Cheap Bathroom Makeover

Read article : Cheap Bathroom Makeover

I need help with a cheap bathroom makeover. We're buying a house where the main bathroom has pink floor tile and fixtures, pink and gray wallpaper, and lots of gray wall tile (halfway up the wall all around and all the way to the ceiling around the tub). The tub even has the glass doors etched with swans and cattails. In short, the house was built in 1962 and the bathroom has not been touched since.

I love vessel sinks, but can't figure out how to do that big of an update with such a dated color scheme. I'm open to changing the tile, but not in the short term because of the cost. Ideas?
GG

Cheap? Maybe It's a Retro Bathroom!

My advice would be if the bath is in good condition and functional, live with it as it is. First, consider how much time we spend in our bathrooms. Usually we're not there that much. Second, styles come and go. Many people these days are "updating" their newer baths in the "retro" style of the 1950s and 1960s. You already have what a lot of people want, and you don't have to pay for it! (Check out Craigslist for sale and wanted postings for "retro," "midcentury," "vintage," and "1960s" if you don't believe me.) Enjoy your retro bath and save your money.
HRH

Bathroom Sink photo from Shutterstock

"Art Deco" Ambience Provides Cheap Makeover

I would suggest using some black accents and trying for a retro "Art Deco" type of ambience in the room. You could cover one wall with a black and white vinyl "peel and stick" type blowup of James Dean or a Toulouse-Lautrec poster. Add black or pearlized accent pieces like soap dishes, lotion dispensers, baskets or dishes for soaps and rolled washcloths. Have fun with the project!
Kimberly

Removing Shower Doors Part of Bathroom Makeover

Remove the wallpaper and paint. You can paint ceramic tile if you follow good instructions closely. I believe my bathroom had the same shower doors! I removed them, removed the railings (which are disgusting and collect mold!), and filled in the holes. I use a shower curtain and they are a great way to give color to a bathroom. Plus they are much more sanitary. Just throw them in the wash! Even if you don't replace the vanity, you can paint it. After you do it on the cheap, save up and replace what you can when you can. It will get there eventually.
Fred

Hiding Ugly Parts = Cheap Update

I, too, bought an old house and needed to hide the ugly parts until I could afford to remodel. I chose paint. I had mustard tiles with mushrooms here and there and an olive green tub, toilet and sink. I was broke and couldn't afford to change anything right away.

I used a palm sander and fine sandpaper to buff all the tiles, even in the shower. I used a mold deterrent additive in a can of gloss white latex, and I painted every thing but the floor. I used the same additive in the primer. I used cheap stick on tiles that I got at a sale to cover the old floor temporarily. I updated some of the small things like the faucet and the toilet paper holder, and towel holder when I found them at yard sales. I re-pasted some falling wallpaper, and painted over that too. That was easier and cheaper than removing it. I even painted the ceiling, so it all looked clean.

I bought towels and accessories that incorporated the color of the green tub, toilet and sink. I spent very little money. My bathroom and I got along like that for more than five years. I saved up for a remodel and have redone it as I would have liked with cash saved.
Ally A. in Lake Worth, FL

Some Love Vintage Color Schemes!

Personally, I would be over the moon to luck out with a house with an untouched mid-century bathroom! And I know that there are a lot of others out there like me who value that vintage color scheme. Perhaps GG could post an ad on the Craigslist within a couple of hours distance from her home offering (in essence) her bathroom for sale. The buyer would pay for and remove everything like the fixtures, tiles, etc., leaving (in theory) GG with money to replace the old fixtures. If GG does have a little money to redo her bath and can only find someone who will remove the items (but is unwilling to pay for the items), then this could create an empty space ready for new tiles, fixtures, etc. that she's found inexpensively at, say, a Habitat for Humanity home store. In any event, please advise GG to visit savethepinkbathrooms.com for decorating ideas!
Amy

