Oh, repulsive may be a bit strong. Let’s say, “unattractive.” Or even, “unfortunate.”
So. What does one do with unfortunate bathroom tile?
Here are bossy color’s top 4 coping mechanisms, from most involved to least.
#1: REGLAZING
I recommend reglazing with this caveat: you must hire a reputable glazing company, which makes this neither a quick nor an inexpensive proposition. (More advice about reglazing in a future post.)
That said, reglazing can work wonders for far less $ than remodeling. Here’s a great example of glaze as superhero. Before:
Mismatched tile from years of repairs, lots of built-in towel bars and cup holders, (not necessarily problematic, except for the placement)…general 60-year old grunge…
Here’s the bathroom after reglazing:
Ta-DA, right? Didn’t hurt that we also installed a new floor and vanity, so everything looks fresh and sparkly.
#2: WALLPAPER
Oh, this bathroom was a dilemma. This tile is in perfect shape. I mean, perfect shape.
But it’s pink. (Really pink.) And blue. (REALLY blue.)
Reglaze? But you’d need to replace the blue sink and toilet – and the pink and blue floor. Renovate? Not sure the budget can accommodate it.
Ultimately, I thought the clients were on the right track with wallpaper. This is what they had:
Kind of funky, picks up the right colors…it distracts you from the tile, which is the point. Not bad.
We decided to replace the wallpaper with something more up-to-date. That will buy the clients some time while they take a closer look at the cost of remodeling.
Here’s another example of unfortunate pink bathroom tile:
This is a young boy and girl’s bathroom, but it also serves as a powder room for guests. I suggested a large-scale, fun wallpaper by Ashford House:
I also suggested painting the ceiling the same light blue (or one shade lighter) as the wallpaper background.
#3: PAINT
Good old paint. The right shade can minimize the pain of tile you wouldn’t have chosen yourself.
Here’s a subtle example: rich cream paint to brighten up ancient white tile:
In this little boy’s bathroom, we took our cues from the shower curtain and painted the walls light orange:*
And we painted the walls in this guest bathroom lavender:*
#4: SHOWER CURTAIN
Speaking of shower curtains, the right one can make unfortunate tile look intentional and festive.
This is a bathroom I had nothing to do with :) At least, not before they gutted it.
I happen to be a fan of old tile. But there were several good reasons this family was renovating. (You’ll have to trust me on that.)
Before the wrecking ball hit, though, wasn’t the client smart to pair this Garnet Hill shower curtain with the wall and floor tile?
I just love it. If you look carefully, you can see that the green in the shower curtain doesn’t even match the tile exactly, but it doesn’t matter. (Bossy color clients, please take note! When I tell you that you don’t always need to match colors perfectly, this is what I’m talking about.)
This is the simplest remedy by far…and talk about instant gratification.
Do you have unfortunate bathroom tile? If so, a) I’m sorry, and b) remember that living with bad tile builds character, but c) I’d love to hear how you’re coping. Please let me know.
* Added 1/4/10: these two are before pictures; the walls hadn’t been painted yet!