Category: Small Bathroom

For Grouting That Appears Its Very Best, 3 Crucial Steps

For Grouting That Appears Its Very Best, 3 Crucial Steps

If the only idea you’ve given to grout is what color it should be, you might have a nasty surprise down the road. There’s a lot to think about: A great grout job can save a poor tile installation, and also a poor grout job could ruin a great tile installation.

for grout to be installed well, the tile and substrates will need to be installed well, too. Make sure that your tile is suitable for showers — I have seen a growing trend of poorly made tiles sold in sheets which aren’t suitable for a wet environment.

Some sheet tiles use pressed paper as one of the reinforcement substances; others use sterile adhesives — both split with exposure to water. Everything in your shower must accompany the proper Tile Council North America (TCNA) or Terrazzo, Tile and Marble Association of Canada (TTMAC) specifications.

It sounds frightening, but do not get intimidated — three easy measures will help make sure that your grouting will be successful and that your new shower will function superbly.

Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B

1. Find the Right Type of Grout

Choosing the right grout has a lot to do with your tile’s recommendations.

Cement grouts are inclined to be more affordable and are easier to work with, but many require a sealant. This grout comes in sanded and unsanded models to work with different grout joint widths.

Calculate how much grout you want exactly and then receive a security net of 25 to 50 percent greater. If multiple bags are wanted, always blend all of the cement collectively prior to mixing the first batch to get an even grout color all throughout your bathroom.

Hint: Be careful when working with tiles like glass. Test grouts on a sample board to be sure you own a grout that will not scrape the tile face.

Mark English Architects, AIA

Epoxy grouts are more expensive but extremely durable. Laticrete SpectraLock Pro — a fantastic line of epoxy grout — is chemical and stain resistant and comes in many colours. These grouts also offer greater flexibility for thermal growth. Your bathroom’s structure expands and shifts with changes in temperature and humidity, and also a flexible grout helps accommodate these changes.

Hint: Flexibility is a particularly important concern if the room experiences extreme temperatures changes, such as if it’s big windows which let in different amounts of light and warmth when the seasons shift.

Mark English Architects

If you are using wood in your bathroom, like in this installment, consider the transition between tile to wood when choosing your grout.

Considering both the tile and wood will expand and contract with temperature changes, a small expansion area is ideal. Many companies have matching caulking (like silicone or Dap) because of this. Be careful, because not all of these color-matched caulks are suitable from the shower or another wet zone. I personally like to stay with silicone at the shower and depart color-matched caulks to places which are not exposed to water.

MP DESIGN

Many pros advise against making a custom color mix, because it can cause future repairs tricky. I think that is problematic, and habit grout colours can be worth the investment when you’ve got a picture of your dream bathroom set in mind.

For any reason, it’s almost impossible to find plain classic white grout. It’s so hard to find that the more quickly you’re delighted with marginally off-white, the earlier your pursuit for white grout will finish.

My favorite white grout is Mapei’s Quick Placing Ultra Color Plus.

Hint: Epoxy grouts could fade in direct exposure to sun. In case you’ve got a lot of natural light in your bathroom, a lighter shade may discolor with time. A cementious grout might be a better option for these types of installations.

Before Photo

By Any Design Ltd..

2. Grout Your Sample Board

Mark English, a San Francisco architect, spoke with me about his approach to grouting. Like many professionals, English makes sure to utilize sample boards prior to any installation. The grout and tile are all ready on a plank and submitted to the customer for approval.

Sample boards are all vital for security, durability and aesthetics. In case you haven’t seen your tile with a grout sample, then you won’t know whether you’ll even like the spacing between the tiles when it’s grouted — grout joints often look bigger when a tile has a beveled or eased edge.

Michael Tauber Architecture

3. Let From the Light

A perfect tile and grouting project deserves great lighting to show it off. Shown here is a gorgeous accent light attribute — a easy downlight like this could be a ideal bathroom nightlight with a dimmer. But when the tile and grouting were less than ideal, this downlight would just highlight poor tiling abilities.

I adore layered mild in baths. But each light source subjects a finished tile project to different levels and directions of light, potentially highlighting a tile installation defect or inferior grouting job.

If possible, have all of these light sources exercised prior to grouting, and also have each one of your windows cleaned together with the protective picture outside removed. This will aid your grouters prevent any errors which may be missed in poor light.

