Hi all! Now that the remodel of my girls’ bathroom has risen to the top of our home to-do list, I thought I’d share some of my finds and plans for the space! I’m also sharing the budget-friendly tub/shower hardware upgrade we recently made along with details on choosing bathroom tile (including info on porcelain vs. ceramic tile since it’s something I’ve gotten a lot of questions about since the bathroom renovation in our previous home). At the end of the post I’ve gathered together the best home deals to snag over this holiday weekend so check that out too!
Let’s kick things off with the “before” of what my girls’ bathroom looked like right after we bought our house (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here}):
It doesn’t yet look too different other than removing some of the wallpaper. Most everything in their bathroom is dated but the good news is that it has a great footprint to work with. It’s a jack and jill bathroom with two doors leading into it, one from each of the adjoining bedrooms. The bathroom itself is divided into two rooms with the first housing their vanity that’s recessed into a nook:
Then there’s a door that leads into the second part of the bathroom that houses their shower/tub and toilet. Having a separation of the two spaces is nice because one of the girls can be using the vanity while the other is showering or using the toilet and they both have some privacy.
The plan is to gut everything except the combo tub/shower but leave the layout as-is without moving any walls. Once the vanity and toilet are pulled, the first thing to go in will be new floor tile. I wanted something simple that would stand the test of time but more interesting and stylish than the simple white square tile that’s currently there. It was a “I don’t know what I want but I’ll know it when I see it” kind of situation when I started my tile shopping.
Bathroom Floor Tile
After a lot of searching, my favorites were these four tiles, ranging from highly patterned tile to a simple large white hexagon:
Tile options: 1. Gray & blue patterned tile | 2. Large white hexagon tile | 3. Star pattern gray hexagon tile | 4. Blue & white Moroccan tile
I also loved {these blue and gray framed hexagon tiles}:
It’s more interesting than the white hexagon and more timeless than the patterned tiles. The color is grigio chiaro which translates to light gray but what I love about it is that it has a soft, subtle blue-green undertone. It’s a bit of a chameleon, looking gray in some lights and blue or green in others. I think it will blend really well with whatever I throw at it!
It’s a porcelain tile which is what I wanted for this space as opposed to a ceramic tile like {this gray floor tile} I chose for our master bathroom remodel:
Sources: Door knobs | Woven pendant | Freestanding bathtub | Tub filler | Dipped leg stool | Wall tile
Why would I want ceramic tile for my girls’ bathroom but be ok with ceramic tile for our master bathroom? Before I share details on the rest of the girls’ bathroom, here’s the quick scoop on porcelain vs. ceramic tile and why you might want to choose one over the other depending upon the project you’re working on…
Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile
One of the most significant differences between porcelain and ceramic tile is that porcelain tile is kiln-fired at a higher temperature, making it more dense & durable and less porous than ceramic tile. Since porcelain tile is less porous, it doesn’t absorb water as readily as ceramic tile so is a much better choice for areas that will be exposed to a lot of water like shower floors and outdoor applications. Porcelain is also more impervious to stains because of this.
Another difference is that ceramic tiles are coated with a glaze so if the tile chips, the chip will be a different color, making that “oops” quite obvious. In comparison, porcelain tiles are often unglazed with the color running through the entire thickness of the tile. If an unglazed porcelain tile chips, the chip is less obvious since the color of the chip is the same as the color on top of the tile.
One possible negative of porcelain tile is that because it’s harder, it’s are also more difficult to cut, requiring a wet saw with a diamond blade (vs. ceramic tile that you can cut with a simple tile cutter). This isn’t an issue at all for a professional tile installer who can easily work with either product, but DIYers might prefer the ease of working with ceramic tile. Another negative of porcelain tile is that it’s generally more expensive than ceramic tile.
So which type of tile is best to use in a bathroom? Overall, porcelain is the superior tile so if you find a porcelain tile that works within your budget it’s generally your best bet. What if the tile you fall in love with is ceramic? Ceramic tile can definitely work in a bathroom as long as it’s not one where there tends to be a lot of standing water or things are going to be dropped on it a lot. For us, this meant that I was totally comfortable using ceramic tile in our master bathroom (I would have preferred a porcelain tile but couldn’t find one I liked as much as the ceramic!) but in a kids bathroom, I’d rather play it safe and go with porcelain.
Tub/Shower Hardware Swap-Out
Circling back to my girls’ bathroom remodel, I mentioned earlier that we’re going to keep the tub/shower area as is. That’s because it has simple white tile that I’m fine working with. What wasn’t fine is the bathroom hardware – yikes!
The shower head was this two-toned bit of ugliness:
And the rest of the tub hardware was a dated, corroded gold:
Swapping out the shower head for an inexpensive chrome option was super simple and made such a difference:
Sources: Shower arm flange | Shower arm | Shower head
Where things can get more difficult is swapping out the trim for your shower valve. With some valves you can’t just replace the trim, you have to replace the valve too which involves cutting into the tiled shower wall or the wall behind the valve. However, a lot of the major brands have trim kits that allow you to simply change out the trim while keeping the same valve. My valve was Moen brand and fortunately they have a very simple-to-follow guide {here} to help you identify the type of valve that you have and which trim kits it’s compatible with.
