Settling for a spruce up.

[Anonymous]

We were quoted $40k for updating two bathrooms (not including materials and finishes). We got three estimates and all were within the same range. This is well above what we can spend, so now we’re looking at ways to spruce up the bathrooms instead with a new vanity, bath hardware, lighting and bath/tile reglazing. Anyone else been there and happy-ish with the results on the other end?

[Anonymous]

Yes. Reglazing over light blue seashell tiles and painting the vanity a glossy color made the bathroom unrecognizable from it's 80s decor. It was a great fix for an ugly but otherwise functional bathroom.

[Anonymous]

As someone who bought a house with 3 original 1963 bathrooms in it 15 years ago, my recommendation would be to go easy on the reglazing. We did it in one bathroom and it started to chip around the 2-3 year mark and it’s a mess.

I would do a basic, no tile update, mini refresh with paint, new medicine cabinet and lighting, if toilets aren’t white then replace them, and new towels and shower curtain. Paint the existing vanity. Spend around $2-3k.

Start saving for each $20k bathroom separately and do the tile right, one at a time. I promise it’s worth it to do it right.

Apartment therapy has some really great examples of mini bathroom makeovers as well as full gut jobs.

[Anonymous]

Some great examples.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-and-afters/search?projectTypes=Bathroom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who bought a house with 3 original 1963 bathrooms in it 15 years ago, my recommendation would be to go easy on the reglazing. We did it in one bathroom and it started to chip around the 2-3 year mark and it’s a mess.

I would do a basic, no tile update, mini refresh with paint, new medicine cabinet and lighting, if toilets aren’t white then replace them, and new towels and shower curtain. Paint the existing vanity. Spend around $2-3k.

Start saving for each $20k bathroom separately and do the tile right, one at a time. I promise it’s worth it to do it right.

Apartment therapy has some really great examples of mini bathroom makeovers as well as full gut jobs.

+1

[Anonymous]

I'd be wary of the tile reglazing, but the rest sounds good. When we were selling our house a few years ago, the realtor suggested reglazing rather than replacing the shower floor and it was a huge mistake. Granted, I don't think the contractor she recommended was the best, but the stuff started peeling/chipping fairly quickly.

[Anonymous]

Do you have the vintage mudset bathrooms, OP? We had a pink bathroom where the tub was chipping but the tile was still in great shape, nice and glossy though dated. We were prepping the house for sale and the realtor insisted that no one wanted the pink tile. The reglazed tub looked great but the tile looked off.

[Anonymous]

What can you spend, OP? I agree to be wary of deglazing. If you can spend $20k, do one bathroom now, the one you will get the most use/enjoyment from. Then save up for the other over the next few years.

We did a massive bathroom reno in our basement a year ago. We used our handyman, who we totally trust, for the labor which was $10k. We purchased all the materials ourselves which was maybe another 5 or 6k. A large company or contractor probably would’ve charged us $35k for the project. If you are doing a rip and replace and nothing overly technical, a handyman as opposed to a renovation company may be a better bet for you.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the replies. The reglazing company said the glaze will last 10 years, and we won't be in this house longer than 10 more years. I would really love to replace the tub and tile, but that's where the heavy costs come in. Yes, we have that old mud-set original tile, which is why it's so labor intensive to remove it. And since we can't change the size of the bathroom and it's still functioning fine, I can't really justify spending $20k for essentially new tile and a walk in shower.

For the poster who used their handyman, I thought about doing this, but he's not liscensed or insured, and we have a 100 year old house with original everything in the bathrooms. I think he might be over his head with a full demo, and who knows what we'd find behind the walls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have the vintage mudset bathrooms, OP? We had a pink bathroom where the tub was chipping but the tile was still in great shape, nice and glossy though dated. We were prepping the house for sale and the realtor insisted that no one wanted the pink tile. The reglazed tub looked great but the tile looked off.

We would glaze the tile too. The entire surround. That way everything would match.

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t last 10 years I can tell you that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the replies. The reglazing company said the glaze will last 10 years, and we won't be in this house longer than 10 more years. I would really love to replace the tub and tile, but that's where the heavy costs come in. Yes, we have that old mud-set original tile, which is why it's so labor intensive to remove it. And since we can't change the size of the bathroom and it's still functioning fine, I can't really justify spending $20k for essentially new tile and a walk in shower.

For the poster who used their handyman, I thought about doing this, but he's not liscensed or insured, and we have a 100 year old house with original everything in the bathrooms. I think he might be over his head with a full demo, and who knows what we'd find behind the walls.

The contractors will find things behind the wall too. The final will be more than 20k. Our gut reno of a house of similar age went 30% over budget for this reason. Once we saw what was behind walls we decided to completely rewire and update the plumbing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the replies. The reglazing company said the glaze will last 10 years, and we won't be in this house longer than 10 more years. I would really love to replace the tub and tile, but that's where the heavy costs come in. Yes, we have that old mud-set original tile, which is why it's so labor intensive to remove it. And since we can't change the size of the bathroom and it's still functioning fine, I can't really justify spending $20k for essentially new tile and a walk in shower.

For the poster who used their handyman, I thought about doing this, but he's not liscensed or insured, and we have a 100 year old house with original everything in the bathrooms. I think he might be over his head with a full demo, and who knows what we'd find behind the walls.

The contractors will find things behind the wall too. The final will be more than 20k. Our gut reno of a house of similar age went 30% over budget for this reason. Once we saw what was behind walls we decided to completely rewire and update the plumbing.

DP and this did not happen to us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be wary of the tile reglazing, but the rest sounds good. When we were selling our house a few years ago, the realtor suggested reglazing rather than replacing the shower floor and it was a huge mistake. Granted, I don't think the contractor she recommended was the best, but the stuff started peeling/chipping fairly quickly.

Reglazing is fine for 2 to 4 years, then the paint starts peeling. We had a highly recommended place do it, but if there’s water involved, it won’t last much longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t last 10 years I can tell you that.

This. Even with a 10 year warranty