Bathroom Remodel with Bathroom Daddy

Install a Vessel Sink

2008-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

So you have decided that you would like to install a vessel sink in your bathroom…congratulations, you will love it!

In this article I will concentrate on two general styles of a vessel vanity. The big question is; What type of look do you want your vessel vanity to have?

Traditional:
Will it be a traditional sit on the floor cabinet style? If you choose a traditional style it will need to be a vessel specific vanity which is specific in height (shorter that a regular drop in sink vanity). This is because vessels typically sit on top of the vanity counter…thus adding overall height to the vanity. Most vessel sinks no matter what shape are between 5”-7” tall. A rule of thumb for the top of the sink (any type of sink) should be about 32”-33” give or take a 1”. This is simply an ergonomic consideration…if you are a 7’ tall descendant of a Norseman…well, you probably will want your sink a bit higher! The 32”-33” is not a hard and fast rule…just a guideline. If you decide on a circular bowl shape you can partially sink the bowl into the countertop…this allows for fine tuning the overall height and also gives a different look too. However if you would like to save a big chunk of money and if the vanity you currently have is something you really like you can modify it to work with a vessel sink. You will need to replace the counter top and you may need to remove some of the cabinet to get the overall height perfect. It’s all very doable and will easily save you $100’s of bucks by DIYing it. I have done such a project easily and it cost me about $50 and an afternoon…and it is sensational! It also will be a one of a kind vanity…that you created.

Contemporary hang on the wall vanity unit:
If you are thinking about a hang on the wall vanity that is great…they look awesome! Will it be a minimalist shelf with exposed plumbing or an enclosed cabinet? Exposed plumbing means you will need to pay close attention to the cosmetics of replacing the P-trap and water service valves and hoses to make sure they all look pretty. You may also want to determine where the stud locations are on your wall. All hang on the wall vanities require that you bolt directly into studs for maximum strength. Ask lots of questions from the vendor of the vanity for the dimensions of the vanity wall mounts…to make sure it will match up to your application. This also a cool DIY option…you can make your own minimalist shelf style vanity. You will need an appropriate shelf material that will give you strength to span wall brackets and the size you require for the vessel plus a little room around the edges to set things on. If you use 1” MDF keep the span (dist between brackets) to 26”. MDF can be painted or you can put veneer on and stain it too! Your imagination is your only limit. I have made just such a beautiful vanity easily in a day for less than $100…really.

There are other important considerations to make on a vessel sink installation…and they all are somewhat dependant on the other. Therefore you must plan out your entire project to the last detail before you spend a single dollar. I will cover other important decisions on vessel sinks in the next blog posts.

Cheers to your success!
The Bathroom Daddy

Hello from Bathroom Daddy

2008-06-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Karl Eberhardt aka The Bathroom Daddy. I have been doing home remodeling for a long time, 10 yrs to be exact.

Recently I have been doing contemporary bathroom remodeling with a twist. I am after the designer look without spending much money. This requires clever techniques and thinking outside the box. I have been extremely successful at it. At the urging of my friends and family I documented some of my most recent projects with an eBook. That is how “Bathroom Remodel – Bling on a Shoestring” was born! Maybe a funny name but the information in the ebook is top notch serious.

My ebook is the real deal. It is not like the typical ebooks that are rehashed internet stock photos with lame descriptions bc the author didn’t even do the project. I know bc I bought them all while researching to decide if I should write my book. None even come close. The book took more than 2 months to put together …100 pages of detailed text and more than 150 photos. I guarantee there are a couple of projects you have NEVER seen done. I even tell you where to get designer looking bathroom fixtures cheap.

The info in the book can literally save you $1000’s, giving you real insight into what is involved in things like vessel sink installations, vessel vanities, luxury shower panels, unique shower stall, natural stone tile floors, faux glazing and a lot more.

I am excited to finally be able to offer “Bathroom Remodel – Bling on a Shoestring” to the public since I received rave reviews during my pre release.

Thanks for stopping by and if you have a question etc pls post a comment or use my support@BathroomDaddy.com address…and I will get back to you.

Cheers to your bathroom remodeling success!
Bathroom Daddy

Bathroom Tile

2008-06-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here are my thoughts from personally installing Bathrooom Tile, Travertine, Slate and Porcelain tiles. Travertine and Slate floors and Porcelain shower walls. First off I LOVE natural stone…

Natural Stone Tile— Travertine, Slate etc and Porcelain or Ceramic faux stone tile
Natural stone looks and feels awesome, will add a huge value $$$ to your home…natural stone tile is timeless. I am huge fan of slate and travertine.

Natural stone tile is slightly more expensive than Porcelain. It can crack during installation if you are rough on it when setting or need to pull it up bc it sits higher or lower than a surrounding tile(you goofed when troweling on the thin set)…usually only a factor on large tiles 16” or 18” etc. You should reseal natural stone once a year to keep it looking brand new. You should reseal the grout once a year too.

Travertine is typically pretty flat on the underside which helps setting in the thin set. If you are doing large tiles 16” or 18” make sure your substrate is dead flat (not necessarily level flat)…large tiles are not very forgiving. If you go with small tiles (6x6 or less) they are more forgiving on less than dead flat substrate. I usually recommend Travertine for a newbie if they want natural stone tile and large tiles (16" or 18")

Slate on the other hand is not very flat on the underside…which makes setting the tiles a little more “fun”. You should lay out all of your slate tiles on the garage floor ,draw an outline of the bathroom on the garage floor. You want to strategically place tiles for color as well as matching up surrounding tiles for thickness…every slate tile varies in color and thickness…most might be fairly close in thickness but there will be some tiles that will be the extremes (thicker or thinner) . Therefore you need to either match them up naturally OR chip away at top or bottom to make them match. Practice on a broken piece before you do this on a good piece and take into consideration which surface you should chip away. This pre matching will prevent “surprises” when you start to set the tiles. …number or mark all of the tiles so you know what goes where.

Slate will break if it gets too thin, be careful with pieces that you cut to fit around the toilet drain fitting. If you make the perfect piece for around the toilet sewer drain and it has a thin finger that breaks before you are ready to set it….use clear 5 min Epoxy…the joint most likely will be covered by the toilet anyway …if the glue joint is not covered by the toilet do a nice job and the glue joint will not even show. OR you may just need to cut out a whole new piece….!

One more thing about natural stone tiles on a bathroom floor…you may run into a situation where the tiles sit higher than the sewer flange …maybe as much as 3/8”…there are two methods to deal with this. First is the one I always do… buy two wax seal rings and put them on top of each other…you only get one chance to set it down perfect…have a helper spot and guide the toilet to the flange bolts. Second is buy a flange extender to make up difference in height….it’s your choice.

Porcelain tiles are relatively inexpensive…and can be found in virtually any finish you desire, faux natural stone to brilliant smooth shiny white. Some porcelain faux stone tiles are very convincing…and some are not. Some imported ceramic tiles are very expensive (Italian for example). Porcelain and ceramic tiles are bomb proof during installation…they can be man handled without fear of cracking or breaking. They are dead flat and thin. These two features make them highly tolerant of less than dead flat substrates. Since you know the tiles are EXACTLY the same all you need to worry about is more or less thin set to deal with a less than perfect substrate. With natural tiles you need to be concerned with the variance between tiles AND a less than perfect substrate.

Porcelain tile will require less maintenance bc the surface is of course man made and a glazed which makes the surface impervious to water, chemicals etc…this makes it easier to clean since the surface is not porous.

Karl Eberhardt
aka Bathroom Daddy