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This D.I.Y. renovation brings a fresh beachside feel to a tired bathroom.
The project
My wife and I purchased our first home in 2019 and moved in early 2020. It's an old home (1979) but super-close to the beach in the south-west of Western Australia, which we loved.
Since then we had knocked off every room in the home bar two: the bathroom and master bedroom.
With both of us working full time it’s been a slog, but as a teacher the two-week holidays this July gave me a chunk of time to get stuck in to the bathroom.
We decided to increase the space by installing a combined bath and shower. The decor would be in keeping with the beach/contemporary theme throughout the rest of our home
All up it took about two weeks.
It was my first time laying floor tiles – and it was a messier job than I thought!
Originally there were these ghastly brown mosaic tiles. It took a full day with the Ozito hammer drill but I got them all up in the end.
Django the cat was our building inspector throughout the project.
And here is the finished product.
The original shower area was ripped out and filled in with screed before the new Duratile London Black floor tiles went down.
We chose a folding floating shower screen, which can be folded right back to the wall if needed. We now have the option of rain shower as well as a hand-held shower head and the bath tap.
We used Dulux white gloss tile paint over the shower area to cover the unsightly 1979 yellow tile colour theme. Four coats got rid of it.
The tub itself was a gross pinkish colour. We tossed up whether to paint or have a new one installed. We opted to paint with White Knight Tub & Basin paint, and it worked out really well. It took four coats but was worth it.
The wall cladding is Easycraft shiplap from Bunnings.
A strip of Porta D mould really gives the vanity area the touch of raw colour it needed.
There's heaps of storage now with the oversized vanity drawers as well as a cupboard for spare towels and other bits and pieces (my wife loves that part the most!).
The old mirror was upcycled with a frame made of Bunnings DAR Pine and some linen-white chalk paint sanded in places to give it a weathered beach look. It fills the width of the vanity nicely.
The Caroma long-head mixer and the above-bench basin give the vanity a fresh, modern look. I’ve always loved the look of above-bench basins and finally had the chance to install one here. We originally picked a mixer that was too low – but that one went to the kitchen, so it worked out well.
We will end up putting a small shelf on the cladded wall next to the mirror – we're still hunting for the right one. We'll also put a canvas on the wall opposite the mirror above the towel racks.
There were more than a few problem-solving situations and some choice words on most days – but there was always a workaround!
I think I made dozen or more trips to Bunnings within the two weeks – luckily, it's only an eight-minute drive away.
Before and after
How to plan a bathroom renovation
No matter what type of bathroom you have, it all starts with planning and research to discover how you can make best use of what is often the smallest room in the house. Check out How to plan a bathroom renovation by experienced Bunnings Workshop member Adam Woodhams for advice on how to redesign your space.
More bathroom renovation ideas
For more inspiration check out our Top 10 most popular bathroom projects, and let us know if you need a hand with your project. We're here to help.
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