Blog

Ambitious homeowners inspired by bathroom makeover shows often begin with different design ideas than they ultimately end up with. That is because they learn things along the way that cause them to rethink materials or styles for the sake of practicality or cost. It’s important to consider that not every home channel redesign will make sense for your home. You need to consider your budget, plumbing, and storage needs to make the most of your space.

It’s great to work with inspirations whether seen on television, saved on Pinterest or clipped from a magazine, but walking in a showroom like Merola Tile will let you see the colors in person, what materials look good with your choice of tile and get a price quote. Are you keeping the sink, toilet and tub or replacing them? You have to consider the costs of different quality products and the cost of having them installed. Planning your bathroom design entails a bit of homework on your part beforehand. Make sure you know what problems are lurking behind the walls and whether plumbing needs an upgrade before you swap out a sink or toilet. You can save money by leaving plumbing in the same location. If you decide to move a fixture, you’ll need plumbing work which eats into your budget without much to show for it in return.

Understand Your Materials

Just because shiplap is being featured in bathrooms doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to use any kind of wood. Bathrooms are moist areas and wood will surely warp with the moisture. If you’re going for this look, choose a wood that can handle the moisture, like cedar, or go for a tile that gives you a similar look. Shine is fine on the walls, but high shine tiles are slippery on floors when wet. You can usually find coordinating tile that comes in both matte and shiny finishes to coordinate the look.

Pick your faucet and match towel bar, toilet paper holder, tub or shower faucet and light to your faucet style. Install shower or bathtub shelves to eliminate the pile up of body wash and shampoo bottles that occasionally crash to the floor. Floating shelves inexpensively add additional storage or space to display décor. They are ideal over a toilet, above the towel rack, etc. Pull out shelves in cabinets make better use of space. You can also find stackable, metal shelves to optimize space in a tall cabinet.

Got Mold?

If you’re renovating a shower or bathtub that has mold along the silicone, removing the tile and silicone is only part of the job. Moisture is coming from behind the tile, possibly from a leak or the use of regular sheetrock. Be sure to use tile backer board in these areas so you don’t have to worry about another fix in the near future. Achieving the bathroom renovation design of our dreams is always a satisfying goal, but if you can make the best of the space and make the bathroom more functional, that’s always a win, win situation.