Common Bathroom Remodeling Mistakes to Avoid

When it comes to bathroom remodeling, taste is relative but some choices are just a bad idea. Some of these items present a safety issue, others require too much upkeep, and a few may make it more difficult to sell your house one day. Before you make one of these bathroom remodeling mistakes, take advantage of the Stradling’s design team’s hard-earned knowledge.

Glossy, Slippery Tile

Polished tile flooring with a high gloss looks absolutely beautiful, shining and reflecting your gorgeous new lighting fixtures. Unfortunately, glossy tiles are incredibly slippery and therefore dangerous, especially in a room known for attracting moisture. You can have your beautiful tiles without turning your bathroom into a Slip N Slide. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sets slip-resistance standards for flooring. Consider these recommendations when choosing the best tiles for your bathroom floor.

Wallpaper

Steam is often used to strip wallpaper. Outside of a sauna, you aren’t likely to find a steamier room than your bathroom. Generally, wallpaper begins to peel off of a bathroom wall within a few years. If you really like hanging wallpaper, go for it. Otherwise, save it for a rarely used guest bath or a half-bath. If your décor craves the antique look of wallpaper, you might consider a solid vinyl wallcovering instead. These are great for repelling moisture so they work well in a bathroom (kitchens, too).

Tiny Tile Mosaics

We agree that these look amazing – retro yet modern, which is a difficult combination to come by. Unfortunately, they are a nightmare to keep clean. All of those tiny tiles add up to a LOT of grout that needs to be cleaned and maintained. That’s a real time-suck. If you simply must have your tiny tile mosaics, consider using them as an accent, preferably someplace where they won’t attract a lot of moisture. The wall around your vanity makes a great option.

Laminate Floors

Just like wallpaper, laminate flooring doesn’t do well around water, which seeps in between the sheets and causes them to expand and peel away from the floor. If your goal is budget-friendly flooring, consider linoleum instead. As a plus, it’s also eco-friendly and comes in a wide array of designs and patterns.

Exposed Plumbing

This is a popular request for people who want a retro, rustic, or European feel for their bathroom. If you have little ones, we usually advise against this. Toddlers love to climb things and those exposed pipes are at a tempting height. It will also turn away a lot of buyers, if you decide to sell your home in the future. All that said, if you don’t plan to sell your home soon and don’t have any little ones running around, go for it.

Carpeted Floors

We’ve covered bathroom moisture pretty well by this point, so it should come as no surprise that carpeting isn’t a great fit here. If you still need convincing, the CDC advises against carpeting in bathrooms and basements. That’s because the carpet becomes a ripe breeding ground for mold and mildew. If you want carpeting for comfort, use bath mats instead. You have loads of options for size, color, texture, and more. And you can toss them in the washing machine and hang them up to dry, so mold isn’t a problem.

Hardwood Floors

Our final “doesn’t do well around water” entry is hardwood floors. Unless you’re prepared to thoroughly dry your floor after every shower, face washing, tooth brushing, and hand washing, your wood floors will warp. And, because it’s more porous than tile, wood flooring isn’t as sanitary. If you just have to have the look of wood, you’re in luck. There are amazing ceramic tiles that are practically indistinguishable from wood.

Yellow Walls

One key to picking out the perfect paint color is to test it in different types of lighting. This is especially important in a bathroom, which tends to be on the small side and rely heavily on artificial lighting. These conditions can wreak havoc on any color, but especially yellow. Even paint colors that contain yellow undertones can look brash in the bathroom – and make you question the face you see staring back at you in the mirror. Instead of yellow, look for gray paint colors, preferably with undertones of green or blue.

Colorful Bathtub or Sink

Bathroom remodeling mistakes, red tub and sinks, Stradling's Cabinets & Remodeling, Gilbert, AZ

We’ve talked before about the importance of a neutral palette when remodeling your bathroom. This is especially true for your porcelain items – sink, tub, shower, toilet. That fabulous aqua-colored sink may scream ’50s retro to you, but you’ll most likely regret it when it comes time to sell your home. Non-white tubs and sinks also make the room look smaller, and bathrooms are generally fairly small to begin with.

Add in the cost to replace and you’re looking at strike three. You can add color to the bathroom with décor. Rugs, towels, window treatments, vanity items – they all give you the chance to indulge your love of color. Of course, just like the exposed pipes, if you plan to be in your home for the foreseeable future, go ahead and rock that turquoise tub. It’s your home, after all.

Work with a Design Team

Are you ready to remodel your bathroom? Stradling’s has been helping valley homeowners create their dream home since 1935. Our team of professional designers love their job. Contact us today to get started.