Makeover Magic: Stage Style for an All-New 1920s Toilet
January 29, 2019
The first materials in user jons112’s guest toilet certainly were not his style, but the timber subfloor underneath the obsolete tile posed a much greater problem: decades of water damage from damaged cast iron plumbing. He hired a builder to completely gut the small bathroom and give him a blank slate. Having a $9,000 budget, he also turned into the once-dingy yellow and brown tiled space into a classic and bright guest toilet that still matches the fashion of his 1923 home.
Job: Remodel of a small bathroom in Tampa, Florida
Size: 5 by 7 feet
Period: 3 weeks
Price: $9,000
AFTER: jons112 hired a builder and completed the complete renovation in around three weeks. Everything, including the first plaster walls, has been replaced. Jons112 picked his new materials based on the house’s age and original style. “I needed a look that made the space appear first, despite being updated,” he says.
Sconce: Restoration Hardware; sink: Porcher Lutezia; bathroom: Kohler Memoirs
Before Photo
BEFORE: Most of the materials in this toilet appeared to be unique to the house. “When I moved , it was obvious that the shower faucets had been leaking for quite some time, resulting in what I expected to be significant water damage,” says jons112.
AFTER: At 5 feet, the toilet had a tiny distance where the sink could move. Jons112 chosen for a classic-looking blend of a pedestal sink and medicine cabinet, instead of a standard vanity, to save space. “Because this is a guest bath, I feel this minimum storage will operate,” he says.
Faucet: Kingston Brass; mirrored medicine cabinet: Pottery Barn
Before Photo
BEFORE: The bathroom’s water harm meant that jons112 had to put in a fresh wood subfloor and a fresh floating concrete floor.
The yellow and brown tile has been first to the home, but the colors felt out of place with the rest of the property’s look and made the space feel drab.
AFTER: Contrasting grey, white and black look clean and crisp in the new bathroom. Jons112 set up beadboard on the lower half of the wall so that the darker grey wouldn’t overpower the space.
Saving money on inventory tile from Lowe’s and a steel tub through his builder permitted jons112 to splurge on a mirrored medicine cabinet from Pottery Barn, and on towel bars and a light fixture from Restoration Hardware.
Wall paint: Sweatshirt Gray, Benjamin Moore
Before Photo
BEFORE: The original cast iron plumbing had to be substituted, but the rest of the shower simply needed cosmetic changes.
AFTER: White subway tiles to your shower and pinwheel tiles to the floor provided the starting point for the rest of the bathroom’s materials.
Shower tile: 3 6, American Olean; shower fittings: Delta
Even though the easy color scheme falls in accordance with the bathroom’s period fashion, jons112 also wanted something to match the decoration of the guest bedroom next door.
Flooring tile: pinwheel style, American Olean
Jons112 framed a photo from a holiday for a simple, personal touch.