Cost-efficient bathroom renovations

[laur150]

Hey everyone,

My sink is shot - rust is eating away at it and it looks terrible. I moved it three years ago and it was starting to go, and now, well, it's just ugly.

The thing is, it is beige. I so, so wish it was white. But if I do white, I have to do the tub and the toilet, too.

Is there a cost-efficient way to do this? Any recommendations? I figure if I am going to do the bathroom I'm doing to do it right. I'm keen on any changes except the mirror and lights, which I really light, as I put those in when I moved in. My mirror has a light wood-coloured border, so anything I would do would have to correspond with that.

Thanks!

[Pete_Coach]

There are companies that re-finish tubs, tiles and sinks. The have a process that cleans and then re-finishes the ceramic surfaces to almost new looking condition (they can now do fibreglas and other types of tubs too). It is way cheaper than gutting and replacing it. Cost is variable but it is way cheaper.
The side benefit of getting the tiles done is that they also do the grout lines and you never have to worry about cleaning them again.

[laur150]

Oh, wow, I never knew this existed. I haven't yet asked my uncle, who does this type of work for a living, so if I did get anything done he could install it, et cetera (and my dad is very handy and assists him with ease; they re-did my kitchen).

But is it cheaper to do it this way? Do you have a recommendation? Thank you!

[goofball]

I would get a new toilet and sink basin (toilet can be had under $100 and the basin is $30 typically).
As for the bathtub, it is easier to get it sprayed and cheaper than having the whole area ripped out and redone. While a tub can cost around $300 and then another $300-400 for the walls, it's the labour that will be expensive. We had our grey tub with grey tile walls sprayed white for around $700 about 2 years ago. You do have to be more careful about how you clean and that you don't scratch as it is just a paint job literally.

[laur150]

Thanks goofball. Does it look just as good?

[Pete_Coach]

Oh, wow, I never knew this existed. I haven't yet asked my uncle, who does this type of work for a living, so if I did get anything done he could install it, et cetera (and my dad is very handy and assists him with ease; they re-did my kitchen).

But is it cheaper to do it this way? Do you have a recommendation? Thank you!
Like I said, the price varies, sometimes quite a bit but it is for sure cheaper than replacing them. Some companies use epoxy type paints and others use more of a "porcelain" type of product. Bathtub King is one I have head good things abut http://www.bathtubking.com/index2.html
Here is some info on another. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIB33p8G0yQ

As far as a cheap toilet is concerned, you get what you pay for and, there are certain things that I want to work properly from the get go. A toilet is one of those. In my opinion, the cheap toilets will only cause problems in the long run. Having to flush twice or 3 times is only part of the problems cheap toilets will have.
Same for the sink. A cheap one will be hard to install and will just not fit right or the faucets don't fit properly or you cannot get the drain to attach properly.
If you are going to refinish the tub, leave the sink in place and do it too.

[Mars2012]

I am not a fan of quick fixes for renovations ie. covering/painting over the bad stuff. If you plan on staying there for any length of time, save up and put in the proper fixtures. If you are handy, you can buy good materials and do the job yourself...that will save you a lot of money. I agree with Pete Coach...don't buy the cheapest supplies, you will regret it.

My in-laws got BathFitters to redo their master bath (shower)...what a bunch of con-artists...expensive and not a good product.

[goofball]

The spray-on was a porcelain product, I wouldn't have gone with it myself if I wasn't selling the home but it was grey and we had already changed the toilets and the basin.
The toilet wasn't as good as I thought, I would make sure that you have one with a high MAP flush rating (1000 is the highest, I believe). This will cost more than $100 from what I can recall but well worth it.
I didn't have any issues with the $30 vitreous china basin from Home Depot and Rona. Install was fine, the faucets and drain all attached properly.
If you do decide to change the faucet fixture, one brand I do not recommend is Danze. They are cheap but unlike other brands that go on sale, these aren't a deal imo. The kitchen faucet we had was nice in appearance but I would never buy it again. The bathroom fixtures were ok but having used Delta brand, I wouldn't skimp the $20-30 to go for Danze.

[bluesweater]

If you do plan to replace the toilet, I would highly recommend an American Standard Cadet III.
I think you can get the kits for between 150 and 200, just make sure you get one with an insulated tank.

[dor79]

we were in the same predicament. we changed the toilet to white as well as the sink and put in new tile on the floor. we had the bathtub sprayed and are saving to redo the whole tub and tiles around it.

[aqnd]

Costco toilets are 1000map and start at $90. 5 year warranty.

Home depot's cheapest equivalent is 150-200 and only 2 year warranty. Didn't check the map rating, but I don't even think it was 1000.

