of the cinder block wall is our garage.

This is the exterior wall. The black liner is the 1964 version of insulation. 
Amateur mistake #​1: We weren't thinking about insulation at the time so we did not add to it. Big mistake! The heater works overtime in winter.

Tony jack hammering the cement so as to change the  clogged shower plumbing. 
Amateur mistake #​2: We first tried breaking the cement with a small sledge hammer. Such amateurs!!

In this image you can see the old floor tiles. They were actually very nice, but we raised the bathroom floor since it was 6 inches lower than the rest of the basement floor which made for as very odd step.

Rotting plumbing. This was completely changed.

Heavy, very heavy!
Amateur mistake #​3: We didn't get a dumpster so we ended up filling about 40 cardboard boxes of trash and it took two weeks to get all the boxes out of the garage.

The floor was raised to a more even level with the rest of the basement using cement.

We used cement board on the shower walls because it's mold resistant. Highly recommended.

 Tony hard at work as he muds and sands the walls. We used moisture resistant drywall. Highly recommended.

In tomorrow's blog I'll cover the finishings chosen for the bathroom (tile, shower, sink, etc.). See you then!

Smiles,
Nancy