Customer Gallery - Before and After

One set of photos submitted to our photo gallery are from Suzanne M. of Houston, Texas. The before photo seen below shows her gutted bathroom only including a sink.

Suzanne turned the empty space into a beautiful bathroom, as seen below. To complete the bathroom, Suzanne installed a 54 inch classic clawfoot tub by Sunrise Specialty, a clawfoot tub drain by Strom Plumbing, and a clawfoot tub freestanding faucet by Sunrise Specialty.



View other photos submitted of Suzanne's bathroom and browse the rest of our customer bathroom gallery. If you would like to showcase your own photos, send them to emily@vintagetub.com. Be sure to include your name, location, a description of the photos, and of course, the before and after shots.

Replacing an Old Bathtub with a Clawfoot Tub

Thanks to television On Demand, I was recently introduced to short home renovation video clips from the DIY network. I checked out the DIY network website and found several other informative videos and step by step instructions on how to complete various household projects.

I came across instructions on how to replace an old bathtub and install a new clawfoot tub. The site discusses the difficulty level (a 3 on a scale of 1-5), the necessary materials, and exactly what to do. The site also displays a photo for each step of the way.

Before the new clawfoot tub was installed. (Above)

The finished product and new focal point of the bathroom.

To complete the installation of a new clawfoot bathtub from beginning to end you will need to:

• Complete demolition of old tub and surroundings
• Remove pipes and set tiles
• Grout tile for walls and floor
• Install new plumbling and fixtures
  

Historic White House Bathroom Renovation

Remodeling a bathroom can be a daunting task. However, it is a lot more difficult when you live in the White House and have to remodel 35 of them!

I came across several photographs from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. The photos were taken between 1950 and 1952, while the bathrooms in the White House were being reconstructed. Take a look at the before and after shots of various White Housae bathrooms below.

Before Shots:
After Shots:
For more information and other photographs of the White House renovations visit the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.

Source: Harry S. Truman Library and Museum website

10 Quick Fix Ideas for Small Bathrooms

After dying my roommate’s hair the other night, I managed to get dye everywhere but her scalp. Blame it on my inexperience or our small, cramped bathroom. I chose the bathroom size. If only we could ditch the toilet, tub, or sink, our bathroom would be more spacious. For obvious reasons, we decided to leave them, but plan to make other adjustments. My mission was to find the best way to make our bathroom LOOK bigger with some quick fixes. Knowing my bathroom isn’t the smallest that needs change, I hope these inexpensive, easy improvements inspire you to do the same to your tiny bathroom while you’re still in the active spring mode.

Top 10 Small Bathroom Visual Enlargements

1. Color Conscious- Brighten and cool the room in both paint and fabric. Keep the feel light and airy; use the 60-30-10 Rule. 60% Dominant Color, 30% Secondary Color, 10% Accent Color
   
2. Wallpaper- Stick with textured paper and one that uses vertical lines to add the height illusion; nothing busy.
3. See Clearly- Substitute the opaque glass shower enclosure and for a clear, frameless one. Don't hide the little room you have. Use sheer or delicate tonal drapery fabrics.
4. Merge- If you have both a shower stall and bathtub, eliminate the shower by adding a Shower Head to the bathtub. Clawfoot Bathtub are as short as 48"; giving your bathroom more room, style, a bath and a shower all in one.
5. Get in Sink- Use a Pedestal Sink to give more floor space, Wall Mount it to clear the floor or add a Vessel Sink to give more counter space.
6. Don't Cut Corners- Replace your large out-dated toilet with a small modern Corner Toilet to avoid wasted space. Corner Sinks are also available as a wall mount and pedestal.
   
7. Mirrors- Reflect the space with multiple mirrors. Mirrors make any room look bigger. Use at least one with a built-in Medicine Cabinets to help with storage.
8. Clear the Way- Only leave out what is absolutely necessary; the bar of soap. Remove the small accessories and organize to give everything a home.
   
9. Board the Floors- Light colored flooring, such as birch wood, will match the cool colors and aid in the eye trick of appearing larger. Ask a professional about the best wood and sealant to use in bathrooms. Tile is a safe alternative, working well on counter tops, walls and floors.
10. Cut the Carpet- No wall to wall carpeting. Use runner carpets to give length to the floor rather than those stumpy, rectangular bathroom carpets.

How to Grout Tile

As you have read from previous blog posts. (Keep Your Bathroom Mold Free) It is very important to learn how to make and use grout. Grout is essential because it holds and seals the tile floor together making it harder for water or other substances to leak beneath the floor and damage the tile. So although it is a messy process; you must use grout to avoid doing permanent damage to your floor. As with most things the benefits of grouting will outweigh the costs.

To continue with our periodic How To Videos from YouTube we are now going to learn how to properly make and use grout. This video will show you what products you need, how to mix the grout so you have the proper consistency (not to watery), and how to tackle the messy clean up. We got this video from the Blakech channel that is run by Blake. He has loads of videos that he filmed while renovating his house in in Kingston, Ontario.