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From Builder-Standard Bathroom to Spectacular Walk-in Shower

Posted by TOA's Blog Team on Aug 24th 2017

Are you curious how to transform your builder-standard bathroom from blah to wow?

In this article, Tile Outlets' Michele Hoover shares her bathroom remodel story. What started as a functional and bland builder-standard bathroom became a truly spectacular walk-in shower.

Michele Hoover Describes the Builder-Standard Selection Process

I would like to share with you the transformation of a builder-standard bath tub/shower combo into a spectacular stone walk-in shower.

If you have built a house, you may be familiar with the process of selecting the materials to be used. This process can be overwhelming as you are usually selecting everything from tile, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, paint, hardware, etc. all in one session.

Even the most decisive person can struggle with making all these decisions at once. Not to mention that most people can only afford a couple of upgrades, if any, during construction.

So, selecting the “standard” choices - i.e., builder-grade options which tend to be a little, even a lot, on the bland or boring side - becomes a survival mechanism.

It also offers an opportunity later on to personalize and significantly improve spaces in your home to be exactly as you'd like them.

I remember thinking when I built my house 14 years ago that the “footprint” of the home mattered most. If I had to skip the upgrades, I knew I could save and work those in at a later date more easily and inexpensively than I could change the layout or size of the house.

Perspective on Michele's Builder-Standard Bathroom

Over the course of those 14 years in my home, I’ve slowly worked on upgrading areas. The one I am most proud of is my son’s bathroom.

This bathroom was the typical standard small bathroom with a tub and shower combo.

As you can see in the photo below, the tile was certainly not horrible. It just wasn’t very interesting.

The tub served its purpose when my son was younger; he hadn’t used the tub for a bath in many years. It was no longer useful.

Plus, the tub and shower curtain made the small bathroom feel even smaller than it was. Even though there was a window in the bathroom, the shower curtain blocked off a good bit of the natural light, making the room feel dark as well.

Finally, after lots of urging from my son, we decided it was time for a makeover.

Designing the Spectacular Walk-in Shower

We had a lot of fun designing the bathroom.

My son spent a lot of time in Tile Outlets of America with me over the years and he wanted to pick his own tile.

Product Selections

These are the products he chose, pictured above:

My son was immediately drawn to the natural variation of stone. He selected Royal Scabos Tumbled Stone because it features an extreme range of colors including shades of rust, gold, grey, and beige.

>> See How to Deal with Shade Variation in Porcelain and Ceramic Tile for perspective on variation if you prefer not to use stone.

He insisted that he wanted the bathroom to look more masculine so we accented the stone with black, using a linear black glass mosaic as an accent stripe and black pebbles for the shower floor. The black pebble floor meant that we could use a dark grout color which certainly helps hides dirt - a great benefit for a teenage boy’s bathroom!

And Built-in Niches

We included built-in niches into the design and used a 2x2 version of the stone inside the niches to create more visual interest.

In the image below, you see the effect of the niches, the Royal Scabos and the black glass mosaic accent.

The shower features a 6x6 version of the Royal Scabos set diagonally on the bottom two thirds. We ran the glass mosaic in about a 4 inch stripe around the three walls.

From the black glass mosaic stripe to the ceiling we used 3x6 Royal Scabos in a traditional brick set.

We sealed the stone with Enrich n Seal which is a long lasting enhancing sealer. It truly enhances the beauty of any natural stone while protecting it.

>> See How to Care for your Tile and Stone Products

Finishing Touches

We finished off the bathroom with modern brushed nickel bath accessories and a large rainfall shower head.

We also found a modern glass shower door that helped showcase the stone.

My son picked a clay wall paint color that coordinated quite nicely with the stone.

The Final Builder-Standard Bathroom Transformation Results

The image below captures the full transformation. We've successfully banished the bland builder-standard bathroom and replaced it with a spectacular walk-in shower.

Even though there are lots of dark tones in the stone and the paint selection isn't light, it’s amazing how bright and spacious the bathroom looks.

So much more light now comes into the space because of the glass shower doors and removing the tub and shower curtain makes the bathroom look much larger.

From start of the demolition to finish, the project took less than a week and we love the results!

I’m already thinking about the next project – the master bathroom!

Spectacular Bathroom Tile Inspiration

In addition to sharing before and after pictures of my bathroom remodel, I also want to inspire you with photos of beautifully remodeled bathrooms that some of our preferred tile installers have completed.

In these examples, you'll notice how decorative accents and mosaics allow you to add visual interest to a shower space.

>> See Creating Style and Personality with Mosaics: Inspiration from the 2017 Parade of Homes

In the image below, notice the vertical placement of the linear mosaic, even in the niche.

The image below highlights the color variation in the stone. Notice the placement of the mosaic and the contrast between large format tile, small format and the diagonal design.

This installation below contrasts wood plank tile with pebbles. Notice how well the two coordinate.

Niches are hugely practical and wonderfully decorative.

>> See How to Customize Your Shower with Niches, Benches and Even a Soap Dish

These next few images offer you a few additional examples of how to integrate niches with your shower redesign.

The decorative band below separates two niches.

Notice the different background in the niche below and how it has been framed. Don't forget to check out how the right soap dishes and other accessories can dress up your space.

I love how the niche mosaic echoes the vertical placement of the rectangular wall tile in the image below.

Look at the dramatic effect that the tiled ceiling adds to this shower space, and how the niche edges echo the grout lines.

Whether you are thinking of remodeling a small guest bathroom or a large master bath, these photos should help inspire you! As you can see from the different types of stone and the range of tile in different sizes, styles and shapes, your options are limitless!

Ready to Make your Builder-Standard Bathroom Spectacular?

Are you ready to transform your bathroom as Michele has? Please stop by one of the Tile Outlets of America stores and let us make your dream bathroom a reality!