Glaze Over Tiles

I've seen the designers on HGTV hire tile glazers who come in and spray over the existing tiles. I'm not sure how durable glazing would be on the tub, sink, or around the shower, but they do it. I'd glaze all your tiles white, strip the wallpaper, and paint the walls a neutral color. Cover the pink floor with bath rugs and use interesting wall art or black and white photographs to draw the eye up from the floor. Replacing the shower door might run you $500 or more, depending on where you live, but could be a dramatic update. Or have the door removed and use a "spa" type curtain instead.
Angie

Teach Yourself to Tile

The quickest and cheapest way to redo any room is to start with paint. In the bathroom, you will likely want to use semi-gloss or gloss paint, which will be easy to clean and resist moisture.

Remove the dated wallpaper and choose a color that coordinates with the gray and pink tile. If the bathroom tends to be dark, consider the lightest color that will work, which will brighten the room. I personally love the look of "nude" or very light gray paint. These are peaceful, restful colors that will not fight the colored tiles.

You can remove the tub doors and replace them with an updated bowed shower rod and modern curtain or with more modern doors, coordinating with your color scheme.

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As you think of your color scheme, look around at vessel sinks. Even if this purchase is some time off, you will want to have a style and color in mind. Perhaps you can have one constructed that would incorporate the same color scheme, thereby turning the dated look into a modern one. Be aware, however, that some types of vessel sinks can be etched by minerals in hard water, turning a lovely sink into a nightmare in a relatively short time.

Finally, consider whether you can retile yourself. A large part of the cost of tiling is in the labor. There are many videos online and books in the library that can teach you how to tile. Using stock tile can also reduce costs. For example, I was able to tile my kitchen for less money than a good vinyl floor would have cost. At the same time, I was able to find floor tile and countertops that worked with backsplash tiles already installed, thereby saving me the work and expense of replacing these as well.
Barbara in CTTake the Next Step: Looking for great deals on all your home decorating needs? Overstock.com is the answer! Could spending 5 minutes reading a newsletter twice a week save you time and money every day? Dollar Stretcher Tips readers think so. Subscribe and find out how many ideas stretch your day and your dollar! Subscribers get a copy of our ebook Little Luxuries: 130 Ways to Live Better...For Less for FREE. For more on how to update a bathroom, please visit The Dollar Stretcher Library . For more information on installing tiles Share your thoughts about this article with the editor

Best Shower Heads for Men and Women, Modern Bathroom Design and Decor

Read article : Best Shower Heads for Men and Women, Modern Bathroom Design and Decor

Colorful shower heads

Shower heads add a final touch to bathroom design and personalize the functional rooms. Men and women have differences in shower rituals, and they want different shower heads also. Lushome collection demonstrates latest trends in shower head design and includes the most advanced, beautiful and stylish shower head ideas to help create modern bathroom design which is comfortable and pleasant for both, men and women.

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Showering for women is all about pampering, beauty and relaxation. Shower head designs for women need to provide variety and stimulate senses. The best shower head design for women offers pleasure and gentle care for their body. Men needs functional shower head design. Men want to get in and get out of the shower as fast as they can. Shower head design for men can be plain and simple.

Men like functional design, so most of them prefer a shower head that creates a blast of water to get their body clean as soon as possible. The words blaster, shooter or acupuncture will describe the best shower head design for men. Simple contemporary design with a masculine feel is a great option for men.

25 modern shower designs and glass enclosures, modern bathroom design trends

Unique and contemporary shower head design inspired by grater, modern bathroom design

Modern shower heads for men and women

Modern shower design and decor ideas

Women prefer a shower head that provides a gentle stream of water, creating a soothing and pleasing experience. Water saving shower heads are great for women bathroom design where the water just has enough force to hit the middle of the shower. Too much pressure or heavy shower heads feel uncomfortable, but the soft water stream of water-saving shower head designs, creates a soothing and calming effect and adds comfort to modern bathroom design for women.

