Bathroom Makeover

 

When we bought our current house eight years ago, we knew this bathroom needed help.  There was a large leaky window in the shower.  Over many years, water had gotten into the track of the window and our fear was that the wood had rotted underneath.  We tried to block out the water and prevent further damage as best we could with a shower curtain, but it didn't look nice.

 

The faucet in the shower was cracked and leaked.  The white tile and grout always looked dirty no matter how often it was cleaned.

 

 

The rest of the bathroom looked pretty bad too.  Ugly sunflower wallpaper . . .

bright gold light fixtures . . .

 

ugly marbled counter tops and more old and leaky faucets at the sink.

The dated 70's dark wood cabinets had already been painted over once.  It looked like someone had tried to touch up the paint in places, but the paint didn't quite match.  The drawer pulls were bright gold to match the gold light fixture.

After looking at so many beautiful bathrooms on Pinterest, I couldn't stand it any longer.  Something had to be done!  Last year we began remodeling our hall bathroom.  My DIY skills are pretty limited, so we hired a contractor to remove the old leaky window in the shower, rebuild the wall, re-tile the shower, and replace the shower fixtures.  It was money well spent. (And luckily, the wood below the window wasn't rotted!)

I love the new tile!  It's so much prettier than the basic boring white.  The new fixtures also look nice and don't leak!  We kept the tub, but it got a good polish and looks like new!

We used a big part of our budget on the shower so we decided to be thrifty with the countertop.  There wasn't anything physically wrong with the countertop - it was still in good shape.  I just didn't like that ugly marbling.  We hired someone to spray the counter top with a faux finish.  Yes, I know about the Rustoleum Countertop Transformations kit and have seen the amazing before and afters.  I just wasn't confident that I could do it well and be happy with the results.  I was worried it would look painted on and I wanted a more professional finish.  So in just a few hours, we went from this . . .

To this! 

 

We also replaced the faucet and fixtures at the sink.   In this picture, you can see that the cabinets got a new coat of paint and have different drawer pulls too.  Next it was time to tackle the wallpaper.  I don't think I need to say anything about how ugly this wallpaper is.  These pictures say it all!  I had never removed wallpaper before, but I felt like it was DIY project I could do.

I know there are a few different methods for removing wallpaper.  My mother-in-law recently removed wallpaper at her house with a steamer.  She let me borrow it and it did a fantastic job!  Just hold the steamer over the paper for 3 to 5 seconds and then peel the paper off.  In stubborn spots you may have to scrub with a wet sponge or wet rag. Just be careful not to get the wall too hot or too wet with the steamer or scrub too hard with the sponge, because it will damage the drywall.

After the wallpaper came off, I scrubbed down the walls to remove any glue residue that was still left on the wall.  I painted the walls two different shades of beige.  That top color is the same color I used in my laundry room makeover.  I also took out the medicine cabinet and tried to replace the drywall.  I've never patched drywall before, so for a first attempt I guess it's not bad.  I'm not happy with it and I guess I'll just try to hang something there to cover it up. 

 It's not finished yet, but you can see how much better its looking!

Here's what we did ourselves

• replace the light fixture
• replace sink fixtures
• repaint cabinets
• replace cabinet drawer pulls
• remove wallpaper
• paint walls
• we replaced the toilet too (sorry, no pictures were taken)

Here's what someone else did for us:

• remove the window in the shower
• rebuild the wall
• re-tile the shower
• replace the shower fixtures
• refinish countertop and sink

Here's what we still need to do.

We started this bathroom makeover a year ago!  I'm tired of seeing it in it's almost finished state and anxious to see it in all its glory!  I still need to add trim along the wall where the paint colors meet.  I also want to add trim around the mirror to frame it.  Hopefully, it will get done soon and I'll have pictures to share!

UPDATE:  It's finished!  Go here to see the results!