c/bathroom-remodeling

The tile guy left a level in my wall - should I go back and get it or leave it?

I was remodeling my guest bathroom in Austin last month and the tile installer dropped his 4-foot level into the open wall cavity behind the shower valve. He said he couldn't reach it and we just moved on. Now I'm standing here looking at the drywall patch and wondering if that level is going to rattle around forever or cause some weird issue down the road. My buddy says leave it, it's just a level. But I keep thinking about how it might shift and hit a pipe or something. Has anyone else accidentally sealed something inside a wall and regretted it later or am I overthinking this?

Overheard a contractor say you should never use dark grout on a bathroom floor

After my dark gray grout in my bathroom in Portland has looked perfect for 3 years with zero staining while my neighbor's white grout is already turning yellow, isn't it time we stop acting like light grout is the only option?

Why does everyone tile a bathroom floor with white grout? That's a disaster waiting to happen.

Has anyone else found a grout color that actually stays looking clean for more than a month?

My tile guy told me I was using the wrong grout for a wet shower floor

Switched to epoxy grout after he pointed out how cement-based stuff soaks up moisture and stains in like 6 months - has anyone else had issues with grout cracking in a steam shower?

I finally found a fix for a squeaky shower floor that actually works

I was remodeling my guest bath last month and after laying down new tile, the floor started squeaking like crazy. I thought I messed up the subfloor but turns out it was just the mortar not bonding right in one spot. My neighbor came over and said try drilling a tiny hole and injecting expanding foam under the tile. Worked like a charm and no cracks. Anyone else have a weird fix for creaky bathroom floors?

Unpopular opinion: big soaking tubs are a waste of space

Three years ago I helped a client in Portland rip out a huge jetted tub they used twice, and last week my own remodel made me realize I'd rather have a bigger shower. Anyone else find those tubs just collect dust and soak up cleaning time?

I finally got my new shower valve installed... upside down

Spent last Saturday afternoon swapping out a old Moen valve in my master bath. Got it all soldered in, turned the water back on, and went to test it. The handle would only turn the water to full hot when I pushed it down. Turns out I had the whole cartridge rotated 180 degrees. Had to drain the lines again, pull the cartridge, flip it, and reinstall. Took me an extra 90 minutes just because I didn't double check the orientation first. Has anyone else done something similar with a valve or fixture install?

My contractor said my vent fan was too small. He was right.

Had a 5x5 bathroom. Bought a 50 CFM fan off Amazon. Thought it was fine. Guy came in for the tile work. Said I needed at least 80 CFM for that space. Laughed at me actually. Told me to check the math. He was dead on. Steam just hung there after showers. Mold started on the ceiling paint within 3 months. Swapped it out for a Panasonic 110 CFM. Night and day difference. Anyone else get bad advice from a big box store clerk?

Heard my dad talking about his old bathroom and it made me think

I was over at my parents' place last weekend and my dad was telling my uncle about redoing their main bathroom back in '92. He said they just put in a basic white tub, a single vanity, and some beige tile, and that was considered a full remodel. It cost them about $3,500. Now I'm looking at my own tiny bathroom redo, and just the tile I want is almost that much. It's wild how much the whole idea of a nice bathroom has changed. Anyone else feel like the goalposts for a 'simple' update have moved a mile?

TIL a 3 dollar putty knife from Harbor Freight saved my tile job

Grout haze wouldn't come off after sealing, so I scraped it with the flat edge. Anyone know a better way to avoid that haze in the first place?

My plumber in Phoenix mentioned he never uses a standard shower pan anymore.

He was fixing a leak in my guest bath and said, 'A custom mortar bed with a liner is the only way to guarantee no water gets through.' I'd always just picked the pre-made pans from the big box store without a second thought. Has anyone else made that switch and noticed a real difference in long-term performance?

Finally caved and bought a proper tile saw for my shower project

Honestly, I was cutting everything with a cheap score-and-snap cutter for weeks and it was driving me nuts. The corners were always chipped and nothing fit right. I spent about $300 on a basic wet saw from the hardware store last weekend. Ngl, it felt like a lot at first, but I finished all the shower wall cuts in one afternoon with perfect edges. The difference is crazy. Has anyone else put off buying a specific tool and then been super glad they did?

Pro tip: I heard a plumber say 'tile to the ceiling' and it clicked

I was at the local hardware store last week and overheard a plumber telling a customer to always tile their shower walls all the way to the ceiling, not just to the standard 7-foot mark. He said it costs maybe 15% more in materials but stops moisture damage and looks way more finished. I'm redoing my kids' bathroom now and that one comment made me change my whole plan. It seems so obvious now, but I never would have thought of it. Has anyone else gone full height with their tile and noticed a difference with humidity?