Hint: Grouting is one of the very last steps in a bathroom renovation. It shouldn’t be rushed, because the tile installation needs time to dry until the grouting is finished. Pushing your grouting before the finish gives your tile installation more time to heal.

In case this is not feasible, self-curing (rapid-drying) setting substances must be specified.

More: Top 10 Tips for Choosing Shower Tile

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Bathed in Color: Favorite Yellows and Golds for Your Toilet

Bathed in Color: Favorite Yellows and Golds for Your Toilet

From light hearted, soft buttery yellows to bold, zingy citrus colors, yellow is a happy color that can bring energy and warmth to a room. It is a particularly wise color choice for those who reside in cold climates or where sunshine is in short supply — you can pretend it with a hot, sunny colour on the wall. But be aware that greenish yellows are not the most flattering color for many skin tones, thus consider encompassing yourself at a warmer colour that veers more toward orange. Paler yellows work nicely as neutrals, so they can be paired with a number of other colors. Bolder yellows look fantastic with contrasting cooler neutrals, such as grays and background blues. Golden yellows used with warm neutrals, such as beige and tan, can make a relaxed, beachy vibe.

Below are a handful of my yellowish paint color picks for bathrooms, combined with nine knockout bathrooms that use yellow.

Jennifer Ott Design

Pure yellowish can be rather extreme, so if you want a bold yellow hue in your bathroom, start looking for colors that have a orange or green in them, which helps give the color more dimension. It’s also a good idea to paint large-size samples (at least twice by 4 feet) of a couple yellows you enjoy, because what looks pleasing on a small swatch can cause sorrow on a larger scale.

Yellow paint picks for bathrooms (clockwise from top left):
1. Italian Straw 11-3, Pratt & Lambert Paints
2. Pineapple Delight 211-3, Pittsburgh Paints
3. Chiffon KM3498-1, Kelly-Moore Paints
4. Touch of Sunshine 082-2, Mythic Paint
5. Lively Yellow SW6702, Sherwin-Williams
6. Lemon Curd 3007-2A, Valspar
7. Lightning Bug 340, Benjamin Moore
8. Bicycle Yellow 370A-3, Behr

Costa Marble & Granite

That is a pleasing color of yellowish — mild enough to permit the exquisite pendant lighting fixture and honey-colored onyx countertop to take center stage while still adding a bit of color to the room. For those who like light-colored interiors but do not necessarily wish to go all white or would like an alternative to beige, a gentle yellowish such as this is your color.

Buttrick Wong Architects

I find bright yellowish colors the toughest to get right — it is all too easy to end up with a headache-inducing neon. So I have a tendency to opt for more of a orange-yellow when moving bold. This wall shade is a great example of such a color. And I like how the wall-washing lighting makes it shine.

Corynne Pless

I am a huge fan of penny tiles, and these in a rich golden hue are fantastic. They’re a charming alternative to the more utilitarian subway tile.

Robert Nebolon Architects

That is such a cool shower enclosure and doorway that I almost missed the fun yellowish shade on the restroom cabinet. This colour of pure vibrant yellow is presently a popular choice for both the interior and exterior of houses.

Allen-Guerra Architecture

Here is a much bolder and brighter yellow. My guidance if coping with such a hue is to deal with it like artwork — a little goes a very long way, and too much can be overwhelming and difficult to look at and appreciate. This particular highlighter yellow tile could be too much, for me anyway, if it was used on all four walls. In smaller segments, however, it is superb.

Additionally, I inspire homeowners to have fun with color in rooms that aren’t used often or for long intervals. So while this room would not be particularly relaxing to take a long tub soak in, it is a fantastic color palette to get a kids’ bathroom, guest bathroom or powder room.

Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs

I’ve been using plenty of yellowish and bluish grey in projects lately because I enjoy how they contrast each other without seeming overly active or overdone. There is a nice crispness to the combination, especially when a tiny white is added to the mixture.

Gelotte Hommas Architecture

Now this is a toilet made for taking a long soak in. The soft butter yellow walls blended with white and the signature of light grey in the Carrara marble flooring form an extremely soothing and soothing palette.

