SFGate

LizaJane Is the tile on the wall grey as well? I think the tile is fine. I would add some color to the wall (soft grey/yellow) would be pretty and then I would perhaps find a cute fabric with yellow and grey and install a valance of sometype above the window. Also, I would replace the brass lighting fixture with something more contempoary. Lastly, I would pain the wood around the mirrow a white - get rid of the brown or gold (can't tell from photo).

sam0705 Honestly your bathroom looks fine to me if you dont want to spend much. As the prior comment said, put a roman shade on your window, put in a contemporary chrome light fixture, new mirror and add some nice fluffy white mats and I think it will look nice and clean.

bops27 Thank you Liza. The tile on the wall is a light gray. With the lighting the room gets, it's lighter than it looks in the pic. Were you thinking of going a couple of shades gray lighter than the tile for the wall? Right now it's white. Pale yellow might look nice especially if I choose a fabric for the window in the same color tone. Lighting fixure will be replaced for sure. The mirror frame is a gold right now.

What do you think about the flooring? Reminds me of a public pool!

Thanks again!

bops27 So the flooring doesn't look terrible to either of you?

sam0705 If you want to replace the flooring I like the stranded porcelain tiles in a larger size like 6x12 or 12x24. Look at emser - pretty reasonable or a local tile store.

Judy M Liza gave you great suggestions. I would add, get a new shower curtain, perhaps a horizontal grey and white wide stripes, ( but be sure it co-ordinates with new window curtain). Buy new white fluffy towels and get a long floor runner to cover some of the floor tile that you don;t like.

aniluap2 It looks like they may have used a dark grout for the mosaic tile and it is not actually dirty. I don't think that the tile is actually that bad. A cheap fix could be to go very dramatic with charcoal grey walls and a contrasting bright chartreuse green or bright yellow rug, towels and accessories of nickel or chrome. I would replace the light fixture with something in nickel or something with more of an industrial look and replace the mirror with a frameless, siver or white- framed one. For a softer look you could do a wallpaper with a soft grey damask, ikat or more graphic pattern with a contrasting color for towels and rug and the same silver tone for all other accessories. I think once you add some more interest to the walls and the pops of color you won't even notice the tile floor. It will actually be very appealing.

bops27 Thank you all for the input. All your suggestions so far will not break the bank! Judy - were you thinking shower curtains like the pics below? anilaup2 if I pick one of the shower curtains below, no need for the wallpaper I'm guessing? Any suggestions for pale yellow color I can use? Your points are well taken about the lighting fixtures and mirrors. If you have products, please feel free to share.

Many thanks!

sam0705 I like both curtains you posted (second best) but I'd keep the walls a light grey or even white with all the yellow in the curtains. That's just a personal preference.

ASVInteriors Taking a different approach, you could paint the walls exactly the same colour as the tiles (blending everything to one colour will give the effect of greater space). You could then change the picture/mirror frames (or paint them) for black frames; change the lights out to chrome/nickel features and add some black accents. I would even imagine a black roman blind (or better a matching grey and black geometric print blind - harder to source). The dramatic "eyeliner" will draw the eye away from the tiles to the black elements.

Finally - and I don't know if this is done much in the US, but you can recolour your joints (either white or more blend them to the same grey colour)

Having said that, I love both bops27 suggestion for colours as well as Liza Jones which are also very good ideas...

Judy M I had this in mind but it will depend on other choices you make.

aniluap2 If you do a patterned shower curtain I would not do wallpaper. I think painting the walls yellow would be too matchy/matchy I prefer AVS suggestion of a soft grey with either white or black framed mirror . I think with a bath mat you won't even notice the tile. Like Judy m choices for shower curtains it is simple and graphic, you could alo do a chevron print...I think west elm or urban outfitters carry some .

aniluap2 If you decide you do want pale yellow walls , I would first get the shower curtain then take it to the paint store and look at the samples. Find a yellow the same tone as what is in your curtain and then choose the top or lightest color on that strip. Yellow is a difficult color because light can really distort how it is perceived. It is always better to go lighter with yellow since the walls tend to reflect off each other and it will appear darker on the wall. Also you may think that it is so pale that it will look white, but trust me when you get it on the wall it will look yellow against the grey tile and white fixtures. It is always a good idea to paint a test square on each wall and look at it in the day and evening to make sure it looks good before investing the time and money.

Judy M That is a fact about choosing yellow paint!

bops27 Thank you all. ASVInteriors - I searched some photos on Houzz to see how a bathroom wall with the same tile color would look. I could mostly see large-sized tiles in the photos. I'm guessing with small tiles 4X4, it may not look smooth visually. I'll have to definitely test an area of the wall to see. In fact, I have the Benjamin Moore Manhattan Tan gray paint so I'll give it a go. I'm going to explore some grouting choices too for the floor. BTW, anyone have experience using Allure or Allura flooring from HomeDepot? Seem to be these clicking type planks that look like hardwood floors! Can be installed over even floors of any kind.

