BedStuy Reno
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April 14, 2008
200th Posting Spectacular: Lower Level Half Bath!
Unbelievably, this is the 200th (!) posting of the Bed Stuy Reno. I feel like attaching a cheesy 1995-era animated gif of balloons and streamers. But I wouldn't know where to find one, and I'm not sure it's a gif I'm even talking about.
Appropriately, this posting is about tiling. Above is an image set from the Lower Level half bath - you can see the floor prepped and ready for tile, G (on the phone even) preparing the tile and pattern, and then me installing it.
We had fun with this one. G decided to invert our typical field of white hex with black hex making the pattern. Where the star shape is corresponds to the future placement of the little wall-mount corner sink above. And near the toilet, G added a randomly placed Spirit Flower, inspired by one reader's comments in regards to the top floor bathroom tilework. So web 2.0.
Comments
I see exposed brick there I'm assuming is behind the toilet. are you going to leave it exposed? I think that would be awesome if you did. usually I'm not a big fan of exposed brick but I think it can work sometime and I'm thinking that it would be a nice look behind the toilet.
Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 1:59 PM
yes, we are leaving the brick exposed behind the toilet. We're also planning for a crazy color scheme which I will put up a post about.
- Peter (from Bed Stuy Reno)
Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 2:06 PM
200? Whoa!
I really love the black field with white accents.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at April 14, 2008 2:44 PM
Real snazzy- love it- has such a hip feel to it.
Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 3:51 PM
Exposed brick behind toilet. Hmmm... I hope you plan to triple coat it in poly or something non-absorbent. With small boys I can envision all sorts of problems. Trust me, I've been there...
Love the tile though!
Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 8:31 PM
Exposed brick behind toilet. Hmmm... I hope you plan to triple coat it in poly or something non-absorbent. With small boys I can envision all sorts of problems. Trust me, I've been there...
Love the tile though!
Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 8:32 PM
This is my favorite of all your tiling and I'm quite a fan.
Posted by: guest at April 14, 2008 9:08 PM
I'm incredibly envious of the tilework and how the house is coming together as a whole.
Posted by: nosleeptil at April 15, 2008 3:13 PM
It looks beautiful!
Don't want to rain on your parade, but I highly recommend you rethink the exposed brick behind the toilet. I know that in certain municipalities that type of setup is not allowed in restaurants or bars, and for good reason.
every time a male does a #1, there will inevitably be spray ending up on that brick [ladies - aren't we men just disgusting?;)] it doesn't matter how carefully you aim, spray from the bowl is gonna happen and it will not be possible to keep the brick sanitary. not to mention the occasional upchuck that also could spoil an otherwise spotless bath.
one solution is to cover it with a nice thick piece of textured glass that can easily be cleaned and sanitized while still exploiting the visual beauty of the brick.
you should be really proud of yourselves - the tile design is brilliant.
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 3:48 PM
8:31 I thought the same thing. Maybe you need some kind of a "backsplash".
I like your stuff but it does make me think of that HGTV show where hoomeowners buy something new and then come back later to see what the new owners did in their old house. They're always shocked a horrified when someone pulled out all their hard work.
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 4:34 PM
I like 3:48's idea of some sort of textured glass so the brick remains visible, but you avoid staining/cleaning problems with the brick.
Also, personally I would have favored black on white tiling (reverse of what you're doing), but that's just my taste; regardless, I think you've done a beautiful job, and it will look really nice.
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 4:45 PM
I like 3:48's idea of some sort of textured glass so the brick remains visible, but you avoid staining/cleaning problems with the brick.
Also, personally I would have favored black on white tiling (reverse of what you're doing), but that's just my taste; regardless, I think you've done a beautiful job, and it will look really nice.
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 4:46 PM
8:31 here. I think glass wouldn't be good idea either. This *is* the garden level and you may get water bugs stuck back there between the glass and the brick. I'm already getting the willies just imagining it(we had an outbreak of the loathsome things last summer.). Maybe a high gloss paint is the way to go.
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 5:40 PM
Looks great, nice contrast to the other baths with the predominantely white pattern. My suggestion for the brick wall is to use a clear coat gloss like they use to weatherproof the exterior of some brick structures. It might cost a few bucks but it will repell water and stand up to a sponge down while still maintaining the exposed brick. How much could a gallon of that stuff cost?
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 6:46 PM
a sheet of Formica (TM) behind the commode might be nice...
No, but seriously, you do have to think of some way to seal the brick. Plus...all that dusty mortar powder on the dark tile will be aggravating over time and the sand that's in it will get underfoot and the floor will get scuffed more readily.
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 7:19 PM
What happens when the bed-stuy market completely falls apart?...
Are you gilding the nettle?
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 7:21 PM
. . . well, I guess that all depends. What's a nettle?
So I'm hearing that it might be a good idea to seal the brick behind the toilet. I will take it into consideration. The first issue with that is sealed brick (to me) never looks as nice and raw as unsealed brick. I don't like the gloss look, and I don't like how the sealers always seem to darken the brick as well. Any advice?
As for the tile, I personally think this might be my favorite too. G has more in store for this little room, I think I've mentioned it before. I'll post one of her sketches about it soon.
- Peter (from Bed Stuy Reno)
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 8:18 PM
Suggestion for the brick:
Sheetrock the wall, but create openings that reveal to the brick, safely away from the splatter area. You can be quite sculptural and playful with it. I've seen it done in Kotobuki, the Japanese Restaurant on Columbia Pkwy in Red Hook and it is quite handsome. They used the openings as display space and have a spot light in the top to highlight.
Posted by: guest at April 15, 2008 9:19 PM
I would consider painting the brick white with an exterior grade paint. Solves the splatter problem, you still see that it is brick and it is a clean but textured look to go with the black and white tiles. We painted a useless fireplace in the rental apt. in our house white and the effect is nice, kind of a loft look.
Posted by: slopefarm at April 16, 2008 12:23 PM
Jeez Murphy, there's a simple solution to the pee-splash problem. I'm a man living alone, apart from visitors, and I'm not big on unneccesary houswork. I either sit down to pee (if gals can do it so can men) or kneel beside the bowl - it's pretty much urinal height then. Tidy walls, tidy floors!!
Posted by: guest at April 24, 2008 2:23 PM
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