Before-Afters
The Half
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| Half, Before |
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| Half, After |
The Full
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| Full, Before |
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| Full, After |
Items worth referencing:
- IKEA Wall Cabinet, Godmorgon
- IKEA Mirror Cabinet, Lillangen
- IKEA Sink Cabinet, Godmorgon/Odensvik
- IKEA Bathroom Faucet, Olskar
- American Standard Cadet Enamel Steel
Design Considerations
- Cabinet Heights. In my case, I was doing a complete makeover. The existing pieces were all original, which was oddly short (wasn't just bathroom, closet shelving too). So I took the opportunity to raise the heights a little. Unless you're an NBA player, watch out not to customize it too much. Might be nice for you, but the trade-off means prospects of resale/rent is lessened.
- Sink Cabinet. I highly recommend a pull-out drawer style. I find it utilizes the space underneath the sink the best, maybe not in the sense of total volume consumed, but in the accessibility. Have you ever tried grabbing the stuff from the back? The tradeoff is that non-recessed plumbing might block the full-closure of the drawer. But bathroom plumbing is usually simple enough that you can cut your drawers to accommodate.
From a different bathroom while travelling
Was the inspiration for me to hack my own. - Shower Stall Tiling. By all means, mosaic tiles will accent the shower nicely. In retropsect, I would've used less, likely gone with a simple subway tiling design (like in most kitchens). But it's still hard, because I wanted to make sure the ceiling was covered (poor ventilation necessitates better waterproofing), and the bigger the tile increases the chances of it eventually falling on you.
Optimizations
- Door dampeners. Get 'em if you can. Soft-close everything is nice. The sink cabinet and toilet seat came with it by default. But the two wall cabinets didn't. I find the current IKEA Utrusta dampeners aren't as universal as the now-discontinued Rationells. For one, the Rationells, fit perfectly in the shelf holes of the Lillangens, and for another, they were an easier install into the Godmorgons, relatively speaking (since the install was post-cabinet-assembly). If you can't find the Rationells in your area, it looks like you can find similar ones elsewhere.
- Shelving (half bath). Living in a condo, vertical storage is the name of the game. While I could've used something that matched the style a bit better, I had a spare plastic-cheapo shelf I picked up a while back, that: 1. fit that space's footprint perfectly, 2. provided tall & open shelves to allow me to store a plethora of stuff, 3. wasn't enough of an eyesore to justify a purchase for extra style buy equivalent function.
- Shower Stall Accessories. The old shower used to have a soap tray and grab bar installed, which meant plenty of mould around that area. If you need a grab bar, I guess there's not much alternative (just make sure you thoroughly caulk the coverings). For storage/trays, I prefer caddies a little more. Each have their own trade-offs. Not a fan of the ones that hang off the shower line; that's just asking for wear-and-tear trouble. Suction cups will require calculating load of your tray with the grip the cup can get off the wall (which is less if using grouted tile, especially if it's non-glossy). I've installed a tension bar for a while, but it's fixed nature means it puts pressure/stress on your tub (mine's now slightly dipped), and lends itself to mould (as it's not that easy to squeegee the area). So now I've resorted to a tray that rests on the tub; which requires that your bathtub ledge isn't too narrow, otherwise it'll fall over on you.
Lessons Learned
- Cabinet installations. Make sure the cabinets are properly mounted. No matter how light you think your cabinet might weigh, you shouldn't fix it to just the drywall (if it can't be helped). Especially if it's 30+ year old drywall. I tried to find a good DIY link that incorporates use of a horizontal cross-beam wooden slat (fixed to a stud), but couldn't find one. Most newer cabinets can accomodate (like the IKEA ones). Maybe that'll be my next post...
- Grout. Check your grout lines thoroughly. i.e. make sure there's no holes/gaps left from sloppy grouting (as there were in mine), and that it's treated with grout sealer where appropriate (which, I think, is most scenarios). I put two coats on mine.
- Reno shopping. It's a different type of retail. Chances of discontinuations are greater, IMO. That 2-door Godmorgon cabinet is a prime example. Tiles are another. So be careful about waiting for sales. Leverage (in North America) the 10% price match policies the big box stores usually have (where they price match the competitor, and throw in a 10% discount off that lower price).
- Do not gloss over the process of choosing your Renovator. Even after three separate quotes, checking work references, etc., I still ended up employing two different Reno companies to finish the bathrooms, not to mention the patch-ups I did on my own.
- Importance of post-work retainer: leakages. The ones found from the toilet water line aren't too bad, but they showed up almost immediately, so getting the renovators to come back to patch that up would be faster if they haven't collected 100% of the payment.
There's definitely tons more to write about. When I come up with them, I'll likely write smaller posts rather than append to this one (Inside IT joke: sorta like agile vs. waterfall, badum tssss!). Should make for easier reading.