Thank you again all. I appreciate your finer points on paint selection too!

digitaldoll I too am refinishing my bathroom on a limited budget. I had my tub refinished white and found out that they refinish (paint) tile as well. It was very reasonable. Maybe painting the tile white would brighten up all the grey, add some soft cool yellow and black or dark grey for a pop of drama - awesomeness!

ASVInteriors Hi there Bopsz
I have found an image that will not be as small as your mosaic - but it will give you an idea. I do believe that you create interesting texture when you remove all sightlines from the eye (ie you colour everything the same (walls, joints, tiles) and leave texture to speak for itself). Best of luck with this project and please do post after photos!

bops27 I thought painting tile would be tricky because it may not be long lasting and is prone to peeling off. I'm not aware of anyone else who has painted the tile though I'm aware that it's an option.

bops27 ASVInteriors - WOW! That image is dead-on! That's probably how my bathroom would look if the walls were painted the same color. Thanks for sharing. I'll consider have to consider this seriously!

ASVInteriors Re your previous comment: Sorry I didn't mean paint tile (although I do know some who people have) - to clarify in this context, I meant matching all the elements to the same colour...

NoniMN Another option for the grout is to regrout the floor for a cleaner look. A friend had this done and it made her bathroom floor look much much cleaner.

gingerclaire I can see why you don't like your floor at the moment - just the fact that the tiles aren't in line and evenly spaced would bother me if it were my bathroom! The question is really how much you want to spend, >$1000 seems a very high end quotation for replacing the flooring (unless these things are very expensive where you live), get a few quotations before committing, and bear in mind that the larger the tile, the lower the installation cost. Have you considered wood-effect ceramic tiles? They are great in bathrooms and I think a dark one would look quite eye-catching in your room.


.houzz.com/ideabooks/1933012/list/Is-it-hardwood--No--it-s-porcelain-tile-with-a-wood-look--

If this cleaning product is available where you live, you should try it on your mosaic before you try anything else. I don't know what it contains, but it hasn't failed me yet (and I have moved into some places with pretty awful bathrooms in my time!).

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/20284/HG-Mould-Remover?src=gfeed&gclid=CJvege6fr7UCFcbKtAodNXUALQ

As Winona says, if replacement is out of the question and you have no luck with extreme cleaning techniques re-grouting is easily done. I would avoid a contrasting grout colour though as it will highlight the imperfections in the way the floor mosaic was laid.

I love the image posted by ASVInteriors; it's a clean look and very achievable with what you have already. I like your grey tiles, I don't think they overpower the bathroom because it doesn't look like an enormous expanse of tile.

bops27 Thanks again all. Gingerclaire - I'll have to look for an equivalent product here in the US. I'll have to give that a try. I've done an acid wash before with little success. In the meantime, I have a tile specialist coming in to give me a quote about regrouting. I'll post before and after pics soon!

aniluap2 Love AVS interiors photo. Definitely will look incredible in your space.

LizaJane I love the shower curtains you found (yellow and grey). If you use them, then I would NOT paint the walls a grey/yellow. I would paint them a warm white. I think painting the walls the same color of the tile would make the room too dark and uninviting. It would be one thing if your bath was light filled as the one in the photo. Paint all the wood trim white, paint the walls white, paint the mirror frame white, update the light fixture, buy a new shower curtain and call it a day! : -) I have attached a few photos to give you an idea of what I was thinking.

aniluap2 If I'm not mistaken the walls are white right now and add no interest to the bathroom. Liza Jones, I guess I'm confused because one of the pictures you posted has yellow walls? Although , I agree that yellow is not the way to go, I think white adds no pizazz and my vote is still for AVS interiors suggestion .

LizaJane Well, that is the beauty of art and design...it is subjective. No one answer is right or wrong.

aniluap2 You're so right!

Judy M This is what is great about this site. Someone is stumped on the direction to go in. People offer various options and looks to consider. The poster is then free to choose one that appeals most to them.
No one answer is right or wrong.

I think she's been given a lot of very nice suggestions so far and the ball now appears in her court to execute which one she prefers.

Hope we get to see some "after" photos.

aniluap2 Liza jones on re- reading my post, I realize I came accross somewhat rude. It was not my intent and I sincerely apologize because I do think you have given sound advice and tasteful suggestions. It really is just personal preference.

bops27 JudyM - well put! That's exactly why I'm on this site looking for suggestions so I don't have to rely only on my aesthetic sense. I'll post photos for you all to see after I'm done.

redheadedwmn like the retro tile... Hate the gold light fixture and frame! If you're looking to update, I would suggest a nice bright white bath mat, paint the walls (with color, soft yellow goes nice), change out the gold light to chrome, get a new mirror, add fluffy towels.

aniluap2 I found some amazing shower curtains on etsy. You may want to look there.

bops27 Thanks. Will check out etsy.

Linda I recently put in some of that gray speckled mosaic tile. I did a bathroom in white; tiled the tub surround then the wall behind the toilet and vanity up to 42" high with just a single strip of small navy diamonds for a trim strip. For the floor, I put 2 rows of white 2x2 around the perimeter and filled it in with the speckled mosaic. Then I used a light gray grout for both the wall and the floor to tie it all together. (I hope that no stain grout isn't false advertising!) So far, everyone who has seen it has liked it.