A variety of settings that help women feel pampered and enjoy the shower experience are not needed in shower head design for men. Women prefer settings similar to tropical rainfall, summer mist, cascading waterfall, spring drizzle and all other romantic and pleasant settings. Men do not want gentle settings.  gentle settings, but they want to be able to increase water pressure. Contemporary shower head design in minimalist style

The best shower head design for women provide complete relaxation, so massage settings that provide varying degrees of relaxation are great for women shower heads. Although men like those massage settings also, they like them for a different reason – to increase water pressure. A shower head that can produces high water pressure is the best for men bathroom design.

Cascade outdoor shower design in elegant minimalist style

Lampshade shower head design idea reinventing bathroom lighting

Women really like when their shower head design compliments bathroom decor. Men care much less about the look of their shower head design, as long as it works providing high water pressure for masculine shower design. Colorful shower heads

Men and women want in a shower head various, but different things. If you have separate his and her showers in the house, you can select and install the best shower head in each bathroom. If you share a shower with your partner, then find and install a contemporary shower head that has many features and settings to please both of you. Contemporary shower head designs with different settings and massage regimes improve modern bathroom design and create the best shower experience for men and women. Medusa shower headHG Raindance shower designLuxury shower design idea with waterfall shower headContemporary rain drop shower head design and bathroom lightingModern shower head design and pipes in retro style

  by Ena Russ   
  last updated: 08.06.2014

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Make a splash with a new bathroom

Read article : Make a splash with a new bathroom

Things are getting personal in the bathroom... Gabrielle Fagan reveals three key looks to make a style splash

THERE'S a new wave of styles washing over bathrooms. The tide's turning against the predictable, and embracing a more go-with-the-flow approach means you can mix-and-match furniture and fittings to conjure a space that perfectly suits your taste, as well as your practical needs, whether it's a spa-like haven, a functional family room, or a contemporary wet room.

As designers become more adventurous, sophistication, glamour and individuality rule. And it's easy to achieve a 'wow' factor, thanks to state-of-the-art technology - think TVs, sound systems and light and water shows in the shower - sculptural sanitary ware, and even stunning waterproof wallpaper now vying with tiles for attention.

"The traditional bathroom suite has become outdated and there's a desire for the space to become customised, with people seeing it as a room where they can display individual pieces, as they would art," says Leanne Martin, head of product at Sottini.

"A strong industrial trend is coming through, with steel-effect wall-hung cabinets complemented by sleek brassware and fresh white walls for an efficient, sleek look. Bathroom units raised off the floor, increasing visible floor space, to create an illusion of a larger room, are starring, and a particularly striking 'floating' effect can be achieved, with wall-hung, chunky, unsupported slabs in gloss or wood grain, and slim, curved vessel basins on top."

Soak up inspiration from these latest bathroom looks...

DRAMA ZONE

"If you don't want to reach out and touch the walls, you're not doing it right for 2017. Bathrooms no longer mean matching tiles as far as the eye can see - as a nation, we've become experimental with wall finishes and shrugged off the constraints of the white bathroom tile," says Martin.

"Industrial concrete walls are being paired with textured wallpapers, while tile effects are being created using countless different sizes, shapes, prints and texture options. Even a retro wood finish has made a comeback for a Scandi-chic style statement, and for the really bold, vertical green, living walls, to give a lush 3D impact you can't beat!"

Water, she points out, is a feature in itself. "It's not enough that it drains down a plughole any more. It's all about the spectacle of how it falls in a waterfall-like sheet from a height and disappears out of sight into concealed drainage."

LOOK OUT FOR: Mirrors with sensor controlled lighting and de-misting, as well as inbuilt functions linked to music systems, TVs and phones.

