Bathroom reno: the stuff

the tile.

Our new tile is so yummy-it looks like honeycomb, and gives a lovely warm glow to the room.
S found it on line randomly, and it turns out the company is in Wisconsin-cool. These hex tiles come in a whole range of colors, so there is sure to be just the perfect one for your project. Tile floors in older homes often have a very thick layer of cement as a base, even dropping down between the floor joists. To save on time, cost and mess, we decided to lay the new tile right over the old one. We just used a thin set base and fashioned a threshold to account for the slight change in floor level. DIY-ers be warned that they are a bit challenging to install. My generous, talented brother laid them for us, and I feel like I owe him a year of treats for doing so. They cannot be cut on a wet saw because the mesh backing falls apart when you do that. Because of this, he ended up laying in single tiles in the whole last section-told you he was a dear! Grouting was fairly easy (I did that), but, even though these tiles are glazed, I ended up with a lot of haze on the tiles. A grout haze remover and a lot of scrubbing did the job though, and everything ended up looking gorgeous.

Get them at:
Hextile by Tilehaus
http://www.hextile.com/MelangeSeries.shtml

We used the "maize" color. They are only 11.95/SF-bargain!
You can also order 5.00 sample cards so you can check out a few colors before making a decision.

the shower curtain:

This shower curtain is a great combination of sophistication with a comfy, homey feeling. It reminds me of vintage striped tea towels, and I had my eye on it long before we started the bathroom remodel. The best part? It was only 19.95 at Walmart.

the light fixture:

I think this light fixture has the look and feel of a much more expensive model. It came from Home Depot with a price tag of 99.95, but has a great vintage look and seems really well made. I love the heavy shades that are frosted inside with clear glass around the outside. If you pick and choose carefully, big box stores do have a few light fixtures that look great once you get them out of the big box environment and into your home.

OOh-I have so much more to share about this project, but I'm off to a meeting for the Creative Connection.
http://www.thecreativeconnectionevent.com/

Come back tomorrow for more on our bathroom remodel!