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selphydeg

Master bathroom remodel suggestion

selphydeg
11 years ago

Hi everyone, I am in the process of designing my master bathroom renovation. I spend several hours looking at fixtures, tubs, tiles, and now I have a headache. I am not as excited about this because I don't really know what I want. I just had my kitchen remodeled and I had a pretty good idea what kind of material I want to use and what I want it to look like and bathroom remodel is definitely harder for me.

I talked with a general contractor who has lots of experience remodeling bathrooms, and he wants me to pick the following in order to give me an estimate of the remodel

Tile on shower walls and floor
Tile around tub (most likely the same as shower walls)
Flooring
Shower valve
vanity faucets
vanity
vanity counter top

I like modern and clean line, but not too modern that it looks like a museum. I know I want to use ceramic or porcelain tile. We have hard water here. I really hate cleaning grout lines, so I am thinking using large tiles with less grout to clean.

The old bathroom is about 12 years old. Standard 5 piece bathroom with double vanity, soaking tub, toilet, and separate shower. Everything is builder basic, 4 by 4 white tiles, ugly vanity with some water damage on the side, cheap fiberglass soaking tub, shower pan with some visible hairline cracks, and cheap chrome fixtures. I attached a picture so you can get an idea. I think the layout is fine, and I do want to save money by not moving around the plumbing sand electric wirings. I am mostly looking for idea on tiles and vanity.

Lastly, correct me if I am wrong. Is it very expensive to do quartz vanity top because they always want you to buy it by the slab?

Thanks in advance.

Comments (12)

  • selphydeg
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Oops, here is the picture of my master bath now.

  • treasuretheday
    11 years ago

    My first suggestion for people looking for inspiration is always a visit (or many) to houzz.com where there are hundreds of thousands of photos of finished rooms. You can save the photos you like to an Ideabook with comments about what caught your eye about the room. You'll probably find that certain styles, colors and materials repeating themselves in the photos you save. That would be a basis for the choices that you would make.

    I tend to choose one element (tile, granite/quartz, backsplash,) first that will be the "star" of the room and then decide on the other materials to coordinate. Because I like to keep my options open, I don't commit to any of them until I've decided on all of them. We've had custom vanities made so I never felt pressured to find "the one" early in the process. The fixtures and faucets are easier to choose because by then there is a clear style for the room. That's just me, many people choose and buy as they go with great success.

    Is your GC quoting labor only or including an allowance for materials? We've acted as our own GCs in two large bath renos so that allowed us to shop for our own deals on materials.

    We chose a quartz for our guest/son's bath renovation and found that it was only available to us by the slab which would have put it way out of our budget. I was able to get names of fabricators who had previously purchased the quartz that we wanted. I called all of them and found one that still had a remnant that would work for us. We got an 85" vanity with two sink cut-outs, backsplash, threshold, and two niche shelves installed for $950.

    Hope this helps... good luck!

    Here is a link that might be useful: [houzz contemporary baths[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bath-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_711~s_2103)

  • marys235
    11 years ago

    I would recommend looking for a remnant you like for the vanity, and then going from there to find tile and other elements that tie into the vanity top. I was able to find a very pretty granite remnant, and for $420, got a 72" vanity top, installed with one sink cut-out (I did a mosaic tile backsplash). A fabricator who works with quartz will have quartz remnants. I was pretty open on what I wanted, so I just went through the remnant room and picked out something I liked. If you want something specific, it's probably harder to find a remnant, but all it takes is a few phone calls to find out.

  • lillo
    11 years ago

    I know what you are going through because I am in this same situation now. I would add that I have to pick up a tub on top of what you have. Don't laugh, but I started with the towels . I got from Frontgate the colors that I wanted and I had them monogrammed . I have the bath mates too . I chose the glass tile that had both colors in it . I want my bathroom clean looking too, so I am going with honed Carrara marble on the floor . For the counter tops and the tub deck my GC suggested the cultured Calcutta marble, he is raving about it . He suggested using it in the shower too as a slab , so low maintenance for cleaning with no grout lines . I could use the glass tile in between two slabs to give an accent . I don't know if I helped you or not , but believe me I have your headache because after I chose the Moen faucets, I found out that some parts like the handheld shower head is plastic , and I hate that. Now I am in the quest for an all metal faucets for sinks , bathtub, and shower. Any suggestions ???

  • selphydeg
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi Lillo, marble is very beautiful and classy, but I am afraid it would be hard to clean. We have hard water here and the easiest and cheapest way to clean the hardwater is with some vinegar, which is not marble friendly.

    Have you look at something a little bit more expensive than Moen? I saw Hansa and Hansgrohe in Pacific Sales the other day and they are a little more expensive than Moen, if you just stick with basic features. The Hansa looked really sleek and beautiful.

  • lillo
    11 years ago

    You can consider the cultured marble like the Calcutta or the imitation on ceramic . I found the tiles at lowes and they a dollar each , not the glossy one is good for the floor . I just went yesterday to the tile shop, we have one that opened recently next to us, and they have a lot accents glass tiles or mosaic that you can pick in your favorite color . Did you go on houzz site ? There are very nice bathrooms that you can get some ideas from . Press on the ask in the bottom of the picture it has some interesting answers to what you see in the picture such as sizes and color of walls. Is the hansa American brand ? I want to stick with something that I can get get spare parts to easily. Thank for your suggestion and good luck with your bathroom . I will start mine second week of May . Let me know what you chose.

  • selphydeg
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I think Hansa is German. http://www.hansaamerica.net/

  • lascatx
    11 years ago

    My existing bath is cultured marble and I hope never to live with it again after I rip this bathroom out. It has pitted; it has stained; it has discolored and it doesn't fool anyone. Kompy posted photos of her updated white and aqua bath with the new Silestone. I saw it in a showroom a couple of weeks ago, and it is the nearest thing I've seen to actual marble. If you don't want marble, look at the new Silestone. I have marble in my kitchen and love it, but I'd consider the Silestone for another room.

  • phiwwy
    11 years ago

    Exactly what treasuretheday said - but with one other suggestion: decide on your color scheme first.

    Do you want a neutral bathroom (ie browns or grays)? Or do you want some color (green, blue?)

    Personally I like to pick either the counter material (but since you're going for contemporary you may have a solid color, i.e. caesarstone or silestone perhaps) OR the shower accent tile first, then build around that.

    Have you decided on a color scheme?

  • lillo
    11 years ago

    I think I am going to go with the Jado faucets, they are German too . I like their Wynd 818 collection . It has a roping in it which copies the roping in my vanity sconces that I like from Crystorama , their Paris flea market collection . I don't know anything about Jado , I hope they turn out to be good quality and reliable . I don't know whether to use glass tile or a marble mosaic as an accent running horizontally through the bathroom . I wanted to use basket weave on the floor, but my husband think that it is too busy . What do you think . Any progress in your project ? My colors are white marble and glass tile or mosaic, sea foam green with slate blue . My bath mats are sea foam green., towels white , green and blue . I am thinking the wall will be a very light greenish blueish color . The vanity is cherry wood whith a chocolate glaze. Floors and shower Carrara or Calcutta marble . I am going chrome with fixtures and white tub, toilet and sinks. what do you think ???

  • selphydeg
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I want a neutral color bathroom. I am partial to the porcelanosa tile, but they are pricey. I want something close to white or light gray, but not plain like the 4 X4 tile I have now. I imagine espresso color vanity with light color countertop (my kitchen is caesarstone, so I know the caesarstone colors off top of my head. I am not too picky here, nouget or something similar in other brands would work fine here.