Wednesday, July 14, 2010

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!

6 comments:

  1. I love the tile. It's probably not something I would ever think of myself, but I love it! The little pops of yellow are fantastic.

    Great shower curtain, too! Really...Walmart, eh...? Time to go shopping. :)

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  2. thanks for the sourcing info ~ when we redo our bathroom a million years from now ~ great to know where to go for tile!

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  3. Your bro is awesome! You definitely owe him some of your delicious pie and cookies.

    You scored some great deals on supplies - and I just realized that we have the same bathroom light fixture. Great minds think alike! I agree with you about Home Depot et al - you can find some lovely things among the other stuff.

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  4. Awesome job on your bathroom... Dawn

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  5. Glad y'all like it.....I still get giddy every time I walk in there.

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  6. Christine~ I just love everything you've chosen for your new bathroom!! LOVE the tile!

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