That's rigggghhtttt the shower is.. innnn. 🙌! I am excited to share this part of the reno. Its also been the only part that has been finished. As you can see to the right of the shower ( above) the paint color has not even been chosen *moving on*
We decided that we needed to fully install a working shower before we tore out the old one. This ended up being such a great decision in so many ways. One, we didn't have to shower in the guest bathroom and two we were able to see a part of our vision come together sooner rather than later. When the reality of what you had on paper and in your mind comes together and its better than you imagined and it actually worked, is the best remodel DIY feeling.
Plan: We knew we wanted an open shower with a glass wall and door to keep things not feeling so closed off as they had been before. Initially, I wanted a ceiling to floor slab of yummy marble or some kind of stone. I knew this would be a more expensive route and we wanted to do this entire remodel ourselves with out having to have fabricators or installers of any kind. Since this was such a huge transformation that included a gallery size walk in closet (at least that's how it feels to me) we needed to think about budget. So we moved to the next less expensive route and went to Flooranddecor.com and looked at the largest options that they had. We found a 24x48 Maximo Rialto that had some patterns that went together IF you could find them. We laid each one out all over our floors to find patterns that went together and it was the biggest puzzle I had ever done. Eventually after many pattern combos we found the ones that made the most sense for our plan. I wanted them put together tight with the most minimal grout lines so that it looked like one slab.
Before:
This was hard to photograph as it‘s a tight fit next to the old shower and as you can see we were still using it. The new drain (one that ACTUALLY drains) was installed and then we decided to just have the same floor throughout so it needed to be sloped for the shower area. Happy to report no water gets outside of the shower.
Here is how it started. We had to place each layer with the intention of knowing how it would line up to the one going on top of each piece. This plan took a lot of time because of the weight and size of each tile. We had to wait for them to cure so they were absolutely solid on the wall. Each layer took several days to completely dry before the next set could go up. Knowing that they were secure and would not move we were assured that the tile placed directly on top would not slide down from the weight. Makes sense right?! When I say my husband is a genius....
Next: Hardware. To find the hardware I wanted I searched other designers and Instagram accounts for the brass shower set I was looking for. Sadly, I would get excited when I went to the site they tagged or their LiketoKnowIt and was always sticker shocked. So I decided to go about things the way I normally do and that is to search every site from Esty, eBay, FMB and any other random google search.
There is always the warning on cheaper priced ones that the bad reviews say just that, cheap. I stumbled across Homary.com and found the exact one I was looking for ON SALE under 400$ The reviews were really good and I did more research to make sure this was the right purchase because once its installed and tile is up...that's that. It's done.
This came beautifully packaged, all of the elements were very substantial in weight, fast shipping and after a few weeks of use I have to say I am totally pleased. It looks just like those over 1000$ ones as far as I am concerned.
In the end, our plan worked out and as you can see the biggest approval we were looking for was Maggie Byrd. This is in fact her shower, we just live here. What do you think? Star Approval Right!
Next week: the agony of the paint color.
Squarefoot Flooring has been a retail leader in the distribution of Flooring products for 10 Years. We currently provide services decor floors in Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Oakville, Markham, Richmond Hill. Stoney Creek, Niagara Falls. Hamilton, Ancaster, Burlington, Kitchener, Guelph, Sudbury, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa. We excel in providing a quality product in order to make your dream place a reality and have won the title for “Mississauga’s 2019 favorite business. With over 9000+ options for flooring we bring you the largest variety of styles, materials and colors to select only the best.
This is looking sooooo beautiful- you know how I feel about the tile, color choices, lighting selections and all! Keep up the great work- and what a steal on that gorgeous shower head!