Bauer bathroom
paint: If your walls are in good shape, then you'll want to keep them that way. Use a water-based primer, recommends designer Kevin Wild. This will help keep moisture off your drywall and prevent mildew. You'll also want to look into a mildew-resistant paint — many designers suggest using semigloss paint because it repels moisture and is easy to clean. "I love the look of matte walls, though," says interior designer Barbra Bright. "Now it's possible to have them in the bathroom too. Companies like Benjamin Moore make matte paint designed for high-moisture areas — no more shine."
Consider your lighting and tile layout from the start. This is key to a polished-looking shower. Make sure to include lights in your shower, not just around it. Depending on your shower size and makeup, one, two or four lights might look best. When you remove your old tub and tub surround to make room for the new shower, this is a perfect time to check that your light system can be installed like you had planned. Often the ceiling framing above a tub can be easily adjusted to accommodate a lighting plan. Don't tile without the finished light sources in place. Without a light source in place, it is hard to know how any lippage might look. In a shower the lights are often quite close to the wall, which will show every little flaw in a tile installation. Tip: Plan your tile layouts early, using the ceiling height as a reference. Try to avoid sliver cuts in tile layouts. Drawing the layout on paper helps — once you have this finalized, you can use your fixed tile grout lines to lay out shampoo niche locations and shower fixtures.
Shower layout: Measure the bathroom exactly. Draw the finished wall measurements, right down to the 1/8 inch. Most tubs are 60 inches wide, and this is a great width for a shower. The depth is the kicker. Aim for at least 32 to 34 inches from the finished tile wall to the future glass shower door. You will also need to to have a finished ceiling height of 80 inches minimum and a shower that's at least 30 by 30 inches to comply with the National Kitchen & Bath Association's guidelines for bathrooms. If you decide to plan for a bench, make sure it doesn't crowd this space of 30 by 30 inches minimum. Record the toilet location. A distance of 15 to 18 inches from the the center of the toilet to the glass on the new shower door tends to be comfortable.
Consider a heated floor. Having a timer for the fan and a floor heating system is a great tag-team approach to a dry and healthy bathroom. Nothing dries out a shower floor or bathroom tile floor faster than some lovely floor heat. Tip: Make sure your heating system is allowed inside the shower. This cable kit from NuHeat is a great option for this.
I like how this shower uses the light to accent the back wall. The downlighting showcases the rough texture of the natural slate tile. Be careful with this type of setup on a regular tiled wall, since lighting can showcase tile lippage and make a great installation look sloppy. Tip: Try to keep lights as far from walls as possible to reduce highlighting on tile lippage.
Make sure to consider how the remaining floor will be prepared when you're choosing your shower drain too. This bathroom was built and waterproofed with the Schluter Kerdi and Ditra system, which allows for a seamless transition from the dry area to the wet one. Tip: Use a temporary dam to flood test these installations. You will need to dam the shower 2 inches above the entry point.
A tile-top linear drain is one of the hottest looks now and one of my clients' preferred choices. This shower, set by Ceramiques Hugo Sanchez, showcases the polished look that's possible with modern drains. An opening of at least 2.48 square inches or 1,600 square millimeters is recommended. Smaller openings may work or even look nicer, but they will affect the flow rates of these drains. Tip: Clean these tile-top drains regularly to keep the flow rates at optimum levels. Hair buildup around the drain's waste pipe can choke the air needed to keep the shower drain flowing properly.
installing a grab bar right at the entry of the shower and near the shower niche, so bathers can steady themselves when entering and exiting the shower, and when reaching for the shampoo bottle.
shower control placements
Kohler Purist grab bar
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