We started renovating the bathroom today. It’s not going to get a complete makeover, just the floor, toilet and all the accessories. The walls have tile from floor to ceiling, which we aren’t touching. The tub is a spa tub that is not going anywhere, and the vanity is in perfect shape that we are only changing the hardware. (We’ll see about the vanity, paint is not out of the realm of possibility)
We moved into this house 6 1/2 years ago and I love it. It’s a typical ranch, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, kitchen, living room, dining room. We changed the floor plan a bit to suit our family, and it is great. The master bedroom and the spare bedroom are decent size, but the third one is small. We use it as an office. The biggest part of this house is the living space. The dining room, living room and kitchen intertwine to make one large comfortable space.
When we were house hunting, my husband and I looked at quite a few houses, in lots of different neighborhoods. It was amazing how many houses we saw that were run down, out dated and just not cared for. Our wish list wasn’t big. A 3 bedroom ranch, at least 1/2 acre of land, good area, but most of all, we didn’t want to re-do the entire house. The most important thing was that the house didn’t need any major renovations. As you can imagine, when we found this house, we knew it was the house for us.
This house was so appealing because it was perfect. There was nothing that had to be done. It was truly move-in ready, or so we thought. The first thing we did was replace the flooring in the dining room. We made the dining room into what was originally the living room. It had white carpet, which quickly turned into a disaster. There is nothing compatible between a white carpet and two dogs and six grand kids. So, as you an imagine, it was quickly replaced with gorgeous slate tile. We also took down a stone wall with mirrors from the largest wall in the dining room that looked like it could have be in an Italian restaurant. That was an enormous job, but it had to be done. The 2 bedrooms were also re-done. They were girls bedrooms, now one is an office and the other one is a guest bedroom.
So, now it’s time for the bathroom. Soon after we moved in, some of the tiles around the toilet cracked. Last year, so many tiles had broken that I had to keep a very large rug over the floor at all times. We had no idea what it was since the bathroom is on the slab of the house.
My thoughts were going wild thinking of all the possibilities. Burst pipes, cracked foundation, rodents, I pictured each horrible scenario in my mind as well as the enormous cost for repair. The day had finally come when the floor would be unveiled. The first couple of tiles came up and all I saw was concrete. This was not what I pictured. As we took up more and more tiles, we found that the tiles were put down on top of the original tiles that were put in the house in 1975 by the builder.
What we found is that the toilet was leaking and the water was going between both sets of tiles. It had loosened the white tiles from the blue ones which is why the tiles were coming up and cracking.
We took up both sets of tile and removed the toilet. Everything was cleaned up and left it for 2 days to see if there is any other water. Thankfully, there wasn’t. The seal around the toilet looked like it had been there for an eternity. Bullet dodged on this one.
This is the original tile that was in the bathroom. I never really cared for it. I always thought that the floor needed to be darker.
These are the old blue tiles that we found beneath the white ones.
This is a better picture of the old blue tiles. These tiles were put into houses by the builders in the 70’s.
Wow, what a difference. I damp mopped this floor to get up the rest of the dust. I already like the darker color.
I picked out a great tile. It has the look of wood and is 6×24 instead of the usual 12×12 or 12×18.
The tile and toilet will be installed this week, so now I have to decide on the vanity. It is a custom size for this room, so I don’t want to replace it. I was thinking about painting the bottom of it a country green or blue, and leaving the top white. The walls are going to stay the same. I love the tile and the look of the bathroom with all the tile work. I want to incorporate real wood accents into the room. Wood drawer knobs and cabinet pulls and towel bars.
As soon as the tile is in, I will update you.
March 5
Ok, the tile and the toilet have both been installed. The tile is absolutely stunning. I am so glad we picked this one.
I picked a grout that was very similar in color to the tile. I wanted it to look as close to a wood floor as possible and didn’t want lighter or darker lines around each tile.
Now that I see this tile with the walls and vanity, I have decided not to paint the vanity. I’m going to leave it white. I’ve been looking and looking for a shower curtain without any luck, so I’m thinking that I will have to sew the one I have in my mind. It shouldn’t be very difficult, I want it to be a combination of burlap and lace.
The knobs on the vanity will be replaced (not sure with what) and I will get some tan and white accessories to go on top. I checked out the selection at Bed Bath & Beyond, and they have plenty to choose from.
So, there is is. Color coordinated towels and all. I still have to replace the knobs on the vanity, which I will pick up this week. I love projects like this that come together fast and easy. I had an idea of what I wanted and was able to find, or make everything to make the bathroom look exactly as I pictured it. And best of all, it only took 2 weeks to complete. 
