It is common knowledge that bringing an ugly or “run down” looking bathroom up to modern standards is money well spent. As a homeowner, you can expect to recoup almost all the money paid for your bathroom improvements if you did the work yourself. It should be noted however that you’ll probably only get back about forty percent of your investment if you hire a contractor to do the work for you. Mind you, the reason for your bathroom’s reconstruction is also a determining factor of your final cost. If your goal is to flip your home quickly, then in all likelihood your bathroom improvements will help sell your home more swiftly as you would be willing to go for the lower return just to make the sale. Duly noted, upgrading your master bathroom just makes more sense than splurging on a new powder room. Another thing to consider is if you only have one family bathroom in the entire house, a sensible upgrade would be to remodel it to accommodate two or more people by providing double sinks and a separate shower enclosure and soaking tub. Read the rest of this entry »

Professional bathroom designers know that color can be used to enhance our well being if properly applied to our bathroom’s decor. Color theorists believe that each color emanates its own vibrational energy or frequency. These color psychologists also speculate that because energy permeates through every cell in our bodies, color can be used to improve our mood and our emotions. They conclude that through the therapeutic application of color principles we can not only perk up the way that we feel but also our overall health. Essentially bright colors can boost your mood, whereas cool colors in your bathroom can calm you down. Most cultures have their own perception of color and the meaning behind each hue. It is interesting to note that while white symbolizes purity in some cultures, in others it is the personification of death. On a more subconscious level some people even associate colors to their present moods by proclaiming they feel “blue” which represents sadness or “green” with envy. While the meaning behind each color may be different for each culture, there is a common thread in most of the ancient schools of thought that sees color as a way to not only heal but to also balance the mind and body of the individual for well-being. Read the rest of this entry »

At bathroomgurureview we examine every aspect of the bathroom design and creation process. For those of you that hate not getting the results that you hoped for, this is for you. One area that we find homeowners naively overlook is how color and light affects the overall look and feel of their bathroom. We have received several emails from frustrated bathroom remodelers complaining about how differently their bathroom looks from when they originally chose their paint color at their local paint store. While this sucks and repainting your bathroom is not that hard, this problem could have been easily avoided. From natural light to your choice of artificial lighting bulbs, it is imperative to know ahead of time that a specific paint color that looked great under the fluorescent lights of a bathroom showroom or home improvement store will look completely different under the tungsten bulbs in your home bathroom. One way to overcome this disparity is to bring home a paint sample so you can view it under the lighting conditions in your lavatory before you commit to any specific paint color. If you are lucky some home improvement facilities have a staging area where you can actually view the paint samples under different lighting conditions so you don’t make this newbie mistake. Read the rest of this entry »

Because of the growing trend in master baths to create the ultimate bathroom experience, designers are outfitting modern bathrooms with several freestanding and fitted bathroom furniture pieces. Consequently, instead of restricting their décor to a single unique vanity centrepiece, fitted bathroom furniture offers the creative bathroom renovator plenty of storage space while at the same time offering the individual the ability to create a more personalize contemporary bathroom space. The fitted bathroom units are available in a range of finishes to suit your bathroom’s unique decor. And the best part about fitted bathroom furniture is that the individual units can be joined and used in combination with each other to create as much bathroom storage as desired. Read the rest of this entry »

The thing about bathroom renovations is that they have a tendency to interrupt the daily schedule you are accustomed to. Not only that, but bath reno’s cost money and can sometimes be quite time consuming and involve a lot of work. Therefore it would make a lot of sense to thoroughly plan out your remodeling project before you take on such a large endeavour. When planning a new bath, a good plan will bring to light problems you might later encounter with your bathroom design ideas. Another plus of strategic bathroom planning is that your plans may even reveal positive solutions and suggestions about the direction you should take to resolve these flaws in your original thinking. At this stage it is a lot easier to reconsider your projects direction than in the middle of the bathroom construction process when it might be too late to deviate from your original plans. Read the rest of this entry »

This is my story about my ugly bathroom. I’m almost embarrassed to share it with you because I felt so helpless and my self-esteem plummeted because of my inexperience with bathroom renovations. I remember asking myself "How come this has to be so difficult? I hate having to figure this out all by myself!, There must be a way to make this easier!" In fact, my bathroom got so bad I actually stopped inviting my friends over and would make up excuses whenever they wanted to visit and because of its unsightly appearance my social life really suffered. But that is all behind me now, I am so grateful I no longer harbor those self defeating emotions about what others thought of me and my home. I feel almost compelled to tell my ugly bathroom story in order to lend a hand to those in a similar bathroom remodeling situation and help them overcome such self limiting beliefs. For those that don’t know me, they would be surprised to find out I was continually feeling embarrassed and guilty for living with a bathroom that was not only ugly but was also falling apart! Read the rest of this entry »

