Bathroom Remodeling

There are quite a few reasons that bathroom projects are the most often botched aspects of a home remodel.  Besides having precious little real estate to work with, no other room in the house is as exposed to one of a home’s most dangerous foes: water.  Going for a homerun on the design of a bath often means that the construction basics are given too little attention, or even glossed over entirely.  This is a recipe for disaster in the long run, as any bath that is not adequately built with the effect of water in mind will demand fixing in the years to come.

Several mistakes such as this come up again and again, giving homeowners hours of headaches down the road.  Below I have outlined my top four that everyone should take care to avoid when planning out a new master bath:

1. Inadequate waterproofing:  You should understand that first and foremost, bathrooms are going to be the wettest rooms in your house.  With this in mind, every detail of your planning, including design, should take this fact into account.  If a single badly made piece fails you can have major damage that soon migrates to the rest of the room and sometimes your entire home as well.  For this reason cheap materials should be avoided.  Never go for inexpensive materials such as MDF and particleboard as they are not meant to last in this type of environment.  Fixtures also will wear out before their time if they are made of cheap materials covered with a shiny veneer to make them appear nice (I have outlined a few tips in choosing good fixtures from my years of work remodeling Santa Monica bathrooms in a previous article). In this category I would put thinly plated metal fixtures, cheap veneered cabinetry, and most laminate counters.

Conversely, think of durable and natural materials as your tried and tested friends.  Stone, glass block, and hardwoods last and look far superior to their cheaper substitutes.  Although you may hesitate to put hardwood in the bathroom, with the proper installation it can be an exceptional choice that proves more durable than synthetics.  Here’s some more info on bathroom countertops to help you out.

2. Inadequate floor traction:  Remember that if you desire a shiny, glossy floor you are begging to slip and slide on your bathroom floor.  Glossy tile is known to cause falls in addition to being hard to maintain as they show every blemish and defect.  Porous tumbled stone or a natural tile gives great traction and is far more forgiving as time wears on.  In addition, simply choosing a smaller tile size will give you better footing as there will be more grout joints to provide traction.  In showers, small tile is a good choice for this reason also.

3. Inadequate or non-existent natural light:  If you don’t mind your bath being murky and uninviting, than a lack of natural light won’t be a problem.  But you would be surprised how far a little natural light can make the room far more comfortable and inviting. If your options are scarce consider using etched glass or glass block interior windows to carry in light from an adjoining room that has exterior windows.  Skylights are great for this purpose also.

4. Bad layout planning: In a room where space is at a premium, it is of the utmost importance to properly lay out your work.  Small errors that occur during installation can lead to glaring problems with tile layouts.  But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as you can also find yourself not meeting code minimums if you don’t properly measure before purchasing your fixtures.  To ensure a successful installation, measure multiple times with care before materials are brought in.  And take the time to make drawings and templates to help you visualize the job.

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