Monday, May 10, 2010

Master Bathroom Improvement

I was so happy with how our framed bathroom mirrors turned out that I have been looking for more ways to improve the look of our bathrooms. I finally got tired of looking at the side of our ugly plastic tub in the master bathroom so we decided to update it with beadboard siding and trim. It was actually quite easy and relatively inexpensive to do. Zak used "pre-made" wainscoting boxes sold at Home Depot which cost a fair amount more than buying the beadboard and trim seperately, however, for as little space as we needed to cover it was worth the cost difference. Plus, we used these packages to do our two other small bathrooms in the house and knew the time saving was worth the extra money.


Here is the {ugly} before of our master bathroom tub:



And here is the {beautiful} after:



The first step was to build a frame out of 2"x3" wood {in retrospect we would have used 2"x4" so the beadboard had more surface to adhere to but fortunately it wasn't an issue for us}. Once your frame is put together you adhere the newly built frame to as many surfaces as you can {floor, wall, tub, etc..} with liquid nails.


Once the frame is secured in place, you attach the beadboarding and trim to the frame using liquid nails and a nail gun. Fill in cracks and nails with quick dry putty and sand down for a smooth finish. Now you are ready to paint! Since the "pre-made" boxes that we purchased are already white, we only had to do two coats of paint.



Let the paint dry then attach edging tiles along the top of the frame using liquid nails. Another option is to use cut marble tiles that overhang the edge but we picked the easier and less inexpensive option. We found white matte corner tiles on clearance at Lowe's for twenty-four cents each so that reinforced our decision. We had to take two of the tiles to Home Depot to be cut {free of charge}. To determine the cuts, start placing tiles in the center and work your way out. The two end tiles are the ones that should be cut exactly the same size. This looks better than just cutting one tile and it's definitely worth the trip back out to the store!



Lastly, you can use "Grout Caulk" to fill in the gaps of the tile. This is so much easier and a lot more affordable to do than regular grout which also requires sealer. Use regular silicone caulk to fill in all of the seams on the beadboard and trim so that water does not seep through and turn moldy. We still haven't applied any water-sealer to the siding yet but we'll do that soon because we know the side of the tub is going to get wet and this will prevent it from warping and mildewing.



Total spent on this project was about $45 give or take a few dollars. I love the new look of our tub and can't wait to see what other improvements we can do soon!


All linked up:

A Soft Place to Land...DIY Day with The Pleated Poppy
Just A Girl...Show and Share Day
The Shabby Nest...Frugal Friday

~Momma to Bug n' Bear~


14 comments:

Meredith said...

Holy moly! What an improvement! I wouldn't have thought to do an upgrade like that, but you can't beat that price and it really changed the whole feel of your tub area. Way to go!

Now what can I fix up at my house with a tube of caulk and some beadboard... :)

House of Smiths said...

Looooooooooooooooooooove this!
I'm TOTALLY impressed!
Thanks so much for sharing!
I'm def. going to star this, for MY bathroom... if we EVER get there. lol
Shelley

Carry Grace said...

That is a MAJOR improvement for just 45 bucks! Great job!

Kimmy said...

Wow that looks SO great! What an improvement!! & you just can't beat that price tag! :)

The House Creative said...

Oh this is wonderful. I think just gave me an idea for my bathroom now! Thanks for sharing, you did a fabulous job.

Tisha said...

Oh. My. Gosh. LOVE IT!!!!!!

Tonya said...

Great job! Looks so much more custom now!

Cheryl said...

Nice job . you gave it a customized look and you definitely did good in buying the boxed stuff. You were able to get three bathrooms done for that price. way to go. thanks for going to the trouble of sharing it with us all.

Kat said...

Love it! I may have to nab this idea!
www.thespottsblog.blogspot.com

mkelton24 said...

This is something I have always loved the look of, but have never made the time to actually do it! It just may have to be one of my summer projects! thanks for sharing!

the keltons cozy cottage

Jenni said...

Oh, I LOVE how it turned out! I am so excited to do this when I get to our hall bath! You did such a wonderful job on it, and it completely transformed your tub area! I love how you also added the tiles to cover up the wooden frame, too.

When I finally get to doing this, I will make sure to link to this post! :)

Suzanne said...

Absolutely gorgeous! Love the transformation!

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

You made an acrylic tub look like a custom job! Well...I guess it IS a custom job! I'm definitely bookmarking this one. Absolutely gorgeous!

Unknown said...

What a great project! Thanks for sharing the frame and finishing details. It looks great! I'm your newest follower.