A Coney Island Bathroom Makeover Fit for King Neptune

Our second bathroom is FINISHED! This month marks the one-year-anniversary of the purchase of our new home, and the anniversary of us surviving 12 months of life in a two-bedroom apartment (with three kids!) following the sale of our jumbo-sized Queen Anne home in Ditmas Park.

When we bought the beach house last summer, we were thrilled by many things about it: the stunning view, the marble fireplace mantel and, yes, even the lucky find of a full bathroom on the attic level. But with that bath’s dark floral wallpaper, a badly cracked floor and a toilet that hadn’t flushed in over 30 years, we knew it’d be a full gut.

It also happened to be the only bathroom with a view of the water, so I was really looking forward to it becoming something less skeevtastic. Initial dialogue with contractors centered around simply replacing the existing toilet, sink and tub.

But once I discovered an enchanting little blue tile at Brooklyn’s Decor Planet, I knew I was heading to Mermaidville on a magical cloud of fairy dust.

Enchanting little blue tile.

Above, the original third floor (attic) bath before renovation. It is the only bathroom with a view of the ocean. Clearly our predecessors did not know which way to face a toilet.

The super old toilet had to go. And the awesome clawfoot tub was 86’d as well, but not to the trash. Instead, we decided to have the tub reglazed so that it could join the party downstairs in the master bathroom. Get ready, we’re about to peel back the layers on this baby slow and sexy-like.

Demolition starts. Step 1, above: Toilet, gone.

Step 4 (we’re leaving out 2 and 3): Old pipes, gone. Water leak much, anyone?

Step 5: KABOOM.

Just… I can’t.

Our neighbor’s house getting a reboot with new steel beams.

We found lots to salvage for our own house.

Step 6: Hoover up the cement and we’re almost down to the studs.

Steps 7 through 82: And, there are the studs (and the floor joists)! Oh — also  rip out all the old electric, old water pipes, old waste pipes, sister those beams in the floor, then install radiant subfloor heating.

Step 83: Replace old windows with nice, new, side-to-side sliders. (And note the new brick wall, yonder!)

Step 942: Add sheetrock to the walls and ceiling.

Step Fresh Air: Install light with a vent, because, you know…

Step Whatev: Call new tile crew over to begin installation, only to have them say they’re not able to start because they don’t install wonderboard.

Step I-Hope-You’re-Still-Reading: Make 80 phone calls, get the rest of the (*^$#+@!) sheetrock intalled.

And at this point our neighbor’s house is almost complete.

But, if you lean just the right way, you still have this amazing view. The beach is being rebuilt by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, so it’s a fascinating and ever-changing view of boulders, sand and construction vehicles.

The I-hope-I-ordered-enough-material moment of panic. In this case, pebbles, for the shower floor.

Time to tile, finally! I’m loving this fresh, clean wall!

So excited about that wavy edge! But upon further inspection, the more interesting thing in this photo is that the tile installer is standing on the high gloss 12-by-24 porcelain tile whilst balancing atop a bucket. #likeaboss #balanceonfleek

Floor installation time! For the main floor I chose a travertine stone in a basketweave pattern. The shower area is really taking shape.

These 50 shades of gray look so good next to the high gloss white walls: monochromatic, quiet.

And the shower’s pebbles and the floor’s polished stone go beautifully together. It’s unbelievable how many options there are for any tile you have in mind. Because I was tiling three bathrooms, a sunroom, a large foyer and a laundry/wet room, I spent many, many hours exploring everything available on the market today.

It’s definitely a plus to see the choices in person, pair them up and then take your time. Brooklyn’s Decor Planet on McDonald Avenue is filled with a beautiful display of their mind-blowingly large inventory.

There are dozens of well-appointed walk-in bathroom vignettes and large display boards on a wall of door hinges for easy viewing. It makes the process a pleasure — no matter how many times you show up and change your mind!

Ultimately, I chose the above basketweave mosaic because I just loved the contemporary use of gray, the more modern feel of a large-scale pattern, and the wood-grained striations in the travertine. Overall, it was just a sexy look that I knew I wanted to utilize somewhere.

And, I chose the pebbles based on their rounded river-rock shape, and their very beachy hues of beige, cream and gray.

This little stunner is what made the earth stand still for me. I saw it on a wall in the showroom and knew I had to make it mine! Despite being such a swimming pool blue, it comes from actual shells, and therefore has earthy browns and grays in it too, which make it work well next to the pebbles. Here’s to jumping off the deep end…

Phew! What a relief to see it on the wall looking so fine. It totally works.

The tile setters had to build up the thinset behind the blue to bring it flush with the surface of the thicker white porcelain, but other than that it was an easy install — even with special custom cuts. I explained to the tile installer my crazy idea for waves, and before I knew it he had the side wall cut and installed!

These guys are good. But, I didn’t exactly want cookie-cutter symmetry in the design, more of a rolling, random look that varies in height and length. Once I explained that to him, the remaining sections were beautifully and randomly done!

It’s funny, he was really surprised that I did not want perfectly uniform waves, saying most others would have been really upset if things were not super even. Ha!

And, finally, the completed installation:

And that’s a wrap on the walk-in shower! Just a few things left to do: Order the glass for the shower wall, install the fixtures, etc. The toilet is being relocated to the right side, between the shower and the sink.

And finally, one last parting glance from before:

Parting is such sweet victory!

And the new look, below.  (*Shower may appear larger than in real life due to the incredibly small children inside.)

Sea Gate Reno Coverage [Brownstoner]

Our Sea Gate reno series documents the renovation of a 100-year-old oceanfront home on the edge of Coney Island. Our intrepid blogger can also be found at Brooklyn Beach House.