Tile Options - Plan B

This past weekend we decided to get all major items for the kids bathroom renovation ordered. This is a bit of a different approach than we took with our master bathroom renovation (when we had no idea what we were doing really).

After a few headaches during the ordering process for our master bathroom renovation - everything takes longer than estimated it seems - we decided this time around, we'd make sure we had everything we needed ready to go.

Much to my delight, we found ourselves with a plan free Sunday this past weekend! Obviously that never lasts long so before I knew it we were out the door, off to make our purchases. Our first stop was really The Tile Shop but since they didn't open until 11 we killed sometime in a nearby Home Depot first. We strolled the aisles of tub options, vanities, toilets, etc. I already had my mind set on a few options at Lowes and Home Depot really did nothing to impress me in this department. Decor is definitely where Lowes takes the cake. Do you agree?

So on we went to TTS to order up our penny round tiles. I was so excited to get these ordered. My bathroom vision was taking shape! Welp, the store is completely sold out! Gah. Like, out in all locations and no ETA on when the backorder is until. WHAAAT?! Womp, womp. As much as I appreciated the fact that they didn't want to order anything since the backorder realistically could be 3 months, I was super bummed about this. I'm actually proud of myself for keeping it together - pregnancy hormones somedays can be killer.

Soo now it's time to figure out Plan B. We took a few minutes to browse the store before discussing the Penny Round tiles with the sales person and fell in love with this marble hex. Which of course is more than double the price per square foot. And that just does not fit into the budget we've set....But, how about the fact that they're running a sale and we could get as much as 20% off. Or that our vanity, tub, and shower purchases ended up coming more than $1,000 under the budget we set.... do we go for it?!

We spent Sunday afternoon scouring the internet for options. First off, damn is penny round in a moss coloring popular these days - it was sold out on every site we checked. And second, damn is everything else we like expensive! Champagne taste on a beer budget. As much as I keep reminding myself this is a kids bathroom, this is kids bathroom, I don't want to totally cheap out on it. It does have to last!

So what do we do? Here are a few options we've found between our internet searches and the best husband in the world making a few tile store stops Monday afternoon to check out samples:

1 - Our original plan that has fallen through the cracks.

2 - Do we switch it up for white penny tiles instead? Maybe go with a darker grout?

3 - A HomeDepot find I would have never expected! But at the same price as the other marble tiles and lack of color variation, it's not our first pick. To be honest, it won a serious second glance simply because I totally misread the pricing labels in our original trip down the tile aisle.

4 - A polished 1x1 Ming Green hex marble, pretty amazing right? 

5 - Or how about a 2x2 marble hex? Definitely a little easier to install and having seen it in person, it had us both drooling.

6 - Or how about a tumbled 1x1 Ming Green hex marble? We totally loved the more rustic, less polished look of this one!

Well, let's just say that something has been ordered!! And fingers crossed we're in love once it's in our possession (soon!). But I'm going to keep it a secret until then. :)

So stay tuned!

Another Bathroom Reno

Well folks, the time has come. We've officially started the guest/kid bathroom renovation!

It's something we've been planning for since moving last year but it's still crazy to actually get it started.

We sat down Saturday morning to finalize our budget on it and well, the itch was scratched. We've taken a fair amount of time off from house projects but lately my mind has seriously been swirling with house plans. Possibly it's some early nesting but I have a laundry list of things I'd like to get done before July. J's so excited! :)

But in all seriousness, he couldn't wait to get the old bathroom cleaned out. It's high time we got another big project going.

Goodbye original blue tiles (everywhere)!

So, what's the plan? First and foremost, the plan and budget for this bathroom is dramatically different than our master bathroom renovation. Let's be serious, this bathroom will be used by kids most often. So we'll be going with easy to clean/maintain products (read no marble, possibly no granite). And we don't need to change the layout of the bathroom at all, just upgrade everything. So we'll be taking a hands-on approach this time and diy-ing everything we possibly can.

I wrote about our original ideas for the guest bathroom back before we moved in (here). Some of these ideas we're still planning to incorporate but I've decided to change it up a little too.

via

1. Neutral Walls. The bathroom we inherited had crazy stucco-looking walls. Now we know why. During the demo we realized that the previous owners slapped some plaster up over the original wallpapered walls and called it a day. Seriously. Why wouldn't you remove the wallpaper and keep smooth walls? I still love the idea of shiplap walls but clean, smooth walls will be so nice too.

2. Double Sinks. Oh yes, this is still in the plans. I'm currently on the hunt for the perfect, reasonably priced, vanity. And that purchase will determine what we end up using as a top. So many vanities online today come with marble as the stone of choice. In a kids bathroom? No thank you. That is just way too much maintenance for this space. Even granite shows water marks. So this is still something being researched but the easier to maintain, the better. White corian is sounding better and better. 

via

3. Penny Tile Floors. Our original plan included slate floors. I am so happy with the floors in our master bathroom, which have a slate-like look to them. But I've decided to go in the complete opposite direction for our second renovation. I've fallen for the look and feel of penny tiles. Plus, I'm fairly sure these will be easier for us first-time tilers to install.

4. White Shower Surround. We've decided to opt out of tiling in the shower. Instead, we'll be installing a tub that comes with a shower surround. Something like this. After putting some serious thought into this renovation, we've decided this is just the smartest decision for us. Not only will it save us a few dollars that can be used in other home projects (or maybe a vacation?) but it will be so much easier to maintain. No grout lines to scrub? Sounds pretty wonderful to me! But getting a nice, new tub was an absolute necessity! We kinda know that another upgrade will happen in this bathroom well down the line once our kids have grown up. And then, we'll splurge on something nicer.

via

So here, we go. Round 2 in bathroom renovations over here. I'll share updates as we go for sure. Like, how J is getting the original cast iron tub out - think sledgehammer. Oh yes, he's pumped.

And don't worry, with a baby on board, I really won't be doing too much of the heavy lifting. Especially during the demo, the dust was insane so I steered clear. But count me in for the design (obv), painting, and tiling. The slow and steady tasks are more my speed.

Wish us luck!