Plastic Paint or Learn to Love Baby Blue Tile?
I have a bathroom full of baby blue tile that is intact but (to my eye, anyway) less than attractive, complete with blue tub and toilet. I’ll be replacing the cheap vanity and upgrading the lighting but I have no budget for retiling and I can’t DIY. I’m renoing my apartment on a shoestring and…
I have a bathroom full of baby blue tile that is intact but (to my eye, anyway) less than attractive, complete with blue tub and toilet. I’ll be replacing the cheap vanity and upgrading the lighting but I have no budget for retiling and I can’t DIY. I’m renoing my apartment on a shoestring and so will have to live with a lot of compromises but this one really grates. With a 5 year horizon, what would be best–learn to love the blue or reglaze the tile?
Also, cleaning up the details makes a huge difference to whether the bath reads as adorable or old and dated. Fix any issues with grout and caulking, discoloration, trim, walls, etc. and the old fixtures will look amazing.
With restoration I feel like there’s a hurdle of about 80%–once 80% of the room is in good repair and clean and shiny the old grungy bits remaining may look like fantastic patina instead of run-down.
That picture BHS posted is adorable. If I saw a bathroom like that, I’d want to move right in.
Black and white wallpaper would also look great. I agree completely with BHS about a black toilet seat and using blue and red and black as accent colors.
I would keep it all. Embrace the look. Don’t change the fixtures. That’s a period medicine cabinet. I have one just like it in the fancier bath in my house from 1919. The less fancy bath, off the “maid’s room” has a wood medicine cabinet. I had the interior painted to make it fresh and clean and it turned out great.
The wall paper and towels ideas are good. Black and red wood look great with the blue and make it more sophisticated. An dramatic asian inspired paper would be great. Get a black toilet seat if you don’t already have one. This bath will look awesome.
Hopefully this will inspire you re colored fixtures.
http://www.rejuvenation.com/advice_ideas/contest/entrant.html?rid=135
I had a somewhat similar situation. The previous owner of my house had renovated the bathroom about 40-50 years ago, I think. I had exactly the same blue 4×4 wall tiles, with pink sink and commode — and a pinkish beige tub. Since all of the fixtures were of top quality at the time and the tub is 6 inches longer than standard and quite deep, I was not anxious to reglaze it. I ended up embracing the blue tiles which were still in very good condition and only needed some re-grouting around the tub. I changed the sink and commode to white (St Thomas pedestal sink and Toto commode), painted the upper wall white with a slight glaze, and use medium brown towels. I also changed the medicine cabinet to a more modern rimless one and put a new fixture over the cabinet. Also changed towel bars, etc to chrome (not so cheap Restoration Hardware). I knew that if I changed the tub, it would mean, in the end, a total rehab and new tile and I just didn’t want to go there. All in all, I really like the look of the bathroom now and so have people who have visited. (By the way, I do not like the black trim in your bathroom. It’s really a depressing bathroom color.)
This is the most constructive set of replies I’ve seen a long time. Reports of the death of the brownstoner community just may be greatly exaggerated!!
brown as suggested is good, but colored towels do fade fast so wash in white vinegar and water first. also consider really darkish grey towels with a blue undertone. and then, a matching but lighter grey shade for paint. would look pretty nice. i find grey undertones for any paint color to make a room look more “expensive.” and, painting is cheap(ish).
i can only see the one picture that mainly shows mirrors but I LOVE a 30’s bathroom and would see that as a plus if you just change up a few things as suggested above (toilet etc.). Perhaps embrace that element and work with it.
those tiles are hideous, I don’t blame you for getting depressed every time you look at them.
Re-glaze the tub and while they are it get them to reglaze the tiles. No biggie.