When devising a lighting plan for their bathroom most homeowners forget about shower ceiling lights for brightening up their shower stall. Good ambient light for showers doesn’t just happen, it has to be planned. To prevent trips when getting in and out of a poorly illuminated shower enclosure and to actually see what you’re doing when shaving and grooming, shower ceiling lights can provide clarification along with glare-free illumination to get these rudimentary tasks done. There are two primary lighting solutions for your shower. Lighting that is directly above your shower or ambient light that is adjacent or specifically directed towards illuminating your shower area, as in task lighting. Building codes stipulate that ceiling lights that can be used over your shower or within an enclosed shower stall should be vapor-proof down-lights. Conversely, a single central lighting fixture located on the ceiling directly above the shower or installed high on your bathroom wall should provide enough illumination for you to clearly see by. Also if you have a tub/shower combination bathing unit, place your shower light fixtures so that the beams don’t shine directly into your eyes when you’re lying down taking a bath. Shower ceiling lights can range from simple recessed down lights to elaborate clear crystal shower 5-light chandelier shower lights depending on the distance of the light to the actual water source. Read the rest of this entry »

Modern bathroom cabinets can bring new life… and more storage space to any bathroom while maintaining a comfortable floor plan. Clutter is the enemy and keeping your bathroom organized starts with having a place to put your belongings. Since storage space is so important in a bathroom, and newer cabinets offer plenty of it, many people opt for them, even if their other bathroom fixtures are quite old. From already assembled mass produced stock cabinets to cabinets you have to assemble yourself, modern bathroom cabinets come in a wide range of sizes to fit most contemporary bathrooms. These cupboards in your bathroom, containing drawers for storage or display, offer the homeowner a choice of doors but for the most part, drawers and shelving options are not as customizable when purchasing these types of built-in furniture and vanities. There are however semi-custom cabinet pieces made in a vast variety of styles, sizes and finishes for you to create your own combination of modern bathroom units and accessories. Tall cabinets can be substituted for linen closets. Frameless modern cabinets are more common in modern and contemporary styled homes whereas framed cabinets with face frames, fit more comfortably into a traditional or period styled home. Regardless of what type of bathroom you have, it never hurts to know how to install modern bathroom cabinets, because you never know when you may want to redecorate to add more storage, convenience and comfort to your bathroom. Read the rest of this entry »

Bathroom wall lights can be mounted either vertically or horizontally and come in single, double and even triptych arranged models and while most wall lights in your bathroom are mounted approximately six feet off the bathroom floor, some interesting decorative effects can be created without compromising the luminance of your bathroom when you mount your bath lights below or above the standard height for wall lighting. It should also be noted that mounting your bathroom wall lights too high will create down cast shadows when grooming, while installing your wall lights at eye level on either side of your bathroom mirror is best for grooming purposes, however the lights cannot be too bright to avoid unnecessary glare. Picking bathroom wall lights is not easy because of the vast array of choices. Many people have already experienced this dilemma first hand and have realized just how much thought and preparation needs to be put into purchasing just the right bathroom wall light to fit their decor. To help you out, we’ve decided to take a look at two popular models available on Amazon, to examine exactly what makes them so popular and if one is better than the other. Both bathroom wall lights mentioned below are also available as ceiling lights, if you’re not looking for wall lights. Read the rest of this entry »

Resurfacing tubs and sinks in your bathroom allows you to rescue your tired old tub and sink by spraying on an acrylic urethane resin coating. For most homeowners when their tub or sink is damaged or discolored beyond recognition, it is usually time to replace the fixtures at a sizable expense. What most bathroom renovators don’t realize is that they can refinish their bathtub or sink at a nominal cost as compared to a complete removal and replacement of their fixtures. If your bathroom or sink is looking older than it actually is, with little experience, you too can successfully bring back the sheen to your worn and dull tub and sink surfaces. With the proper application, bathtub and sink refinishing is a process that can make dated colors, swirls, cracks and scratches all disappear at a fraction of the cost of buying new fixtures. Refinishing bathtubs and sinks can not only make your bathroom look amazing once again but it also allows you to change the color of your tub or sink to compliment any new décor or redecorating plan. You will need to acquire a list of materials to properly refinish your bathtub and sink, so before you get started make sure you have everything you need! Read the rest of this entry »