Oh dear, could this be a record for me? Four posts in one day? Like I said earlier... feast or famine round here! So anyway, here we go...
Our sort-of-ensuite bathroom is a whole lot shabby, with not a hint of chic. It has hospital green walls, green bore-water-stained tiles, which are falling off the shower wall randomly, a flaky chipboard vanity, a mirror with a gold anodised frame to match the gold anodised framed shower cubicle with the missing sliding door. Oh, and the cubicle rocks away from the wall...handy, as the toilet rocks too, so there's a certain symmetry there. Perhaps the abundance of green is what attracts the multitude of frogs? I could do without them, and the frog poo I wash away daily. The floor is raw wooden floor boards, edged with the broken tiles we ripped up when we first bought the place, before realising that we would be spending the money elsewhere. I don't know if I've painted the picture adequately, so here are a few visuals.
That stuff on the shower walls? Won't come off. I've tried everything I can think of. As you can see, it's not the prettiest bathroom on the block.
We've decided against doing up either bathroom for another year or two...as much as it pains me to admit it, there are other things more important. Fences, additional watering points... Not as exciting as a claw foot tub, but essential, all the same. And I'm cool with this. We did up the kitchen, which was really important to me, and we put down the lawn, also really important, and I'm truly grateful for it. BUT. Yes, it's definitely a Capital Letter But. I gotta do something!! I mean, this bathroom is really quite feral! So I've been tossing over things I could do to improve it a little, until the proper makeover is done. Here's what I've got so far.
Walls: Paint. This one's a no-brainer. I have Antique White USA by the bucketload, I'll slap a couple of coats on.
Vanity: maybe I can give the door and drawer fronts a sand and some gloss paint. A few repairs here and there, some new drawer pulls - maybe I can give it a new lease of life.
Tiles: Glue the fallen ones back on, tile paint, and re-grout. I wonder how good tile paint is? It only needs to last a couple of years.
Shower: Secure the shower stall back to the wall. Or I wonder what the odds are of finding one cheap on ebay? And if I can fit it myself?
Fixtures: Replace things like towel rails, taps, toilet roll holder etc with some from this decade. I already have these, so that should be manageable.
Mirror: I've seen a number of tutorials for framing mirrors on pinterest. I could have a go at that?
Floor: Leave as is or maybe floor paint? It's going to be covered over with aqua board and tiles down the track anyway, so why not? I just searched google images quickly, and I think floor paint could be an option, either a plain colour, or stencilled. One website suggested marine paint - guess that would take care of the water.
Image via http://www.countryliving.com/homes/decor-ideas/painted-wood-floors
The two images above are via http://www.beautifulhabitat.com/love-it-or-leave-it-painted-wood-floors/
Image via http://palettepaint.com/farrow-ball/paint-finishes-farrow-ball/
I'm actually pretty keen on the painted floor - the plain white one is lovely with the aqua walls. Hmmm...I have aqua/blue paint too. Options!
Not including the shower stall, which I probably won't do, I'll only be up for the tile glue, tile paint, and possibly floor paint. I already have the rest.
Is this a worthwhile project, or a waste of time given that we'll renovate in a couple of years anyway? Would you do it?
Even if you didn't have most of the supplies required it would still be a worthwhile project - I have been and am again where you are with rooms like your bathroom - even a coat of paint can make you feel like you have a new room!! I would say - GO GIRL!!!
ReplyDeleteKnowing that bathroom as I do, I think to do what you can would make it more liveable. Could you really cope with another couple of years of it becoming more and more decrepit. You have paint so that would help, and I sure would investigate the tile paint to see if it would work ok in a shower. If you are not spending too much money on it then I think it is worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteKerryn i wonder if 'CLR' would get that scale off the shower tiles. Or is the marking caused from tiny pitting in the tile surface, from hard water maybe? What a job!
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought my bathroom was tragic... you poor thing.
I use this stuff that is magical on hard bore water stains, it is called "Blue Thunder". Be careful, it is a strong acid though!
ReplyDeleteIn my case, a temporary fix always ends up being a permanent fix and it never gets done properly!
Loving your blog! Your bathroom looks similar to mine, I reckon you live fairly close to me too. Were you close to the Warrumbungle fires? I live near a town that starts with C and it is in that area!