# 1949 Bathroom needs a facelift



## chigundo (Apr 27, 2009)

For these types of bathrooms with thick mortar beds and metal sheets, is the consensus to strip the wall to the studs and start over? Tub is in decent shape and could just use a re-glazing I think... toilet & sink are fine too.. just everything else needs to go. Shower is too small as well.. is it possible to gain a few inches in there if we strip out the old mortar bed and go with new tile? 

My inclination is to try everything myself and leave the shower to the pros.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

chigundo said:


> For these types of bathrooms with thick mortar beds and metal sheets, is the consensus to strip the wall to the studs and start over?


Only on jobs where the tile and fixtures are damaged...
and genuinely need to be removed.



> My inclination is to try everything myself and leave the shower to the pros.


My inclination is to leave it alone. 
It looks like a perfect time capsule to me. 

If you are genuinely unhappy with this...
build another *modern dimensioned* Master Bath somewhere else.
Or move.

hth


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## Beepster (Oct 19, 2009)

Ah, green tile. Ours is baby blue. I have seen pink and peach colored ones in houses in our neighborhood of similar vintage. That is next winter's project. This winter is get the basement finished so we have a bathroom while that project is in process.

Yeah, you can tear down to the studs and build a modern bathroom, maybe even reconfigure it. Just understand what all is involved in this. Wifey thought we could move the toilet to a different location. It is on a cast iron riser attached to a cast iron stack. No way that is moving.

Understand a down to the studs rehab is timely, costly if you are hiring out, and sometimes mind numbing when you discover what is underneath.

B


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## titanoman (Nov 27, 2011)

I couldn't tear into that nice bath.

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy S2


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## ratherbefishing (Jan 13, 2011)

I like that one. I'd keep it and build another one. Might wanna call a local custon shower door company and check into a frameless door to modernize the shower.


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## mae-ling (Dec 9, 2011)

I kinda agree but understand if you want a change.
Wife just looked over my shoulder she said "Wow, keep it" lol


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

I've done two full bathroom guts in houses of the same vintage. Neither looked nearly as nice as yours does. One was entirely pink (tub, sink, tile, floor, everything) and the other was just in bad shape and needed to be redone. The stuff used on walls in those days is nasty - no matter what you do, the dust from it will be everywhere. Were I you, I wouldn't touch what you have - it's pretty nice.

That said, assuming at least one wall is an exterior one, what is the house built of? One of mine was a block house. There was no insulation or vapor barrier, and significant mold, behind the plaster on the exterior wall.


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## AndyGump (Sep 26, 2010)

At first I agreed with some of the posters that said it looked fine but in having looked a bit closer it seems there are a lot of little things that are goofy that all add up to 'tear it out'.

There is a towel holder in the bath area?

Curtain rod in the bath for another shower?

Ugly black tile trim.

And now the green tile looks ugly to me.

Fixtures are nice though.

Andy.


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## titanoman (Nov 27, 2011)

That's all I don't like, is the black tile.

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy SII


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## mae-ling (Dec 9, 2011)

I like the black trim.
But what matters is what the OP likes.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

mae-ling said:


> I like the black trim.
> But what matters is what the (wife of the) OP likes.


minor fix.
I like the black accent as well.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Ours was what I always described as a Easter bathroom. The painted portion was Periwinkle, tile was Ducky Yellow. Only reason we gutted, was due to water leaking at the tub, where the faucets and shower were, along with the grout was in really bad shape. Did I state that the tile was Ducky Yellow color.

Gone now,. I though would have loved to have your bath. If the sink area is large enough to get a 30" vanity in there, that would probably be one of the only changes, along with making sure that the walls are water tight at the shower area, and grout is in good shape.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

gregzoll said:


> ...If the sink area is large enough to get a 30" vanity in there, that would probably be one of the only changes...


That's how those slippery slopes start. Keeping an era room as it exists... really means using the room as it was designed to be used. 

In this case that means not using THIS room for much of anything more than what must be done at a sink (or toilet or shower); and to not clutter up the space with duplicated toiletry products.


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## chigundo (Apr 27, 2009)

Thanks for all your responses... the cost to have it done is enough to make me try to love it if I can keep it as clean as it was when those pictures were taken..

I talked to a shower door company and prices seemed to hover in the $700-$1000 range, seemed high.

Also, speaking of shower... I was looking closer at the floor... how in the hell is this not leaking or showing any water signs on the ceiling downstairs??

















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