Bathroom help needed

[MelissaB]

I want to do something with the only bathroom on our second floor, but it can't cost a lot of $$. We have ugly ceramic tile (really ugly), and I'm wondering if I could paint it or cover it somehow.

Background info: We bought a beautiful old Victorian in Michigan when we moved here, but still haven't sold our home in Alabama. Great market out there, eh? Our house in Alabama has been for sale for a year and a half... I had planned on doing some remodeling when the house sold, but that hasn't happened and may not happen any time soon. In the mean time, I hate even walking in this bathroom to brush my teeth.

I posted some photos of our new home here beginning in post #31: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=287&topic_id=5158#5186

Here's a photo of the bathroom that needs help from the previous owner:



We can get a new commode and sink at a decent price. I also plan on either putting a shower attachment on the tub or one of the hand showers something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/GOOSENECK-CHROME-HAND-SHOWER-CLAWFOOT-TUB-DRAIN-SUPPLY_W0QQitemZ380071266388QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item380071266388&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A4%7C65%3A1%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Is there any hope for the floor without replacing it. Paint? Concrete? Anything?

[NMDemDist2]

1. float the tile, then do vinyl over it

won't last forever but should buy you a few years.

[MelissaB]

2. Elementary question:

What do you mean, "float the tile"?

[NMDemDist2]

3. they have stuff you apply and it levels out the grout lines so the floor

isn't uneven

any big box store should be able to help you with that. and if you do that, you can even do the 1 foot peel and stick stuff

[Warpy]

7. The quicker and dirtier fix is just to use thick vinyl

directly over the tile. By the time it's shot, and it will wear almost as long as it would over an even surface, either your house will have sold or you'll have rented it out for an amount that will cover the PITI, at the very least. Worst case scenario, you stay poor and have to buy another fifty bucks worth of vinyl in five years or so.

I'd advise against floating the tile because it makes the whole business that much harder to break up and remove when you finally do the remodel.

Sometimes quick and dirty is the best way, especially when you've got a remodeling project in the offing.

As for the shower, the best thing to do is the old fashioned thing, a shower curtain hoop attached to the riser and suspended from the ceiling. It's what they did in the good old days when everybody was retrofitting those wonderful old tubs. I had that arrangement in Boston and it worked just fine.

On edit, searching "clawfoot bathtub shower" I found http://www.shop4classics.com/clawfoot.asp?gclid=CJyRh5bCsZYCFRIfDQodhnk_LQ

There are a lot of other suppliers, but their picture will give you an idea of what's out there for risers and curtain rods.

[MelissaB]

12. I really like your quick and dirty idea.

We could be in this house less than a year or forever (probably not). From what I remember vinyl is cheap. I'll just have to see how much somebody will charge to install it because there is no way we can lift that tub. It's huge... long and narrow, and hubby is not handy.

As far as the shower, I don't know if the bathroom is large enough to install one of the retro fits because it may make the room look even smaller. I thought about just installing a hand shower, but we'll see...

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Is the tile only on the floor? And what is 'ugly' about it?

Is it original?

[Warpy]

8. That's what I wondered

I actually think it's inoffensive enough to be covered by multiple bath rugs. It's not like it's green and purple squares, yanno.

[MelissaB]

10. Yes, it's only on the floor, but it's old, grungy, stained, and cracked.

I think the previous owners must have had a leak near the toilet and replaced some of the tile with a different shape. You can see this in the photo, I think.

I really should have posted a larger photo so you could get the full effect. :)

[MelissaB]

13. Here's a better photo

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Blech! I see wutcha mean! That's pretty bad.

I can now see it in the smaller picture, but it was easy to miss.

Someone has already suggested a salvage yard. That's a good idea.

Apart from that, you could actually tile over that time, so long as it is sound. That saves the tear-out which is the awful part.

The easy thing, though, is rugs. LOL

[sandnsea]

5. What size is that?

That looks kind of small. Have you tried salvage places for nice flooring? Or do you just not want to do the work right now? You could always just cover it with thick cushy throw rugs. Maybe a flooring store has remnants. My daughter gets them from a friend of hers, they can stitch them up too.

