c/bathroom-remodeling

Paid $400 for a heated floor and it was worth every penny

I remodeled my main bath in January and splurged on electric radiant heat mats under the tile. The floor stays warm even when the furnace kicks off, and my wife stopped complaining about cold feet. Has anyone tried the hydronic systems instead of electric for bigger bathrooms?

Debate: Should you tear out old tile or tile right over it?

I ran into this old timer at a hardware store in Denver who swore tiling over existing tile is fine if you prep it right. But I've also had a contractor tell me it's just asking for moisture problems down the road. Which side do you land on?

Had to choose between a walk-in shower and a tub for our master bath redo

My wife wanted a soaking tub, but I pushed for a zero-entry walk-in shower since we're not getting any younger. Ended up going with a tile shower with a built-in bench and a handheld sprayer. It took about 3 weeks longer than expected, but honestly I love not having to step over a tub wall. Anyone else regret going with a tub that barely gets used?

Serious question, did grout really not need sealing back in the 80s?

Pulled up the old tile in my rental's bathroom last week. Found a note from the original installer from 1987 saying 'no seal needed, this grout is different.' Took a picture of it. Is that true or was that guy just cutting corners back then?

Shoutout to the old pine subfloor under my 1980s bathroom tile

I finally tore out the bathroom floor in my 1950s house last weekend. Underneath two layers of linoleum and a 1980s ceramic tile job I found the original 1x6 pine planks. They were stained but solid as a rock, no rot or soft spots anywhere. My buddy who helped me said that lumber was milled from old growth trees and you just don't see that quality in modern OSB or plywood. Has anyone else found something surprisingly good under a bathroom floor that made you stop and appreciate the old work?

Visited a friend's new bathroom and hated the tile choice everyone loves

I drove over to my buddy's place in Portland last weekend to check out his brand new bathroom reno. He went with those big hexagon mosaic tiles (the ones everyone on Instagram seems to swear by) and honestly, they looked cheap in person. The pattern just made the small floor feel busier instead of bigger. Has anyone else noticed that trendy tile choices don't always translate well from photos to a real bathroom?

Hit the 50 pound mark on my subfloor pour and it totally changed my approach

I was doing a small bathroom remodel in a 1960s house and the subfloor was trashed. I figured I'd just pour some self leveler and be done, but I ended up needing 50 pounds of it for a 5x7 room. That number caught me off guard because I always underestimated how much material actually fills the dips. Now I always overestimate by at least 20% just to be safe. Anyone else get humbled by a concrete pour that seemed way too small?

Overheard my contractor say that heated floors are a waste unless you tear out the old subfloor first

I’ve got a small 5x8 bathroom and can’t decide if that money would be better spent on a nicer vanity instead.

The day I stopped tiling the way my dad taught me 20 years ago

I grew up watching my dad do bathrooms, always starting tile from the corner and working outward. Took me about 15 years of remodeling in Seattle before I realized that method left me with skinny cuts at the tub or doorway every single time. Finally watched a guy on a job site in 2019 snap a chalk line down the center of the wall and lay out spacers first to check. He showed me how shifting the whole layout just a half inch either way could save me from those tiny slivers of tile at the edges. Now I always dry lay the bottom row and mark reference lines before I mix any thinset. Cut my waste down from about 15 percent to maybe 5 percent per job. Has anyone else had to unlearn an old habit from a relative and find a better way?

Discovered an old shower valve behind the tile last Wednesday in my own house

I started demo on my 1980s bathroom in Phoenix and found the original shower valve was buried behind two layers of tile. Had to cut into the wall three times before I realized the previous owner just tiled over everything instead of removing the old gear. Anyone else run into lazy shortcuts like that from past remodels?

Changed my mind about curbless showers after seeing my neighbor's bill

I was dead set on a curbless shower for my reno until my neighbor Mike showed me his $4,200 invoice just for the linear drain and extra waterproofing on his. That number stopped me cold. Now I'm going with a standard 4 inch curb and a $120 center drain instead. Anyone else have their budget get reset by seeing someone else's actual costs?

Wasted $400 on a no-name vanity off Facebook Marketplace

So I bought this vanity from some random guy on Facebook Marketplace for $400 last month. He said it was "barely used" but when I opened the box the drawers were all warped and the finish was peeling off the sides. Took me 3 weekends to realize I couldn't fix it and had to toss the whole thing in the dumpster. Anyone else had bad luck trying to save money with used bathroom furniture?

Just realized I don't actually hate my bathroom layout

I was talking to my brother-in-law last weekend while he helped me rip out the old tub. He pointed out that I kept complaining about the shower being too small, but the room itself is fine. He measured it and said if I just swap the toilet and sink positions, I could fit a 48 inch shower base without moving any walls. That conversation saved me about $2,000 in demolition work I was planning. Has anyone else found a simple layout change that made a bigger difference than gutting everything?

