lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 6, 2016 1:15:38 GMT -5
We are about to remodel 2 baths (not the master bath yet). And will be doing it fairly quickly. So first question, what kind of flooring? Our house has mid grade finishes. Right now we are looking at luxury vinyl tile (floating, snap together). Something like this. Any one have this? I think we are going to use granite remnant for the counter tops because they are small. So next question, under mount or drop in sink?
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milee
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Post by milee on May 6, 2016 6:05:43 GMT -5
Is this a house you'll be in for a long time or are you doing it for higher resale value?
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on May 6, 2016 6:22:42 GMT -5
What's your budget? Can you afford to use tile for the floors? I prefer tile but not everyone likes it.
Undermount sinks. Make sure you clean under the rim on a regular basis. My contractor told me that you can get mold and dirt under there if it's not cleaned properly.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on May 6, 2016 7:18:35 GMT -5
When we were getting our kitchen flooring, I was considering those tiles. Ultimately, we decided not to do it because of cost and not finding a style we liked. It would only have been a real savings if we could have installed it ourselves. DH did not want to do that.
The person we talked to said that he was putting that type of flooring in basements in new construction quite a bit.
Perhaps this isn't as helpful as I had hoped.
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emma1420
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Post by emma1420 on May 6, 2016 8:23:01 GMT -5
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on May 6, 2016 8:28:20 GMT -5
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 6, 2016 9:47:24 GMT -5
We plan on being here another 5 years or so. So we decided to update the baths now and enjoy them and still have them looking nice for resale. Our house is nice, 20 years old, but not the highest end in materials. We have Berber carpet and laminate flooring. And inserts in the baths, not tile. Both contractors we interviewed suggested this type of floor. It comes in wood look planks, or stuff that looks like tile. And is $3 or 4 a square foot.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 6, 2016 9:48:36 GMT -5
Next question
Has anyone had a bath tub resurfaced? Results?
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on May 6, 2016 10:26:59 GMT -5
My main requirement for floors is that they are dirt-colored.
I like vinyl flooring in bathrooms because it is easy to clean and is not affected by shifts in the under flooring when the house settles. I have 2 bathrooms with loose and cracked ceramic tiles that happened as the house settled over time. When I remodel them (soon, I hope, but I'm really lazy and need to get organized first), I plan to replace the ceramic tile with vinyl flooring of some kind. Or maybe stone. I haven't decided yet. Anyway, something dirt-colored.
Regarding the sink, I am really drawn to those luxe styles that look like big fancy bowls sitting on the counter under the faucet, but I think they probably present cleaning and possibly leaking issues. I would go with an undermount sink simply because it makes cleaning the counter around it easier.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 6, 2016 12:22:35 GMT -5
I would not put in vinyl or vinyl tile because it off-gasses for a loooooong time, but I clearly recognize that this choice is probably just me and my concerns. My bathroom floors have ceramic tile meant specifically for flooring. It is inert from day 1 - if the right no-VOC thinset and grout are used.
If you're going to use a piece of leftover granite for the vanity countertop, don't interrupt/spoil the look with a top mounted sink. Let the granite be the star of the show. If you want the top-mounted bowls on your vanity, let THEM be the star of the show and pick a simple countertop.
JMHO. YMMV.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on May 6, 2016 12:28:08 GMT -5
I hate those vessel sinks that sit on top of the counter. My SIL has them in her two baths and she loved the look until they were installed for a while. She found the dirt collected around the area where they sit on the counter and it's hard to clean around. She said water is constantly splashing on the countertops and needs to be wiped up. I was considering them for my bath remodel, but won't now.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on May 6, 2016 12:43:04 GMT -5
I hate those vessel sinks that sit on top of the counter. My SIL has them in her two baths and she loved the look until they were installed for a while. She found the dirt collected around the area where they sit on the counter and it's hard to clean around. She said water is constantly splashing on the countertops and needs to be wiped up. I was considering them for my bath remodel, but won't now. Yeah, I thought they might have some issues. I do like the way they look, though. My neighbors have one in their powder room that is sort of matte greenish glass and looks like a flying saucer. It's weird. I really like it. However, I'm lazy, so I avoid anything that is difficult to clean or maintain, so it is unlikely that I will be emulating their choice in powder room sink.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2016 12:45:51 GMT -5
I hate those vessel sinks that sit on top of the counter. My SIL has them in her two baths and she loved the look until they were installed for a while. She found the dirt collected around the area where they sit on the counter and it's hard to clean around. She said water is constantly splashing on the countertops and needs to be wiped up. I was considering them for my bath remodel, but won't now. I have a vessel sink in a powder room and I agree about the cleaning. Mine is a beautiful shade of blue glass and the water spots on the inside and outside of the sink drive me nuts.
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milee
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Post by milee on May 6, 2016 12:45:53 GMT -5
If you like the look of the "luxury" vinyl tile, then get it and enjoy it. But I think for resale purposes, buyers consider pretty much all vinyl in the same category so you won't see any extra buyer interest from the fact that it's labeled "luxury". Also, for wet areas, any time you have unsealed seams - which you will between each tile - that is an opening for moisture to get through. You may not ever have an issue with a leak, standing water or moisture, or you might. From that standpoint, either a single continuous sheet of vinyl or actual ceramic type tiles would be a better choice. I'm with Kittensaver, though, not a fan of vinyl because of offgassing, so I'd go with ceramic tiles.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 6, 2016 12:51:04 GMT -5
In the world of home décor and resale value, "luxury" and "vinyl" are not two words that often get used together, just sayin' . . .
