1949 Bathroom Renovation

We are currently in the process of redecorating our master bathroom in our new home.
Well, by new, I mean we've been here 2 1/2 years.
That's still new, right?
Anyhoo, that's a work in progress that hopefully will be completed soon and then I will share it with you all!

The house we moved from 2 yrs. ago was a very small, 1949 Cape Cod.
It had charm and character that goes without saying in those older homes,
but some rooms just... oh, how would you say....
grated on me like nails on a chalk board!

The house had 2 small bathrooms and they were decked out in the glorious colors of their era.
Ours was sea foam green and black, and the other was salmon and brown,
which wasn't as horrid as some bathrooms in our hood. 
I'm talking about pink tiled walls, floors, sinks, toilets, bathtubs.
Uhg, I think Pepto Bismal was invented during this era.
Ours was grungy, moldy, cracked, leaky, and in need of serious updating.

 

So one day Handsome and I just picked up a sledge hammer and ....
WHACK!
Ummm, they don't build floors and walls today like they used to.
Oh my, this was going to take A LOT of effort, and make A LOT of plaster dust.

 

What we thought would be a simple job of scraping off the old cracked flooring turned into a nightmare. 

Who knew they used to pour 6 inches of concrete to form bathroom floors back then?

(I hear all you experienced renovator's evil chuckles!)
Did I mention the dust?

We did so much damage just to remove the tile that we had to completely remove the floor itself!
Of course that revealed extensive termite damage to the floor joists.
No wonder the floor was uneven and sagging. 
My bathroom ended up being completely gutted to the studs, minus the cast iron, trillion ton tub.
The bathroom stayed in disarray for about 9 months, because Handsome...well...
please tell me your husbands start but never complete home projects also.

But enough was enough and I needed a working bathroom now!
So to work we went with a lot of help from a contractor friend (Thanks Jerome!).
We wanted to keep the integrity of the home's 1940's character

but not sacrifice quality products, fixtures, and style. 

 

The mirror is from Pottery Barn, the sconces are the original fixtures, and the vanity is from Target.

The subway tiled walls were replaced with bead board.

We saved some money on the bead board by purchasing an exterior bead board paneling

from a lumber yard, which is quite rough.

Then we sanded it smooth with an electric sander, primed, and painted it with a high gloss white paint.

 

 

I think the floors were my favorite.

They were special order porcelain "slate" tiles from Home Depot.

We had them placed in a diamond pattern.

This pattern pushes the room outward, visually expanding the space.

That is always a good trick for long, narrow spaces.

It does take a bit more tile, but makes a huge impact.

 

The glass mosaic tile I ordered through an online wholesaler.

Have someone help you figure out how much tile you need because I didn't.

I should have.

Did I mention I'm terrible at math? 

We were WAY short (insert Handsome's & contractor's scowls here).

This delayed the project while we waited for more tile to arrive.

It also was not exactly the same color batch which often happens.

But it wasn't too noticeable.

Measure! Measure! Measure!

 

 

The tub was reglazed (horrible experience, but that's for another post).
Just please go with the most reputable company in your town!
Get references!
The sink, toilet, and fixture were all from the Kohler Memoirs Suite ordered through Home Depot.
That toilet was the best toilet I've ever sat on!
TMI? Anyhoo...Love Kohler!

 

Renovating takes a lot of time and effort but it was oh so worth it in the end!
Just wait until you see my new master bathroom!
Talk about an upgrade!....coming soon!

Linking up to :
Centsational Girl's Budget Bathroom Makeover
The Lettered Cottage: Favorite Room Redo's 2010
CSI's Favorite Projects of the Year Challenge.
 Savvy Southern Style 2010 show-me-your-best-of-2010