For less then $200, I was able to buy a new chrome valve trim kit, tub faucet, and drain to give it a whole new look:
Sources: Shower valve trim | Tub diverter spout | Drain kit
The only things left to do on the tub and shower are pretty simple – re-caulk the messy, cracked caulk between the tub and shower tile, get a new, longer shower curtain, and install a better shower curtain rod. I’m also going to use my trick from {this post} on how to make grout white again to freshen up the grout around the wall tiles.
The Vanity Nook
You might have seen on Instagram Stories that I already have the vanity for this space currently sitting in a box in the garage. The nook the vanity sits in is slightly smaller than 60″ which makes it an odd size for a freestanding vanity but I lucked into finding {this 54″ vanity} that will fit perfectly:
We’re going from one sink to two sinks which will be nice for when both bedrooms are being used by our girls and/or guests. I was originally thinking about doing a single trough sink with two faucets which would leave more counter space but then realized that I would have to sacrifice having any drawers if I went that route. With the vanity I chose, there’s a top tilt out drawer,
a middle drawer with built-in dividers,
and a deep bottom drawer. The same vanity comes in several different sizes ranging from 36″ to 73″ {here} (there are several color options too) – they get great reviews!
To compensate for losing some counter space with the extra sink, I decided to use {these recessed medicine cabinet mirrors} for extra storage space instead of regular mirrors. I also plan to wallpaper just the wall behind the vanity (the other walls will be painted white) and add double sconces above the medicine cabinet mirrors but I haven’t made my final selections – these are some different wallpaper & lighting options I’m looking at:
Sources: Beachcomber wallpaper (left) | French linen stripe wallpaper (right) | Vanity light (left) | Vanity light (right) | Medicine cabinet/mirror | Wood bead towel ring | Blush hand towel | 54″ double vanity (see other size options {here}) | Floor tile
I also just saw {this new wallpaper} and love it as an option for their bathroom!
I’ll share more once I get the last of the wallpaper down (it’s the most stuck-on wallpaper I’ve ever dealt with!) and we get going with demo.
Hopefully I’ll also have more to share on our fireplace soon since I FINALLY found a marble remnant for the surround! I wanted a simple white marble but don’t need much of it so definitely didn’t want to pay for a full slab. That left me semi-patiently waiting for weeks for a remnant piece to show up at one of the local fabricators. I found this Thassos marble remnant last week (you can see the color best at the top where it’s not shaded) so putting our fireplace back together is finally a go!
It’s just a simple white marble but it has beautiful depth and I think will work perfectly (there’s no pinkish hue to it – it’s just a crappy pic)
July 4th Sales
I’m wrapping this post up with a run-down on my favorite 4th of July sales! A lot of stores have the best sale prices I’ve seen for quite some time, presumably because their sales have slowed with the economy. So it’s a great time to snag some deals on these favorites:
Wayfair has a great July 4th sale! A few of my favorites sale items are {this shoe storage cabinet}, {this outdoor rug}, {this bathroom faucet}, and {this upholstered bed} that I have and love in the Zuma White fabric.
This striped lamp found {here} is also a great buy – it has a USB port built into the base which is so nice for a bedside lamp!
It would look great sitting on {this nightstand} that’s also on sale. I’ve also gathered together some favorite on-sale bathroom upgrades {here}, outdoor upgrades {here}, and bedroom upgrades {here}.
Pottery Barn is having a warehouse sale with $500 off of {this media cabinet} that’s super similar to ours. I also love {these gorgeous seagrass mirrors} and {these great console baskets} that are perfect for storage in a shallow closet:
West Elm is also having a warehouse sale with up to 70% off {here}
Serena & Lily has 20% off everything and 25% off purchases of $5000 or more with code SPLASH so if there’s a big dollar purchase you’ve been considering, now’s the time! You can check out all of my Serena & Lily favorites {here} and shop their new arrivals {here} including new sizes in {this rug} I have and love!
Target has buy two, get one free sandals {here} including {these braided heels}, {these block heel sandals}, and {these padded knot slides}. Several super cute McGee home items are on sale too including {this super cute lamp}, {this gorgeous upholstered accent chair},
and {this wood and upholstered bench}:
Ballard has 20% off sitewide plus free shipping on 100s of in stock items {here}. I had been lusting after {this lamp} and pulled the trigger a few weeks ago when it was on sale – it arrived yesterday and is gorgeous!!
Rifle Paper Company has 30% off sale items like my AirPod case {here} – use code SUNNY30 at checkout (it drops my AirPods case from $25 to $8.75!)
Rifle’s sleepware and swim {here} are also 30% off
Loft has 50% off your entire full price purchase plus 20% off sale items with code USA. I have and love {these comfy blue striped shorts}:
You can also get 50% off your full priced purchase at Ann Taylor {here} with code GOFOURTH
The Container Store has 25% off their Home Edit line of organizers {here}!
Anthropologie has 50% off all sale prices {here}
Circa Lighting has 20% off sitewide {here} if you’re looking for a higher end fixture for a space in your home. The sale includes {these best selling table lamps} and {these best selling ceiling lights}
UltraShelf has 25% off their custom floating shelves including {these oak shelves} that we used in our bathroom (mine are the pickled white finish):
Bedrosians has a rare 20% off of their tile {here} with code JULY4 including their popular Cloe tile {here}
Rugs USA has great sale prices plus free shipping on a huge selection of rugs {here} – I love the look of {this washable area rug}
Artfully Walls has 25% off sitewide with promo code SPARKLES – shop their art {here} where you can narrow down your selection by color, style, etc.
And with that, I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your July 4th weekend!
XO,