I regret spending $600 on a heated floor system for my small bathroom

I remodeled my master bath last summer and went all in on electric radiant floor heating. Cost me $600 for the mats, thermostat, and labor to wire it in. Two months later I realized I only use it maybe 3 times a month during winter. The bathroom is small, like 30 square feet, so the tile doesn't even get that cold. I could have just put in a $20 rug and been fine. Now I'm stuck with extra wiring in the wall I don't need. Anyone else throw cash at a fancy feature they barely touch?

Watched a tiler in Spokane fix my crooked bathroom floor in 20 minutes

I was two days into ripping out the old vinyl in my guest bath and the subfloor had this dip near the shower drain. A local tiler named Dave came by to give a quote and he just grabbed a bag of self-leveler and poured it right there. He said I was overthinking everything. The floor came out dead flat. Has anyone else saved time by just calling a pro for advice instead of guessing?

I finally gave up on marble tile after talking to a plumber in Denver

Last month I was dead set on marble for my shower walls. Then this old plumber at Ferguson in Denver showed me a marble shower floor he'd just ripped out that was totally eaten away around the drain. He said acidic shampoos and cleaners do that over time, and marble is just too soft for a daily shower. He talked me into porcelain that looks like marble and I'm glad he did. Has anyone else switched materials mid-remodel after talking to a pro?

TIL my 75 year old neighbor has been retiling her own bathroom for 30 years

Showerthought: That time I flooded my own bathroom floor at 11 PM

I was replacing the old brass shower drain in my 1920s house in Portland last fall. Got the drain out fine, but when I went to tighten the new PVC one, the pipe in the wall just snapped clean off. Water started gushing out from the open pipe behind the wall, and I was standing there with a wet towel trying to stuff it in. Took me 20 minutes to find the shutoff valve hidden behind a panel in the basement. Ended up calling a emergency plumber at midnight, cost me $350 just to get them to stop the leak and cap it. Has anyone else dealt with old galvanized pipes crumbling on them mid-project?

Talked to a plumber about my shower pan slope and he changed my whole plan

I was over at my buddy's house helping him with his bathroom reno last weekend. He had this old plumber there, guy named Frank who's been doing it for like 40 years. I told him I was planning my own remodel and wanted to do a tiled shower with a linear drain. He just laughed and asked if I knew about the 2% slope rule. I thought I did but then he explained how even a tiny dip can let water sit and cause mold. He showed me a level on a pan he was setting up and it was dead flat. Said he sees people mess this up all the time and having to rip it out later. I went home and checked my plans and yep, I had it wrong. Has anyone else had a pro point out something simple that saved you a big headache? What else do first timers miss?

Talked to a plumber about PVC glue fumes last week. Hit different.

Was helping my buddy with his master bath reno in Memphis. His plumber came by to check the vent stack. Saw us gluing ABS pipes without masks. He stopped and said 'you know that stuff can mess up your brain over time right?' I laughed it off at first. But then he told me about a guy he knew who did residential work for 20 years and ended up with memory issues. No hard proof but still. Made me think about all the times I got lightheaded and just shrugged it off. Now I'm looking at those big fan rentals for indoor work. Has anyone else had a doctor tell them to be careful with solvent fumes?

My father-in-law swore by plastic sheeting behind showerboard, I thought he was nuts

My father in law is this old school carpenter who did tons of bathroom work back in the 80s. When I was gutting my guest bath last fall he kept telling me to put up 6 mil poly sheeting behind the cement board, even over the vapor barrier in the insulation. I figured it was overkill and just taped the seams on the insulation like I read online. Well 4 months later I started noticing a musty smell and a little dark spot near the base of the shower. Pulled the bottom row of tile off and the cement board was damp on the back side, no mold yet but it was heading there. So I ripped it all out and did it his way with the poly sheet stapled right over the studs before the board went up. That was 8 months ago and it's bone dry in there now. Anyone else run into that debate about double vapor barriers in a bathroom?

My tiling nightmare with a level that lied to me

I was retiling my shower in Austin and used a 4-foot level I'd had for years. Turned out it was off by about 1/8 inch across the span, so my rows started drifting downward. By the time I noticed, I had to pull up 3 rows of brand new subway tile and start over. Has anyone else had a tool go bad on them mid-project without warning?

Don't cheap out on moisture barrier like I did

Ngl, I tried to save $40 by using regular plastic sheeting for the vapor barrier behind my shower wall. After 3 months in my Reno bathroom remodel, I noticed mold creeping through the grout lines. Learned the hard way that you gotta use proper 6-mil poly sheeting or you'll be tearing it all out again. Anyone else make this mistake or am I the only one?

Just hit $7,500 on my master bath reno and I'm not even done with the demo

I was trying to keep this whole remodel under $10k but here I am at $7,500 already and I haven't even picked out tile yet. The plumber alone cost me $1,200 just to move the shower drain over 18 inches. I guess I didn't realize how fast those little things like permits and new shutoff valves add up. Has anyone else blown past their budget before they even got to the fun part?

The grout color difference between my morning and afternoon shower tiles was wild

Picked a warm gray for the grout last month but after a full day of natural light it looked straight up purple near the window. Has anyone else had grout colors shift like that depending on the time of day?