ETA: also from the world of resale value: I would not put granite and vinyl together, but that's probably just me. If you're going to spring for granite (even if it is a remnant), then seek out leftover tile from another project as well. If you're going to put vinyl on the floor, consider tile or a solid surface material for the countertops. Some materials just don't go together . . . or don't make sense to buyers. Again - JMHO. YMMV.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 6, 2016 12:57:35 GMT -5
My main requirement for floors is that they are dirt-colored.
I like vinyl flooring in bathrooms because it is easy to clean and is not affected by shifts in the under flooring when the house settles. I have 2 bathrooms with loose and cracked ceramic tiles that happened as the house settled over time. When I remodel them (soon, I hope, but I'm really lazy and need to get organized first), I plan to replace the ceramic tile with vinyl flooring of some kind. Or maybe stone. I haven't decided yet. Anyway, something dirt-colored.
Regarding the sink, I am really drawn to those luxe styles that look like big fancy bowls sitting on the counter under the faucet, but I think they probably present cleaning and possibly leaking issues. I would go with an undermount sink simply because it makes cleaning the counter around it easier. The designer at the place that did our kitchen told us that while the counters are easier to clean, the sinks are not. She said that under punt sinks tend to accumulate a lot of crud under the rim, which becomes a pain to clean.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on May 6, 2016 13:00:54 GMT -5
You can buy granite counters with sinks included at Lowes and Home Depot. You don't have to get a remnant. For a single sink I think we paid something like $180. We found some closeout tile at Home Depot for a buck per square foot and installed it ourselves. FYI heated floors are great, too.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on May 6, 2016 16:14:01 GMT -5
Yeah, I want heated floors with ceramic tile. Probably not gonna happen, but I can dream, can't I?
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myrrh
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Post by myrrh on May 6, 2016 16:23:47 GMT -5
Depending on the size of your bathrooms, installing a floor heating system may not be all that expensive - I would seriously consider it for a small bathroom, especially if you are going to get to enjoy it for a few years.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on May 6, 2016 18:55:18 GMT -5
W'll be remodeling the hall full bath later this year. I was hoping to get it done this spring, but life interfered. I'll ask my contractor how much to put that in. If it's not too much then I'll do it.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on May 6, 2016 19:27:39 GMT -5
My bathroom has ceramic tile floors and I so wish the builder had put in floor heating in it. It was already in when I looked at the house.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on May 6, 2016 19:41:02 GMT -5
In the world of home décor and resale value, "luxury" and "vinyl" are not two words that often get used together, just sayin' . . .
ETA: also from the world of resale value: I would not put granite and vinyl together, but that's probably just me. If you're going to spring for granite (even if it is a remnant), then seek out leftover tile from another project as well. If you're going to put vinyl on the floor, consider tile or a solid surface material for the countertops. Some materials just don't go together . . . or don't make sense to buyers. Again - JMHO. YMMV. Well, I drive a poser car and think sewing is a useful skill, so I am clearly too low-class to know anything about décor with an accent aigu.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 6, 2016 20:14:27 GMT -5
So what about bathtub resurfacing?
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milee
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Post by milee on May 6, 2016 20:16:00 GMT -5
So what about bathtub resurfacing? Around here it's mainly something that landlords do to prolong the life of a tub for a rental property. I haven't seen anyone do it in a home they actually live in, but did see it in one of my friends' rentals - it's OK.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on May 6, 2016 20:23:01 GMT -5
No experience with them, but don't see how they could hold up well long-term.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 6, 2016 21:07:21 GMT -5
Depending on the size of your bathrooms, installing a floor heating system may not be all that expensive - I would seriously consider it for a small bathroom, especially if you are going to get to enjoy it for a few years. About $200 for our bathroom, which is a decent size. The tiler as telling us about it as he was tiling the floor. I should have stopped him and had him install it, but didn't.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 6, 2016 21:11:03 GMT -5
Next question Has anyone had a bath tub resurfaced? Results? The apartment complex I lived in in TX had my tub refinished. I was not impressed with it. When we were looking for a kitchen sink and found our style discontinued, we looked into resurfacing. Designer suggested it only for lightly used areas. It does not stand up well to day to day use.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on May 7, 2016 6:13:22 GMT -5
The previous owner resurfaced the tub in the hall bath before putting it on the market (about 2.5 years ago). The stuff is now peeling off and it's showing the pink 1960's tub underneath. It looks terrible and is one of the reasons we're remodeling that bath.
I don't know if it was done by a professional or not, but it sure didn't last.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 17, 2016 19:39:53 GMT -5
So another question:
I have been in many hotel rooms that are now using a curved shower rod. Would you use one in your own home?
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milee
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Post by milee on May 17, 2016 19:47:26 GMT -5
I love the curved shower rod - keeps the icky shower curtain off me. Especially in a bathroom that's not mine.
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