Turning your old bathroom into a luxurious retreat

I know, it’s pretty scary, I’ve seen it before. You walk into your bathroom and shudder. Is the old vinyl flooring peeling in places or are the floor tiles cracked and grout? Anyone can guess what color it used to be. What about the old green toilet? Have you ever seen one of those? Bathroom cabinets may be from the last century, okay, that’s an exaggeration, but hey, you know where I’m going with this, right? So you’ve been living with this for a while and your wife says she’s done, she’s going to start using the neighbors’ bathroom if you don’t do something soon. Let me help you get started.

There are many things you can do with a bath on your own, if you are comfortable with it. Before you start laying tile or anything I suggest you buy some books from your local home improvement store on how to do some of these things. It will save you a lot of time and mistakes. The first thing to think about is, do you have another bathroom in the house that can be used while you remodel this one? This plays a big role in how much demolition can be done and what your schedule will be. You don’t want to irritate your neighbors because you took everything out of your bathroom and you want to use theirs. You are now ready to go.

Talk to your wife about colors, tiles, sinks, cabinets, etc. that you would like to use. If you can’t decide with everything in the bathroom, and you have that other one, go ahead and bring out some aggression in your bathroom. Boot everything up, keeping in mind that you don’t want to damage all the walls, plumbing, or electricity at this point.

Now you are ready to choose your colors and materials. To turn your bathroom into a luxurious retreat, I recommend using natural colors. Look for nice colors like Behr Harvest Wheat or Tuscan Beige. For the floor I would opt for a natural stone such as travertine. Marble is a very nice choice, but you have to remember that it can get slippery when wet. You can also find ceramic or porcelain tiles that look like natural stone. The advantage of these is that they are easier to maintain. With natural stone tiles, you must seal the entire tile as well as the grout and use special cleaners to keep them sealed. When choosing cabinets, look for a wood or color that complements your choice of flooring. Dark Cherry or Mahogany look stunning with the lighter shades of travertine. Also choose a countertop material that will complement the colors as well. When looking at faucets, you can find an incredible variety of styles and designs that have matching towel racks and other bathroom accessories.

If you’re replacing lighting, you can also find complementary styles and colors. Tile your shower / tub stall with a tile similar to the floor. For example, let’s say you chose travertine for your floor. You can use flipped travertine in smaller sizes to tile your shower. Install a new low-flow toilet, new baseboard, paint, and you’re ready to add your personal faucets. Now you can put towels, trash cans, soaps, plaids, and whatever else you think will complement your look and you’re ready to enjoy your new bathroom retreat!