How To Update A 1950 Tile Bath

Renovate a 1950s Bath

Updated: Jun. 30, 2017

Remodeling a retro bath for less than $five,000

Family unit Handyman

This classic 1950s bathroom was spiffed upward, outfitted with a few mod luxuries, and brought up to date office-wise without destroying the character or original period details— and for bargain price.

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Big splash, depression budget

Some say that if you wait long enough, Everything—including 1950s bathrooms— comes back in style. Merely "in style" doesn't necessarily hateful "in perfect shape" or "in sync with today's lifestyle." Such was the case with the bathroom shown here. Wet problems had acquired peeling paint and sticking vanity drawers, while 50 years of article of clothing and tear had taken a toll on the grout, fixtures and hardware. However, the owners, Mary Jane and Bruce Pappas, saw besides many things going for the infinite to completely gut it, such as unique tile work that was still in fantabulous shape.

"The whole point of ownership this fifties house was to create our 21st century life hither while honoring the original compages and particular," says Mary Jane, who is a professional interior designer. "Bruce and I wanted to complement and drag what was already here and reuse every bit many materials as we could." And by doing so, they were able to reach their goal of updated function on a pocket-sized upkeep. The couple were able to avert expensive demolition work and become the bathroom they wanted for simply nether $5,000. "The results for the investment are extraordinary," says Mary Jane Pappas.

Updated, But Yet Original

This bathroom now has greater utility and a clean, contemporary look— without breaking the bank.

ReDO, reuse, recycle

Vintage tile

The vanity's vintage "Sputnik" tile pattern inspired the khaki color scheme of the bathroom and adjoining bedchamber.

New rollouts, old chiffonier

The vanity cabinet is original, but for about $1,500, the new door and drawers were constructed with wipe-clean Melamine bottoms and maple sides decked out with metal slides.

Updated storage cupboard

Adjustable shelving with Melamine surfaces was added along with a replacement tissue box holder. A hidden cabinet outlet keeps a hair dryer ready to roll and the electrical toothbrushes charged.

Afterward calculation an frazzle fan to handle the moisture trouble, they began dealing with the cosmetics, as explained by Mary Jane Pappas.

Freshening tiled surfaces
A professional tiler was brought in to repair the period tiles that had seen 53 years of bathroom life. By tuckpointing broken edges and freshening the grout, the tiler brought the surfaces up to standard. "The tile is unique to the era; nosotros embraced the retro feel of it. It was in great shape and worth saving."

Vanity drawers and doors
Some other great example of the couple'south "reuse information technology" philosophy lies in their treatment of the vanity. Years of h2o damage had made the drawers difficult to open, simply instead of scrapping the entire slice, the Pappases hired Thomas J. Ross of Ross Custom Cabinetry Inc. to build new rollout drawers and chiffonier doors for it and adjustable shelving for the fastened linen closet. "Before, the cabinet drawers were just unproblematic wooden boxes resting in a wooden cabinet. It was a struggle to pull 'wood-on-wood' drawers, especially when they were damp. At present that they're equipped to glide on rollers, it'due south like having a new piece of piece of furniture. And when you recollect of the floor, tile and drywall work that we would have incurred had we demolished and installed all new cabinetry, that decision saved thousands."

Paint, pulls and hinges
The vanity face-lift connected with several coats of an enamel paint and re-chromed hinges and the addition of contemporary drawer pulls. "We re-chromed the hinges because the plates had a unique screw design and I didn't desire to add any additional screw holes to the vanity and gamble the old holes showing." The original mirror was saved by painting its trim the same color as the vanity.

Sink faucet
The Pappases wanted to add together a soap pump and a water filter to their bath sink. By changing the old, widespread faucet for a unmarried-lever faucet, they were able to avoid the expense of either buying a new sink or drilling new holes. The change in style left ii unused holes for the new accessories.

Lighting
The one-time sconces were replaced with lights that amend match the new drawer pulls and add a gimmicky flair to the room.

Keepers! The '50s heat fan and tissue dispenser
The couple wanted to maintain the items that, like the heat fan, were however stylishly serving a useful function in the bathroom. "It'south a overnice amenity and it still worked, then why get rid of that?" They were even able to save the original metallic tissue dispenser housed in the linen cabinet. It could no longer hold tissue boxes because the dispenser slot was vertical instead of the modern horizontal style. "But the same visitor, Brobick, now offers a replacement dispenser that fits tissue boxes perfectly."

The tub
Replacing a bathtub affects the tile surrounding it, the walls above it and the plumbing below it. Keeping the existing tub saves tremendous time and money. So the tub stayed put, while some of the more hands changed elements around it were replaced. Ane of the beginning changes was to oust the shower door. "In a pocket-sized bath, a flexible shower curtain creates a sense of spaciousness. And I utilise my bathtub every day, so a shower door is just not practical," Pappas says. The original tub had a single showerhead with a bathtub faucet. At present a depression-cradled mitt shower, perfect for tub bathers, hands sets into an adjustable top showerhead fixture, adding to the usefulness and elegance of the bathroom.

Elementary details make the difference

Custom blind

Instead of settling for an fair window blind in the bathroom, Pappas used a window blind company to create a custom window treatment to match the wall colour. (Pocket-size rooms appear even smaller with a different colour window treatment.) "For $175, getting an exact color friction match is a nifty deal," says Pappas.

Towels and rugs

The towels and bathroom rug proved to be a shopping challenge. "I wanted to find rich colors to piece of work with the khaki walls and the cabinetry. I found high-quality towels I love from an online shop, but searched and searched for a matching rug that would stand upwards to a wet environment. Finally I had a custom 1 handmade to match," says Pappas.

Shower mantle pull

A last little splurge of elegance lies in the Kravet silk tassel shower mantle pull ($75). Costing half as much as the Restoration Hardware shower curtain itself, the tassel adds a touch of luxury to this otherwise thrifty remodel.

Having saved a parcel by retrofitting many existing systems in the bathroom, the Pappases had some upkeep left to indulge in a few accessories.

Originally Published: June 20, 2017

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