[gnuman]

I am not a fan of quick fixes for renovations ie. covering/painting over the bad stuff. If you plan on staying there for any length of time, save up and put in the proper fixtures. If you are handy, you can buy good materials and do the job yourself...that will save you a lot of money. I agree with Pete Coach...don't buy the cheapest supplies, you will regret it.

My in-laws got BathFitters to redo their master bath (shower)...what a bunch of con-artists...expensive and not a good product.

Completely agree with you on that. My sis wanted to redo the bathroom and they wanted something like $6-7k to do it. And it's just the bathtub itself not a complete bathroom.

[Maymybonneliveforever]

Honestly I wouldn't consider replacing a toilet, sink and recovering the bathtub a bathroom renovation. Our situation was that my wife didn't like the blue toilet, sink, and bathub so I replace the sink and toilet and we had the bathtub redone about 8 years ago. The tub faided to the point where I redid the whole bathroom last year and the only reason I didn't do it at the time is I didn't have the thousands needed burning a hole in my pocket so it basically bought us enough time to redo it properly.

[sleepyguy]

Please replace and don't do those cheesy 'facelift' jobs. It'll cost you labour+materials but you'll be so much more satisfied in the end. One thing that can refinished that looks great when done right is hardwood floors.

[hystat]

I'd just get a new almond sink (beige?)

I just saw one at home hardware this morning for $45... I have no problem with almond... pink or green or that turquoise another story

those epoxy paint jobs the pros do to convert a tub are only cosmetic - doesn't last with normal traffic - maybe a year.... they make a tub white for people selling the home

[torontozn]

one cost effective change you can make to your bathroom is simply changing your mirror. If you are tight on money right now and cannot change the sink/tub/toilette or floors, go to homesense and grab a nice framed mirror to replace your current one.

[Maymybonneliveforever]

one cost effective change you can make to your bathroom is simply changing your mirror. If you are tight on money right now and cannot change the sink/tub/toilette or floors, go to homesense and grab a nice framed mirror to replace your current one.If you read the original post this is about a "sink that is shot", replacing the mirror will not help the sink situation as they've already done that when they moved in. Read below.


Hey everyone,

My sink is shot - rust is eating away at it and it looks terrible. I moved it three years ago and it was starting to go, and now, well, it's just ugly.

'm keen on any changes except the mirror and lights, which I really light, as I put those in when I moved in

[Porcina]

If you do plan to replace the toilet, I would highly recommend an American Standard Cadet III.
I think you can get the kits for between 150 and 200, just make sure you get one with an insulated tank.
I second bluesweater. We installed the American Standard Cadet III which is a true low flush. I have never had to flush twice. It is amazing. Comes with extended bowl or standard.
Also took a chance and purchased air tub from kijiji for 1/10 of the original price.

[sleepyguy]

Costco sells a very nice one-peice toilet... we replaced all of ours in our house with it. It's duel flush on top and very nice. around $175 I think. easy upgrades are sink+cabinet and mirror that is cheap and very easy diy work if you can do a bit of plumbing (not hard). Tub replacement will be the hardest and I don't recommend doing it yourself.

For example we got a Rona Vanity (porcelain counter + glass surround) for as-is super cheap ($225) because a sliding hinge was busted. I fixed that for $5, installed a Moen 50% off faucet.... thing looks great! All under $300 for everything... plumbing pieces cost me about $20-30 as I bought all new connections (could have used old ones but didn't trust them). Youtube is great for seeing how simple things are done.

[gnuman]

If he's trying to save money why go out and spend $200 on a toilet?

[hystat]

yeah - I`m also confused by all this advice about replacing everything but the sink to remedy a rusty almond sink...

option A:
buy a new almond sink - install it -done $45 and 1.5 hours time
option B:
gut the entire bathroom, budget $10K to $15K and build your new bathroom with white fixtures.
option C:
get the tub epoxy painted white, replace sink and toilet with white - never use the tub again because the paint will come off, or move

[ChzPlz]

I'd get a cheap sink to fix your existing problem and toss it all when you do the whole bath.

[boyoflondon]

There are companies that re-finish tubs, tiles and sinks. The have a process that cleans and then re-finishes the ceramic surfaces to almost new looking condition (they can now do fibreglas and other types of tubs too). It is way cheaper than gutting and replacing it. Cost is variable but it is way cheaper.
The side benefit of getting the tiles done is that they also do the grout lines and you never have to worry about cleaning them again.

I would rather replace the sink and the toilet as opposed to re-finishing. Decent toilet will run you $150 and a sink can be had for <$100. New > refinish anytime in my opinion. Last time i renovated our bathroom, I got an American Standard sink for $90.

[Maymybonneliveforever]

Just thought I'd let everyone know that op hasn't replied in around 2 weeks so this maybe a dead thread, therefore suggestion will go un noticed.