Your disgusting (or maybe just falling apart) bathroom is finally going to get a makeover! Here comes an exciting opportunity, yet also a difficult and scary one. You get to pick out bathroom tiles. And paint. Or wallpaper. The gorgeous tiles, colors, and patterns that you will see on your bathroom floor and wall for the next pretty much ever. But bathroom renovations are expensive. You will not get to renovate your bathroom again for a very, very long time, so you need to get this right. Yet, there are so many choices. What if you get it wrong and hate your new bathroom? Don’t worry. I have a few bits of knowledge that just might help you pick the floors and walls that will keep you loving your bathroom for the many years to come.
Tile Finishes: If you install the wrong tiles, you will hate your bathroom all too quickly. Most tiles come with either a polished finish (smooth and shiny) or a matte finish (still smooth, but not glossy). You can also find tiles that have a rough finish, where it almost looks like they broke off a piece of stone and didn’t smooth it down at all, just left it the way it was in nature. So which kind should you install? Well, first remember that it is your bathroom and you can install whatever tile you want. But keep in mind a few things. Matte tiles on bathroom and shower floors are safer that glossy, polished ones because they are less slippery when wet. Polished tiles are easiest to clean off, so they are great for shower and tub surround walls. Much easier to wipe away the soap scum. Rough tiles have a very natural aesthetic, but are more difficult to clean. These might be best used in spaces that are more decorative and less functional.
Grout: It may be evil, but it is also necessary. The grout that fills the spaces between the tiles is very important. It keeps water from getting behind and between your tiles. However, grout is much more absorbent than tile, and therefore more prone to becoming stained or dirty. Often bathroom tiles look dirty because the grout between them is dirty. You don’t want grout to be the reason you hate your new bathroom in a few years. There are a few ways to deal with the grout issue. You can use a darker grout, for less noticeable staining. Keep in mind that darker grout will make any unevenness in the tile positioning more obvious. So, make sure your tiles are really straight and spaced evenly if using darker grout. If a gorgeous mosaic tile is what you want, and you want a white grout, consider using a sealant. This is especially useful on white grout, but can be used for any color, is relatively inexpensive, and will help keep the grout stain-free and pretty for years to come. A third way to deal with grout is to use larger tiles. Large tiles mean less grout. Problem solved.
Wall Coverings: My usual go-to in bathrooms is paint. Wherever there is no tile, there is paint. It is easy to refresh or change the color if the walls are just covered in paint. Consider a semigloss paint for easier cleaning. But you can also cover your bathroom walls with wallpaper. Wallpaper can give your bathroom the pizzazz or elegance it needs. Just keep in mind that bathrooms are wet places. Make sure you have a fan to remove some of the humidity from the room (this is important even with no wallpaper). Humid rooms can lead to peeling wallpaper. So can small children. Keep a small amount of the wallpaper in storage for minor repairs when there has been some damage done, and consider using a wipeable wallpaper for cleaning purposes. When the walls look great and are easy to clean, you will love your bathroom longer.
Color: Bathrooms are a fun place to play with color and patterns. Remember as you pick out your finishes for your bathroom, that bathrooms stay for a long time. They are quite permanent. Fads are fun, but try not to install anything permanent that you will hate in two years. Make sure that the bold color you choose is one you have loved for a long time, and that the tile pattern won’t make you dizzy. Wall paint can be redone pretty easily, so consider a more classic tile, perhaps a marble look, paired with a bold paint. Then, when you are sick of the color, you can just repaint. That is much simpler than replacing tile.
There are plenty of other choices to make when renovating a new bathroom, including lighting, fixtures, and storage, but the walls and floors are some of the most important and expensive parts of the project. Making smart and well-thought-out decisions will help keep you from hating your new bathroom you were so excited about.
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