Bathroom Breakthrough
Ok, so here’s a bathroom update that’s way overdue. This is what our bathroom looked like when we started this whole mini-overhaul in an attempt to salvage our vintage basketweave tile instead of demoing every last cracked and peeling corner of our bathroom (warning: this ain’t pretty):
Now for a few more slightly less than pleasant “during” shots in the spirit of sharing the semi-painful process. First, we cut out all the old caulk with a box-cutter (as captured in this tasty photo):
Then we did some serious tile cleaning with the 40% peroxide (purchased at a beauty supply store) that one of our readers recommended (thanks Gimbler!). After we let the peroxide soak in overnight, we scrubbed the heck outta the tiles the next morning and they definitely looked lighter and brighter. So it was on to the next step, which involved taping off all the places that we needed to re-caulk.
The painters tape was another fab tip from a perfectly helpful perfect stranger (thanks Mary!) which resulted in perfectly straight caulk lines that look much improved. The details: caulk, smooth caulk with finger, and quickly remove tape before caulk starts to set. Easy peasy.
Doesn’t less dingy tile and a clean caulk line make all the difference? It also should be noted that we purchased one replacement tile for the top right hand corner where the tub meets the tile (if you scroll up to the picture where we cut out the caulk, you’ll see that there’s a huge hole where a tile should be). We actually couldn’t find an exact match, but it’s really pretty close. Plus the fabric shower curtain hangs down completely obscuring the new caulk line and that tile anyway. But it sure is nice to know that when a guest pulls back the curtain there won’t be a hairy surprise waiting for them anymore.
We also used a little more caulk to totally overhaul our gross-ish drain. Since our tub was reglazed about 8 years ago by the previous owner, the glaze was perfect everywhere except for around the drain. Observe:
But caulk is like magic in a tube. Look at the difference a little ring of the stuff can make:
And while we were at it, the old bath and shower fixtures had seen better days. They were original to the house (51 years old) and the corroded knobs and leaky faucet just weren’t up to par anymore.
So we switched them. Well, by “we” I mean Mr Rooter. We tried doing it ourselves but the crazy old configuration of the pipes behind the wall made it necessary to call in the experts (who actually needed to use a diamond blade to cut through a 2-inch cement wall to access the old rusty pipes). We’re so glad we knew when to say uncle, because it took two experts over four solid hours to make the change. Luckily they quoted us a price before they discovered the cement wall.
When it came to new fixtures to install, the pickins were slim because we had to match the old three-across configuration of our prior faucets. But thankfully this cute retro-ish set ($136 from Home Depot) looks right at home in our black and white bathroom.
Burger loves the mini-bathroom-overhaul (see that happy gleam in his eyes?) and so do we. Mission Save-The-Basketweave accomplished. Thanks so much for all of your help!
Update: Alas, a few years of use later made it clear that our cracked and stained wall and floor tiles just couldn’t be saved (although the cleaning and caulking tips above definitely tided us over for a while). So we embarked on a full bathroom overhaul in late 2009. Here are those details.
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Comments
You two, and your site, are about the cutest I’ve ever seen! I can’t tell you how many hours of my work day I’ve spent on this blog since discovering it a week ago!! :/
I know you paid to have your tub facuet replaced. Did they have to cut into the tile, then retile after replacing? I’m dying to replace the faucet in my garden tub, but it’s mounted through the tub with tile wall on the outside…so there is no entrance for us.
Also, is switching out bathroom sink faucets fairly cut-and-dry if you match your new faucet to the existing holes?
Thanks so much for your help, inspiration and cheerful attitudes!
No way! There’s a “back entrance” to the fixtures in most homes, so they don’t have to cut the tile at all but can just remove this back panel (ours is in the nearby linen closet) to get to them from behind and switch them out. It should be relatively straightforward, just remember to hunt down a fixture with the same configuration (you can’t go from a three faucet set-up to a one lever fixture since there will be gaping holes left in the tile). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I have that EXACT bathroom, except my tile is the ugly pink and dark magenta! PLEASE HELP! What color can I paint the top portion of the bathroom where the tile ends…what goes with a 50’s style PINK bathroom!?
We like soft buttery yellows with pink for sort of a retro feeling. You can also temper the color with a nice sandy tan neutral tone (try Glidden’s Water Chestnut) to cut all that pink and make things feel a bit less girly and bright. Good luck!
xo,
s
Thank you for sharing the shower fixtures – I need to replace mine (along with the mirror/ lights). Have been told this “old style” is not to code. Need to find a plumber who knows how to replace these items w/o causing more damage. Any tips on finding a wise a plumber? Have you had to replace any vintage tiles?
We love sites like Angie’s List or Service Magic to find a well reputed, highly rated pro. And of course we love to get three or more estimates to meet with people and see how comfortable they make us feel. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Yup it’s really that easy! Just google around for “replacing a tile” and find a simple online tutorial or two for reference. It’s basically exactly as you described it, so you should have no problem taking it on. Hope it helps!
xo,
s