Help with Bathroom - PIPs

[mschanandlerbong]

I need some help with the master bath. It is incredibly ugly, but we're not at the point to redo it at this point, so its more how much lipstick can we put on this pig scenario. Currently it has a seashell sink, a beige toilet, a beige tub, and these wonderful brown-y/gold tiles. Oh, and how could I forget the carpet in front of the vanity. I will say, it has heat lamps, which I love, and the shower pressure is phenomenal. What would you do as far as paint, shower curtain, rugs, etc to make it feel a bit nicer?

Pics (sorry they're a little dark):

[mrs.jacinthe]

Wow. I'll be blunt: I don't know if there's enough lipstick in the world to disguise that pig.

That said, I'd probably accent with blue. Beige and blue go well together. Maybe a nice navy shower curtain? Also, I don't know what your budget is, but I'd try to scrape enough together for a piece of laminate from HD and a cheap drop-in sink. You can probably replace that sink/counter for ~$100 if you DIY.

Also, how well is that tile affixed to the tub area? I'd probably try to remove the tile and replaster (or SOMETHING) the part going up the side of the tub. But that could potentially end MUCH worse, so don't start that project until you're sure what's behind it and/or how well they're attached.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Also, I should be fair - the house we're buying has two pretty terrible bathrooms and we're not going to be doing major reno to them for a long while. So I'm totally understanding what you're dealing with.

[mschanandlerbong]

Jan 14, 2013 20:56:34 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Wow. I'll be blunt: I don't know if there's enough lipstick in the world to disguise that pig.

That said, I'd probably accent with blue. Beige and blue go well together. Maybe a nice navy shower curtain? Also, I don't know what your budget is, but I'd try to scrape enough together for a piece of laminate from HD and a cheap drop-in sink. You can probably replace that sink/counter for ~$100 if you DIY.

Also, how well is that tile affixed to the tub area? I'd probably try to remove the tile and replaster (or SOMETHING) the part going up the side of the tub. But that could potentially end MUCH worse, so don't start that project until you're sure what's behind it and/or how well they're attached.

I totally agree! I love the function of the bathroom, just not the looks. It's a complete cosmetic re-do that we'll probably tackle in a couple years, so I'm hesitant to do anything too big if we're just going to rip it out soon enough anyway.

It's pretty dark in there. Do you think an off-white or cream would work? Or is that just going to highlight the beige that is my toilet and tub? Right now it's almost camouflaged with the color on the walls. Maybe that was the previous owner's plan...

[housegeek]

Paint the walls, and get a white shower curtain. Frame out the builder mirror.

I would probably be safe and paint it a crisp glossy white. I think blue would be too much and other colors, even neutral grays would compete too much with the beige.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I like HG's suggestion of white for the walls.

[auntie]

The function of a MBath is to provide an invigorating shower. I can forgive horrid decor if the shower exfoliates with excellent water pressure.

The room is unlovely- I would be inclined to go full on "hotel". I'd refinish the vanity in a deep espresso and replace the builder landscape mirror with something smaller and framed.

LOL, my mother has that tub. It's not the prettiest vessel, but it is wonderful for a long, hot soak. I often retire there after the 4 hour drive to her summer place.

Repaint with a warm pale taupe and replace all the linens with textured clean whites.

[bunnymendelbaum]

I agree with auntie.

[Deleted]

I totally disagree with white paint and think auntie is onto something with taupe/blackish. I think the white just accentuates the beige-i-ness. This beige-y bathroom is nice:

[housegeek]

Juno, that bathroom Is also huge and has a ton of lighting. OPs does not.

[funnygirlglee]

I'm with Auntie.

[boiler717]

I would replace the countertop on the vanity, get a white shower curtain to hide the tile on the side of the tub, and do a smaller mirror with sconces on the side if possible.

[pitterwoo]

do you have other projects in this house to work on? I might just totally ignore this hot mess and focus my energy elsewhere and plan the reno.

Otherwise paint, stick tiles, and plain white shower curtain and towels.

[Blueper]

I also think that you should do an off white paint, once you put up a shower curtain the tub tile won't be as much of an eye sore. My upstairs bath has a similar color scheme going on, and I'll be painting it off white to emulate DIY Diva's bathroom.
www.flickr.com/photos/kitliz/5802579889/

[ssmjlm]

I would probably re-do the vanity top even in the meantime. Something pretty easy like this shouldn't cost a ton, but will help a lot.



www.betterafter.net/2009/11/much-redo.html

[FoxInFiji]

Jan 15, 2013 9:15:04 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

do you have other projects in this house to work on? I might just totally ignore this hot mess and focus my energy elsewhere and plan the reno.

Yup this is what we did with our avocado and goldenrod 70's bathrooms. Ignore, save our money for a real reno, and joke about visiting the time warp when friends are over. They were tiny yet functional so we focused our efforts on the things that really did need to be updated like the roof, mechanical systems, deferred maintenance items from the previous owner, and then got the bathroom overhauls.

[kitty]

I would replace the vanity top and the faucet (go widespread - it will look much nicer), "frame" the mirror (I've seen blogs where they just glue the molding right on), get a nice white waffle weave shower curtain, and paint the walls a soft blue.

[heliocentric]

I think just adding a nice shower curtain and a bath rug will hide a lot of the tiles and break up the visual so it's not so dark and overwhelming.

If you do any reno now, I'd try a new countertop and framing the mirror. I honestly wouldn't bother with much else since it seems like it's in decent shape, just dated.

[mschanandlerbong]

Thank you everyone for the responses. You've all given me some good ideas. I'll be sure to update after I've done some work in there.

[monicad]

Our house had two super ugly bathrooms; one had been updated in the 80's and the other was straight out of the 60's. I tried painting the vanities but the paint didn't hold up, so we replaced them with two from Lowes. I bought a plain white cultured marble top for the master bath and a piece of granite (with trim) from an outlet place. We switched out the lighting (I think I got the sconces in our master bath for about $12 each), the mirror in the hall bath, a new white framed mirror from Lowes for the hall bath, and a couple of new faucets. The showers are still old (master shower is the fugliest thing you've every seen) but they're hidden by shower curtains. Floors are still cheap vinyl but I'm hoping to put in tile this year.

Like you, we didn't want to spend too much but I can't stand bathrooms that have that old/smelly feel. KWIM? We didn't spend a whole lot, and it's nothing I'd cry over if we rip it out. Just doing those few things really made them feel a lot cleaner and newer.

[lys]

ditto auntie -- embrace the color that is there and go with it. Plain white shower curtain & towels. I have lived with worse than that in my life and as long as the bathroom functions - you can live with it while you save for an update.

[monicad]

Here are some before/after photos:

Master bath before:

Master bath after:


Hall bath before:


Hall bath after:


We did add new toilets (Kohler) which were a little pricey, but we figured we'd keep those even if we remodel. Again, we didn't spend much but it really made a difference. If you are strictly looking to just add accessories, I'd go with the other suggestions and stick with white/neutral colors and maybe add a new counter if you can do it.