TAP INTO STYLE: Wall&Deco's waterproof 'wall papers' include a gorgeous 'Inner Forest' and 'Converatory' (Pictured above) - which looks like a lush tropical landscape - design, from £156 per square metre, West One Bathrooms (www.westonebathrooms.com). Alternatively, make an impact with a monochrome Diver Wall Mural, from £10.63, Purlfrost (www.purlfrost.com).

Sottini's range has bang-on-trend pieces, including a free-standing Ombrone Totem Washbasin, £1,190.25 (pictured below); a Bonamico 70cm Square Vessel Washbasin, £341.55, or a bowl-shape Pioto Vessel Washbasin, £160.43. Achieve that 'floating' effect with a sleek Ippari Console, £546.48. (www.sottini.co.uk).

If you really want to splash the cash for celebrity style, Touched Interiors is the destination to visit: Brass And Gold Plated Black High Gloss Bubbles Bathtub, £29,310, and a Polished Brass And Mirrored Free-standing Washbasin, £14,770 (www.touchedinteriors.co.uk).

For period style, look no further than Heritage Bathrooms, which has a Madeira Cast Iron Double Ended Bath, from £3,750, and an Abingdon Basin & Washstand in Rose Gold, from £495 (www.heritagebathrooms.com).

SERENE SANCTUARY

"The bathroom isn't purely about functionality, or a clinical environment any more. It's a sanctuary that needs as much design consideration as a living room," says Daniel Cook, principal development designer at C.P. Hart.

"It's all about subtle elegance and a beautiful harmony of shades with less 'pops' of colour. Muted consistent tones, such as taupes and greys for furniture and sanitary ware, are increasingly popular colour choices. There's a move beyond white and glazed surfaces and a significant increase in pastel shades of pinks and blues."

LOOK OUT FOR: A refined industrial trend with brushed finish brassware, matt finishes for ceramics, as well as silk/satin glass finishes.

TAP INTO STYLE: Key into colour with Italian-designed items from the Cielo Ceramica I Catini range: Blue Washbasin (pictured below), from £1,580, C.P.Hart (www.cphart.co.uk).

Laufen's slim units in gold would impress: Gold Kartell All Saints Mirror, £504.62 and Rifly Pendant Lamp, £335.27; Boutique Dark Oak Vanity Unit, £1,522.50.

MAKE A SPLASH

"From cars to holidays, and clothing to furniture, customisation is one of the fastest growing consumer trends," says Jayne Barnes, managing director, AQATA.

"The discerning bathroom buyer now wants not only a highly engineered luxury shower enclosure or screen, handmade to fit their space, but also a completely individual customised design to bring their own character and personality into the bathroom. Home trends are being reflected in bathrooms with diverse colours, patterns and textures making their mark.

"Today's shower should incorporate these essential features: easy access (walk-in wet rooms are perfect for this), spacious enclosures and a steam function, as well as power showers and body jets to cater for comfort and wellbeing, and distinctive personal touches."

LOOK OUT FOR: Larger showers as they're being given more space in either a bathroom or bedroom, plus frameless enclosures featuring coloured or tinted glass.

TAP INTO STYLE: AQATA's frameless Spectra Enclosure SP448, from £1,561 (pictured below), and Linneal Shower LNP241, £1,300 (for stockists, visit www.aqata.co.uk). Alternatively, Merlyn Showering has a Twin Panelled Double Shower Enclosure, from £345 per panel (www.merlynshowering.com).

Our new house in Palatine, Illinois

Read article : Our new house in Palatine, Illinois

You guys, remember when I said that I wasn't going to settle on our new house this time?  Well, maybe I didn't say that on this blog, but I definitely did in real life.  Turns out we are buying exactly what I didn't want....a raised ranch with the annoying double stairway going up and down right after walking in the front door. 

Not to mention the downward sloping driveway with garage under the home.  And the hideous front door, paneling, and oaky railings. 

BUT, the house is very large and we just couldn't pass up the living space here.  The main (upper) level is over 1500 sq ft, has four good sized bedrooms, a master bath and a main bath, and a large living room. 

