It was December, and the bathroom renovation was well and truly underway. We were desperate to have it all finished before Christmas, so our plumber and tiler worked quickly. The planning had been done, the old suite ripped out and a new toilet was now in (thank goodness!). The memories of having only a bucket for a toilet were fading. I couldn’t wait to see it all come together.

The shower tray was next to go in, before tiling the bathroom. There would need to be some digging in order to get the tray as close to the floor as possible. This was a messy job. After the tradesman left that day we went in to see the work that had been done. I was disappointed that the shower tray was not as low to the ground as I had hoped – I had wanted a fully tiled, slightly sloped floor at the beginning but I soon realised this was not possible and so the compromise was a slick tray. Luckily it wasn’t too late and the plumber could dig a little deeper to move the tray closer to the floor. The shower head and glass doors would have to wait until the full suite was in.

Tiling a bathroom

Thanks to our precise measurements (double checking and triple checking), the bath and freestanding basin went in with no trouble. It was a relief to see the bathroom emerging and the new suite gave it a fresh look. At the same time, we replaced the window in the bathroom. We were having new windows throughout the house. Someone had damaged it and it looked old, so the timing was perfect.

I wanted the walls to be simple and white but I had other ideas for the flooring. I wanted to use some eye-catching, statement tiles to stamp some of our personality on the bathroom and make it a fun, family space. After a lot of deliberating we opted for Lily Pad by Ca’Pietra – hexagonal geometric tiles that create a starburst when placed together. Tiling the bathroom floor was definitely not an easy job for our tiler but these are still my favourite part of the bathroom and worth every painful rearrangement.

After the floor and walls were tiled, it was down to us to paint and decorate the room. We tried a few swatches to pick up the punchy blue of the floor tiles. In the end, we opted for a soft grey, which complemented the room perfectly.

Hannah’s one regret

We didn’t have much wall space for a large radiator, so we had a towel warmer fitted above the bath. Although this looks beautiful, it is a decision I regret. This room is very cold in the winter and the towel warmer doesn’t kick out enough heat. There’s nothing worse than getting out of a hot shower into a freezing room! It’s something we will look into in the future.

Some months on from the bathroom renovation and we have definitely got a lot of use out of our new suite. It is perfect for our little family. The boys can splash around in the bath (often flooding the floor) and I can still enjoy relaxing hot showers after a long day.

Read more First Time Renovator blogs in the series.

Featured image: After tiling the bathroom, the space is now clean and fresh and perfect for our family.

About Post Author