Big thanks to Moen for providing product used in our bathroom. As always, all opinions are my own.
If you've been following me on
Instagram, you've been able to see a few sneak peeks of our master bathroom renovation project we've been working on this summer. I'm so excited to finally share the big reveal with you and the process we went through in the remodel. Before I get to the rest of the post, I really need to thank my handy husband for all his hard work. He did the majority of the hard work in this bathroom himself, which saved us SO much money!!
Whenever I am checking out a renovation, I LOVE seeing the before images to see where the project began. So now I introduce to you our embarrassingly hideous master bathroom as we began our project. The bathroom was extremely outdated compared to the rest of our home, and nothing in the room worked without some kind of problem. Leaky shower, broken toilet... you name it.
The picture on the left is the original shower, and had a frosted glass door. When the door was closed, the shower was like a cave with hardly any room to move. Where we had broken through the shower were 5 inch thick tile walls. My daughter had a great time helping with demo and "putting holes in the wall" with a hammer. The demo can be a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it when the project is done!!
The bathroom was so small that it only had room for a tiny vanity, so we decided that we could bring the bathroom out into the master bedroom about two feet without affecting the bedroom space. First, we measured and marked where the walls needed to be and built wall frames before tearing anything else down.
We secured the new wall frames in place, and brought the electrical out. Then, we tore down the original bathroom wall and doorway to create one larger space. Just that alone made the bathroom look SO much better already!
After the drywall was up and the mudding was finished on the outside of the bathroom, we were ready to prime and paint it. We covered up the old outlet (yellow box on the left), and added the electrical covers to the light switch and outlet to finish the new outside wall of the bathroom.
We were able to remove all the nails, screws, and bits of broken wood and old drywall from the original entryway and got the new addition to the room prepped for drywall. Drywall and mudding is really hard work, but it can be done all on your own if you have someone to help you.
My best tip for any renovation is to plan for the worst. Once we removed the flooring and tore the shower out, we found that the subfloor was rotted through due to water damage. So, we had to tear out the subfloor and completely replace it.
The subfloor was replaced, and the leaking shower pipes had been repaired, and the shower drywall was done in just a few days. For our new shower, we decided on a really nice neo-angle corner shower pan (instead of building walls again).
Now for one of my favorite parts of the bathroom: the shower tile!! The tiling project was probably the most tedious part of the entire renovation, but it looks stunning. Our renovation budget was pretty tight, so we purchased a tile cutter and did all the work ourselves. Luckily, my husband has done a lot of this kind of work before, so he knew what he was doing. I learned a lot through the process and with a little research, you can learn to do it, too!!
Our original plan for the floor tile fell through, but then with some luck, we found this faux wood tile for about the same price we were looking to spend. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I love how it brought in some new texture to the room.
Once the tile and grout were set, it was time to paint! The color we chose was Behr Silent Breeze. We were done painting in about a day with only 2-3 coats. I'll be sharing some painting tips really soon, so stay tuned!
For the shower handle, we chose the Moen Brantford lever handle in brushed nickel. It also has a LifeShine® finish, which is durable and is guaranteed not to tarnish, corrode or flake off. It's also incredibly easy to clean (just use water!). The lever handle also makes it easy to adjust the water temperature.
Since the original shower was pretty much garbage, we also replaced the shower arm & flange with a Moen one in brushed nickel finish.
Besides the tile, my favorite part of the shower is the new
Moen Engage™ with Magnetix™ Handheld Shower!! The shower head contains an easy-to-use dial that allows you to switch between six high-performance spray options. (Psst... It is available at Lowe’s right now for only $55!)
The coolest and most unique part of the
Magnetix™ shower head is that Moen wasn't kidding when they say
"It’s a Snap to Use™". The shower head contains an integrated magnet, which means removing the hand shower is simple and putting it back is literally a snap. What could be easier than a magnet?! No hooks, no cradle, nothing. This gives the shower a more clean look without the clutter.
Lucky for us, the Magnetix™ shower head is available in Moen's exclusive
Spot Resist™ Brushed Nickel finish to match the rest of our shower. The Spot Resist™ makes it easy to clean with just water, and doesn't leave fingerprints. The cord resists tangles, and provides an extended reach to make things easier for cleaning or helping smaller children shower.
The shower head was easier than ever to install. If you need help replacing your own, check out my easy tutorial for
how to replace a shower head.
To finish the shower, we installed a neo-angle shower rod with ceiling support in a brushed nickel finish, as well as brushed nickel shower hooks and a white shower curtain.
Above the soon-to-be mirror above the vanity, we found a really pretty light fixture from IKEA. It has a classic look and lights up the vanity space beautifully.
After a lot of bathroom vanity shopping and research, we finally decided on using kitchen cabinets from IKEA. Their cabinetry quality is fantastic, and I love the height compared to traditional bathroom vanities. We also purchased the countertop from IKEA and trimmed it to fit the cabinets.
And that's it (for now)! Here's one more before & after for you to enjoy. Hopefully we will inspire you or someone you know on your next bathroom project! If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them.
Vanity light: found at IKEA