My contractor insisted on a curbless shower drain, and I'm so glad he did.

He said it would be a game changer for aging in place, and after seeing my mom visit last week, he was totally right. Anyone else have a feature they were unsure about that ended up being perfect?

My $300 heated floor mat was a total waste

I put one of those electric floor mats under my new tile, thinking it would be cozy. It worked for about two winters before the heat got really patchy in the middle. The company said fixing it meant pulling up the tile, so now I just have a cold spot. Anyone know a better way to add heat after the fact?

PSA: My plumber told me to skip the bathroom fan because 'the window is enough' and now I have mold.

Why does nobody talk about the gap behind the toilet when tiling?

I finished my main bathroom in March and realized I left a 2-inch gap behind the toilet base because I tiled to the flange, not under it. Now I have to cut tiny filler pieces. Has anyone else dealt with this and have a better method?

PSA: My plumber said my 'waterfall' shower head was a waste and I'm mad he was right

I installed a fancy waterfall shower head last year, thinking it looked amazing. My plumber, Mike, came over to fix something else and straight up said, 'That thing has zero pressure, you're just standing under a drizzle.' I argued but finally swapped it for a standard high-pressure head after a month of weak showers. The difference is insane, I actually feel clean now. Anyone else get talked out of a 'designer' bathroom feature that just didn't work?

Vent: My new walk-in shower pan cracked after just two weeks, and the installer is ghosting me. What now?

My plumber in Denver said a curbless shower is a bad idea for my 1920s house

He told me the floor joists would need major work to get the right slope for drainage, adding at least $3,000 to the job. I always thought they were the modern, accessible choice, but now I'm second-guessing the whole plan. Is the extra cost and structural headache ever worth it for an older home, or should I just stick with a standard shower pan?

Shoutout to my contractor for saving me from a huge mistake

Honestly, I was ready to buy a 36 inch vanity for our main bathroom remodel because it looked perfect online. My guy measured the space and told me we actually had 42 inches to work with, which blew my mind. I never would have known to check for that extra six inches on my own. Has anyone else had a contractor catch a measurement detail that totally changed your plans?

So my tile guy in Austin accidentally set the whole floor on a 15 degree slant

He was laying down these big 12x24 inch porcelain tiles and didn't check his level after lunch, lmao. By the time I got home, the whole bathroom floor looked like a funhouse mirror and drained towards the wall. We had to pull up two full rows, which was like 30 tiles, and redo the mud bed. Anyone else have a contractor make a mistake that wild and how did you handle it?

I finally finished my shower tile and the grout turned a weird color

I was in my master bathroom last Thursday, putting the final touches on the subway tile in my shower. I used a pre-mixed grout that was supposed to dry a light gray. After letting it set for the full 24 hours, it dried with these awful yellow and brown streaks all through it. I called the tile store, and they said it was probably because I used a sponge that was too wet when I washed it. I had to chip out all the grout from the bottom two rows and start over, which took me another whole afternoon. Has anyone else had grout change color like that, and what did you do to fix it?

My plumber friend said to skip the shower niche, but I'm glad I didn't listen

When I redid my main bathroom last fall, a buddy who works in plumbing told me not to bother with a built-in shower niche. He said they always leak and are a pain to tile. He pushed for a corner shelf instead. I thought about it, but really wanted that clean, built-in look. I found a good pre-formed niche online for about $45 and decided to give it a shot. I spent extra time on the waterproofing, using a full sheet membrane behind it and sealing every edge twice. It's been eight months now with daily use, and it's bone dry. The tile work around it was tricky, but having all my shampoo bottles tucked away looks so much better than a shelf. Has anyone else had a plumber or contractor tell them to avoid something that you ended up doing successfully?

Rant: Everyone says to use a 12 inch rough-in for toilets, but I just measured 30 bathrooms and 14 inch was way more common

I'm a painting contractor, but I help my buddy who does remodels with the demo and measuring. We were pricing a job for a whole house redo in a neighborhood built in the 70s. He told me to just assume 12 inch rough-ins for the three bathrooms when ordering the new toilets. I got curious and actually measured the distance from the wall to the center of the floor bolts on every single one. Out of 30 toilets in that neighborhood, 18 of them were actually set at 14 inches. That's over half. It blew my mind because every guide and video acts like 12 inches is the only standard. If I had just listened and ordered three 12 inch toilets, we would have had to move the flange on every single job, adding a ton of time and cost. Now I measure every single time before I even write a quote. Has anyone else run into this, especially in older homes? What's the weirdest rough-in you've actually found?