Miller Interior Design, LLC

Another example of how bold colors on the wall can serve double duty like artwork. And the great thing about painting this kind of vibrant color area on the ceiling or walls is how economical it’s to do, and you can either change out or cover it easily in the future. Those pendants additionally add an excellent burst of happy color.

Neiman Taber Architects

Here is how to get a satisfying shore vibe in the bathroom. Muted yellows and light sandy browns make it a relaxed, easy-to-be-in area. It is a great classic look that would appeal to many — ideal for a guest toilet.

Inform us Bold or mellow — how do you enjoy your yellowish?

More:
When to Use Blue at the Toilet
When to Utilize Green at the Toilet

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Jumbled Style Goes Vintage Chic in a D.C. Bathroom Makeover

Jumbled Style Goes Vintage Chic in a D.C. Bathroom Makeover

Beneath this toilet’s previous painted subway tile, purple vinyl floors and dark red walls lurked a mishmash of plumbing and electrical problems, and a rotted joist below the bathroom. With the help of local professionals, Megan Adams and her husband gutted this outdated bathroom in their Washington, D.C., row house and started from scratch. Approximately $10,000 and a month of construction resulted in a clean, timeless and effective layout.

Job at a Glance
What: Complete bathroom remodel
Location: Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Size: 40 square feet
Budget: About $10,000

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

The bathroom doesn’t get a lot of natural lighting, therefore Adams needed a light wall color. She started out with yellowish, but the bright color didn’t feel right in the room. She finished up with a cool, neutral grey instead.

Wall paint: Twilight, Behr; sink, tub: vintage, Second Chance; bathroom: Highline, Kohler

Before Photo

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

BEFORE: The bathroom looked extra little because of the dark red hue. The painted-over subway tile, purple vinyl floor tiles and sloppy-looking ceiling might have called for a complete overhaul by themselves, but more harmful structural issues demanded immediate and skilled care. The beam beneath the bathroom had rotted to the point at which the bathroom had started to sink underneath the floor. Electrical complications from the walls and the necessity to replace the main water heater also cut into the budget.

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

AFTER: From the toilet’s new design, the awkward half wall is gone, allowing for a full wall of glossy white subway tile. Adams and her husband originally chose white grout, but “it somehow made the tile look plasticky and not too interesting,” she states. “We went using a charcoal grout.”

She wished to use a lot of subway tile in the shower and hex tile on the floor, so she stuck with regular but durable stock tile to keep within budget.

Shower fixtures: Moen Banbury; shower curtain: Belgian Linen, Restoration Hardware; step stool, rug: Ikea

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

The 40-square-foot upstairs bathroom is the house’s main bath.

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

Over the bathroom a Woolly Pocket retains moisture- and shade-loving ferns for a splash of greenery.

Before Photo

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

BEFORE: Dim sconces, a part of the toilet’s previous remodel, barely provided enough light for the couple to prepare in the mornings. The mirror ended space but didn’t provide storage.

Before Photo

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

Instead of taking up wall space, each one the toilet’s storage was in a vanity wrapped with faux marble, which meant it was an extra-bulky feature.

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

AFTER: A simple wall hung sink ties in with the remainder of the property’s vintage vibe and uses minimal square footage. From the get-go Adams wanted to salvage an old tub and sink. She and her husband found both items for a total of less than $200 at Second Chance, a salvage store in nearby Baltimore. The mirror involves a drug cupboard.

Adams also found classic, vintage-inspired lighting fixtures to tie in with the remainder of the house. But she is already itching for a brand new, more contemporary lights.

Light fixture: Rejuvenation; picture: 20×200

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

Vintage accessories from local shops and Adams’ own homewares store give the timeless bathroom additional character. “It makes for a more interesting area,” she states.

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

Blinds, textured glass and a curtain after obstructed the toilet’s only use of the outside. Now a simple, sheer fabric supplies provides privacy as well as a flood of sunlight.

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

Adams had her contractor build two little niches into the new drywall, including more storage space.

Urban Tastes Furnishings & Home

Custom black paint and shelving made of leftover cedar planks create the niches stick out. “While it is still a pretty bit of storage, it works for us,” she states. “We do not have lots of stuff.”

Animal hooks: View From Here, Anthropologie; paint colour to nooks: custom; art: framed poster manipulation

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