The kitchen is TINY and while it's 'updated' I pretty much hate it.  The maple cabinets, the enormous soffit with can lighting above the sink, the speckled granite, the stone backsplash....I would love to rip it all out and start over, but we can't do that. 

There is only three drawers in the entire kitchen, so we are going to use the L-shaped eat in area for more cabinetry instead.  I struggle with this because with kids, I love a place to eat in the kitchen...but the dining room is right there, so I don't think we'd miss it. 

The kitchen door walks out to a decent sized deck. 

Our grill and patio table will fit nicely here.  I don't typically like raised decks because there is no privacy, but there are ways to help that and I plan to get creative!  The backyard is also nice and big.

 We plan to fence in this side of the yard.

And I'm not sure what we will do to cover the awful chain link and white vinyl on this side.  We might ask the neighbors in back of us if we can remove the vinyl and replace with wood, since the only fence on their property is this little piece. 

The great thing is that this house was built in 1967 and has original hardwood floors under the carpet throughout the main level. 

The main bathroom is also original, with blue tub, retro floor and wall tile, and swirly shell counter tops. 

I am really happy that this bathroom is original, because it means I can do what I want in here when we have the funds.  For now, I plan to just paint the vanity, remove the silly brass shower doors, and work with the tile. 

I just can't escape the seashell sinks.  Since this bathroom has no window, I'm hoping to add a skylight or solar tube at some point. 

The secondary bedrooms are all 10x13, which feels so much bigger than the 9x11 rooms we have in our current house. 

I actually love the wood wall in this room! 

However, this fake paneling is gone. 

The master has two windows which I love, but only two average closets, so I'm a little worried about losing my walk in.  I'm thinking of ways to incorporate more storage into the other rooms for all my stuff.

The master bath is totally not my style and impossibly tiny, but it's much better than not having one. 

Luckily, the shower is bigger than our current one, and the window is amazing compared to our current dark master bath. 

The lower level family room is huge, and I love that it has three large windows and doesn't feel like a basement. 

We plan to rip out all the paneling and ceiling in this room so we can add recessed lighting and new drywall.  Since the carpet is in good shape, we will have to be careful to cover that up while we work.  There is also really nice original wood parquet down here and a cool little dry bar that I forgot to photograph. 

Also down here, a large laundry room with window, laundry tub and storage.  And a half bath with a window!

And another bedroom with two windows. 

Check out that sweet carpet and gun cabinet!  For now, this room is going to be a storage area because we are losing our large crawl space and bigger garage with rafters.  Lucky for us, the attic in this house is large and actually usable once we take care of some ventilation and accessibility issues.  Before we move in, we are having all the hardwoods refinished, all the trim replaced, and possibly a new railing installed.

And we will try to remove as much of the paneling as possible, everything is so much easier when you don't have your furniture in the way.  I don't have any great photos of the railing, but I really hate it.  I don't want to try to update it with the traditional white spindles/stained handrail because I don't feel it fits in this retro style house. 

No thanks.   

I'm hoping to install a simple metal railing with wood top like one of these:

I also like the wrought iron without any wood.  It just has to be simple and fit the era of the house.

 One reason I want to replace the railing right away is because I'm not sure how our floor guy will refinish the floors around the existing one.  I am just not sure we can afford a new one at this point.  We also have to replace the rusty ugly outdoor railing at some point. 

So, that is the house.  We do have some major issues to take care of right away.  The main chimney pipe is corroded and needs to be replaced.  The electrical is 50 amp service with a ton of questionable DIY work that is not to code.  The bathroom sinks and tub all are missing the pop up drain mechanism so we can't even stop the water.  The master bath toilet is not attached properly to the floor.  Several outlets are wired incorrectly and the list goes on.  Luckily, the sellers have agreed to a 3k credit to cover some of these issues.  We close on September 3, so I will keep you posted as soon as we get in there and get to work!