[MelissaB]

11. I haven't tried salvage places

because I don't know of any around us. We're in the UP in Michigan and pretty isolated. Also, the bathroom is small.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

6. What you can do is

Put no glue sheet flooring over the top of the tile. If somebody around the house is handy, remove the tub and toilet ,or disconnect the water lines to the tub,disconnect the drain and jack it up enough to slip the no glue sheet flooring underneath the tub. The toilet is two nuts and one water line, easy to do. The no glue sheet flooring has thicker padding underneath and is great over tile. You can use the 12 by 12 inch self adhesive squares ,however the no glue sheet flooring looks better. I have used the no glue sheet flooring over tile many times, people love the way it looks.

It is a great way to do it until you remodel the bathroom.
You can also put pergo flooring in the bathroom. The no glue sheet flooring takes far less time.

[MelissaB]

14. I like the no glue idea.

Neither of us is handy enough to do the tub, sink, and toilet, though. Actually, I'm probably underestimating my husband. He has a PhD in physics, so I know he could do it. He just never has and doesn't have a lot of time.

With a new floor, sink, toilet, and some paint I don't think the bathroom will look half bad. :rofl:

[eleny]

9. I saw an HGTV segment where they painted ceramic floor tiles

They didn't go into how it was done start to finish. But here's a web site where they explain the process. I guess that the floor paint will get scuffed over time. But throw rugs could keep that at bay until you can redo the room.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/651_Painting_Ceramic_Tile.shtml
He says: "Painting ceramic tile will work. Ceramic tile painting will be successful if you clean the tile well and use the right paint. Painting ceramic tiles of any type; floor, walls, countertops will work, just don't paint tile in areas that get wet everyday."

[MelissaB]

15. This is exactly what I had i mind originally, but

now I like the quick and dirty idea. :)

[Whoa_Nelly]

16. Some suggestions/ideas

Cleaning the grout:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/steamcleangrout

Covering the tile:
Embossing leveler (Home Depot)


http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100648162&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=100648162&cm_mmc=1hd.com2froogle-_-product_feed-_-D23X-_-100648162

then press and place vinyl squares specific for the bath.
http://www.homedoctor.net/kitchen-bath/flooring/vinyl

Use a clear shower curtain to keep the area looking two crowded
http://www.signaturehardware.com/product1071?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=shopzilla

You could make your own oval ring shower rod from 1 to 1-1/2" PVC pipes and connecters to link pieces together, and then hold it up by attaching it to the ceiling using braces.

Brace:

http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/product_detail.asp?item_no=C3340C&utm_id=ID1001&cvsfa=1353&cvsfe=6&cvsfp=66200&afsrc;=1&SID=282212z606225001




http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=82200

[Robb]

18. Just a plumbing-related heads-up:

If you do cover over the old tile with something (which I think a fine idea, short of smashing it all out and starting again which would of course be better and of course be harder), keep in mind your height shouldn't increase a lot. This is because the toilet shouldn't be raised much.

The toilet sits on a flange which is (probably) the same height as the tile. You can unbolt the toilet and scoot it out of the way, and do what you will, but re-tiling would raise the floor height too much (IMO) for the wax ring on the flange to do it's job.

Vinyl, of course, is quite thin (even in its thickest varieties), and won't break the deal for you. I'd do that for the quick fix.

"Easy" cheat on moving the tub is a car jack. I've done it, and it's a hoopty way to go, but it's possible. :D

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

19. You know that's a thought ,but

When you look at the tub toilet the age of the house tells more than you see. Most likely the flange is a lead liner ,They used lead for the vent trap and the flange . The lead pipe connects to the drain system it's about a three foot run of lead pipe. Anyhoo, since you are there at the flange, if you were to raise the floor, you just pop in another flange .You can buy one with reduced diameter what fits right over the top and down in the drain line. Than you screw it down.Of course you need a drill with a tile bit to drill the holes ! The flange does deteriorate and removing the old flange for replacement is no big deal after the toilet is removed,. Sometimes it is necessary to open the floor just a bit. But the sub flooring deteriorates as well around toilets anyway so it's part of repair or remodel. But the person with bathroom is not at the remodel stage. It's about making it less unseemly to the eye at little cost before remodel which may be a ways off.

Good thinking !