Hard to believe, but I’d grown
tired of my Pepto-Bismal bathroom.
Our house was built in the late ‘60s, but what would cause someone from any era to put up wall after wall of pink tile? Since I’m too cheap to tear it down or have fancy re-glazing done, it was time to change the small area left to me – the walls.
Our house was built in the late ‘60s, but what would cause someone from any era to put up wall after wall of pink tile? Since I’m too cheap to tear it down or have fancy re-glazing done, it was time to change the small area left to me – the walls.
They
were a bit flaky in spots and at first I thought water damage, but it turned
out that the previous owners had simply yanked off wallpaper and painted over
the remaining paste. Hours of scraping, spackling, and sanding later, I could
begin to paint. In the hope of achieving something trendy, I chose a darkish
grey. As soon as I began to apply it I realized that I liked the previous white
better, but there I was with a gallon of semi-gloss so I kept going.
Turns
out I’ve discovered a more productive – and probably dangerous - form of
Pilates. Balancing with one foot on a stool and the other on the toilet to get
to a distant corner, or standing with three toes on the one-inch edge in the
tub and the other foot on the outside edge to reach where the wall meets the
ceiling are certainly sure-fire ways to discover muscles that haven’t been
doing a damn thing for at least five years. And due to the deep contrast
between the white ceiling and the now-grey wall, I had to repeat each one of my
teetering poses with a teeny, tiny paintbrush.
 |
| One-legged pigeon pose |
Or
maybe I’ve been revisiting long-forgotten Yoga poses as I’ve wrapped myself
around the porcelain god to reach back corners of the vanity and folded my legs
to fit on the limited real estate in my W.C.
I have to admit that I’m pretty
happy with how it finally turned out.
And most of all, I'm happiest that I’m done.
It looks nice. I'd be happy, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanne. I remember your bathroom project last year and I also remember lusting after the lovely tile you put in.
DeleteLooking good! We had a house that had that pink tile with black trim. We covered it all up:)
ReplyDeleteI have to say the temptation to lower that paintbrush to the tile was pretty strong.
DeleteHey, I had exactly the same round sink until I took it out last week. Check my blog. I have the same tile only it's brown or beige??
ReplyDeleteBrown or beige tile? That's practically a candidate for a Better Homes and Gardens photo spread.
DeleteIt turned out great! You know, those colored bathrooms of the '60s are out of style now, but some people really dig that retro look. My dad and stepmother have a bathroom with green tub, toilet and sink, and they recently replaced the toilet with a white one. I was SO disappointed.
ReplyDeleteRetro! Of course! Yeah, that's what I was going for.
DeleteThat's my story and I'm sticking to it.
That turned out really well, I like it. I lived in a house once where the bathroom fixtures were that shade of pink and the tiles were baby blue, ugh!
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought you were going to paint over the tiles. There are primers and paints available now so you can do that. You can paint over laminates too these days.
I want to do my kitchen and bathroom bench tops, but there's an added step (and cost) to ensure waterproofing and I can't be without the bench tops for that length of time.
Yeah, the lady at Home Depot pointed out that I could do the tile, too, but it wouldn't have the same look as glazed tile. Oh, and I'd be covering up the grout so I'd have to go back and re-paint it if I wanted it to show.
DeleteThere's a limit to my ambition.
Glazed tile does look so much nicer than painted over tile. I would only ever consider painting over laminate like my benchtops and cupboard doors. but not in this home, it's rented.
DeleteNice job indeed. And I have been weeding in my garden and forgot how many unused muscles are involved in that endeavor. Glad you're recovering, and thanks for showing me that nice finished bathroom. :-)
ReplyDeleteThere must have been a really great deal on pink tiles in the 60's. However I think you have done a great job of updating. I really like it. I understand those sore muscles. How quickly we can get out of shape and how painful it is to get back in. Think you are on the way.
ReplyDeleteIt looks good. I have a turquoise tub and someone who owned the house at some point remodeled because if the tub is turquoise then it must have had turquoise tile as well but that's all be covered up with some sort of formica that is mottled blue and gray. unfortunately, the blue in the formica does not go with the turquoise tub. I want to paint the ice pale blue walls but I can't come up with something that will go with the formica and the tub.
ReplyDeleteThat's a real dilemma, Ellen. Pale blue might do it, but far be it for me to advise an artist on color choice!
DeleteGo to the other side of the colour wheel and choose a melon shade, Spanish/Mexican style. Then you could get a narrow capping tile which features the turquoise and melon and do a border around the room. Add Spanish/Mexican style ornaments, perhaps a small glazed pot or three with miniature succulents in them. Add a row of coloured glass bottles?
DeleteWhoa! that sounds fabulous, River. Do consult as a colorist often?
DeleteThat looks really good! Excellent job.
ReplyDeleteGood job! I hope the pain goes away soon. I bent over the other day to pick up something heavy and my legs still hurt. I am terribly out of shape- no way could I paint a bathroom.
ReplyDeleteYou did such a good job and I like the grey. Many many years ago we had a bathroom with a pink tub, sink, and commode.
ReplyDelete