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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Newbie
 
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Why wasye time doing the renvations yourdelf Wayne Hulse low cost, best quality, available 24 hours a day, on time, no price increases and fast. 201 850 3776 Whulse913@gmail.com
Posted on: 2015/9/25 13:08
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
 
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Are you actually moving fixture locations and running a new circuit from your main panel? If not, you may not need to get the city involved.
Posted on: 2015/9/17 23:31
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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2006/11/15 19:54 Last Login : 2019/1/18 16:12 From Harsimus Cove
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I'm finally taking the plunge on this bathroom reno and wonder if anyone has had experience with the city inspection that they'd like to share. From what I understand, the bathroom gets demoed, plumbing and electric get installed and then you have to wait for the city inspectors to approve it before you can have your toilet and shower installed. I'm so afraid they'll stall and I'll be without a bathroom for a month. Anyone have experience expediting this process?
Posted on: 2015/9/17 18:43
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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2005/11/12 17:04 Last Login : 5/7 14:26 From Downtown JC, VVP Area
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Quote:
I considered this years ago for a cast iron bathtub that was a hideous shade of light blue. After reading up on how much prep work was involved, and the need for a sprayer which I didn't own, and the need for a serious respirator because the fumes are downright nasty (and can last a week or longer while the epoxy cures) and the need to do 2-3 coats a week or two apart from each other to make it look really nice, I decided to pull the tub and built a walk-in shower stall (all tile) instead. As a DIY project not fun at all, and brushing it on would probably look terrible. Don't know what a pro refinishing job would cost but that might be the way to go if it's cast iron. I wouldn't even consider it for a plastic tub.
Posted on: 2015/7/26 22:19
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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I have seen Bathtub Refinishing Kits in HD and a few hardware stores. Has anyone ever used these to paint/refinish your bathtub?
Posted on: 2015/7/26 20:00
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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Good luck with the project! Good post, very informative. I've been toying with the idea of re-doing my bathroom, so this was great information for me too. One last question: If you were to spring for one luxe feature in a standard size (5'-6" x 7'-6") - steam shower, Toto (or similar, with built in bidet function) toilet, or jacuzzi tub, what would it be? I'm thinking in terms of re-sale value potential and/or bang for the buck if it's just a personal splurge.
Posted on: 2015/7/21 17:02
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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2011/11/28 22:22 Last Login : 9/8 19:51 From Jersey City yo!
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Quote:
I am the OP, I got the info I wanted. Thanks to all who provided it. For the benefit of others who may be interested in a gut reno of a bathroom, you're looking at $3-5K in materials and $10-20K in labor.
Posted on: 2015/7/21 15:46
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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you can, it just won't look nice
Posted on: 2015/7/21 13:16
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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Has anyone tried using silicone caulk to repair cracked grout in a shower ?
I'm sure a full rerouting would be the best but caulking is just so much easier.
Posted on: 2015/7/21 12:53
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Webmaster
 
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My apologies for accidentally removing the New Topic "Gut Reno of Bathroom" when attempting to merge it with this.
Posted on: 2015/7/21 4:29
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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2014/12/21 14:43 Last Login : 2015/11/15 0:07 From Harsimus Cove
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Just a guess, but I think your downstairs neighbors would be aware if your shower floor was not sealed. Mine leaked just because the ring around the drain wasn't properly sealed. Is all the grout stained or just the area area under the shower head? Could be the water, your soap or shampoo.
Posted on: 2015/3/6 12:34
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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It's not hard. You buy a bottle of sealer. The general best one I've come across is 511 from Miracle Sealants. It's in a blue, plastic, rectangular bottle. A quart should run you $30-35. Get a dollar chip paint brush and brush it on, wipe away the excess. Let it cure fully before using the shower. Read the directions. On a shower FLOOR? I'd probably re-seal it every couple of years or whenever the water stops beading up.
Posted on: 2015/3/6 3:20
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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2006/5/10 16:36 Last Login : 2023/7/18 1:45 From Hamilton Park
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Yes concentrated bleach will make almost anything white, but be careful as bleached white isn't always the same as the original white and it will dissolve stone if left on long.
Robin.
Posted on: 2015/3/6 3:16
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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About the grout on a bathroom floor, I stumbled upon a solution once: I was cleaning my toilet and accidentally squirted some of the toilet bowl cleaner on the floor (Clorox toilet cleaner, it is a super thick, pale green gel) and I decided "what the heck, let me scrub the floor, too." Wouldn't you know it?! That section of the floor came out looking like it was brand new. So, a week later I decided to take on the entire floor. I squirted some of the same toilet bowl cleaner and went to town scrubbing that floor. Afterwards, it looked like it had been laid down that very same day. Super clean. The tiles looked clean, and the grout was back to its original light shade. My one warning if you decide to do this: make sure to take a break, or wear a mask, or ensure proper ventilation. After 10 minutes of scrubbing, I could feel the effect of the fumes from the cleaner. It's powerful stuff.
Posted on: 2015/3/6 1:18
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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That's why our new shower floor's grout is turning yellow after 6 months!!! Because we never sealed it!!! Well, I wish our contractor had mentioned this to us!!!
What is a good product to seal shower floor (brand)? Also, how often does this need to be done? Is it hard to do? Can I do it myself?
Posted on: 2015/3/5 18:35
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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2006/11/15 19:54 Last Login : 2019/1/18 16:12 From Harsimus Cove
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Wow, thanks so much MDM, Brewster and Coreybraiterman! I appreciate all the tips. I've done a lot of renovations in the past decade of condo ownership but never a whole room so I appreciate the input. There are a lot of variables to consider.
Agreed about sealing the grout. I used a grout color in another area of my condo that I thought wouldn't show stains... kind of a taupey brown. Well, wouldn't you know that the first cup of spilled coffee and we have a darker area. Anyone have a contractor to recommend? That's the million dollar question.
Posted on: 2015/3/5 17:25
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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Nope, go dark on the floor, it'll get there anyway no matter what you do!
Posted on: 2015/3/5 4:09
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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I can see that, especially with porcelain, but I've got 12x12 tiles with more of a matte finish, and I wouldn't say they're slippery at all. Maybe if you're older and that's more of a concern. Darker grout is also a good point, but I find it's something that people rarely do - bright white and various off whites are bigger sellers than grays. You'd also be surprised at how often people don't seal their grout and are surprised when it stains.
Posted on: 2015/3/5 2:57
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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Actually, large tiles can be more slippery than the small mosaic style tiles. I would never use a light hard to clean grout, usually something gray like Platinum is great with B&W mosaic.
Posted on: 2015/3/5 0:18
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Just can't stay away
 
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2012/3/15 14:35 Last Login : 2021/5/17 15:38 From Bergen Hill
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There are several tile places in JC on 1&9 / Tonnelle Ave north of Tonnelle Circle. I've used Chen Depot and they are very friendly and helpful and their prices were good.
Posted on: 2015/3/4 23:20
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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Apropos of nothing, a few tips and personal preferences.
I personally recommend light/pale colors in bathrooms. They tend to be small and without a lot of natural light, so dark colors can make it feel really small. If you really want a dark color, consider keeping it limited to the trim or as an accent line. Get an off-white, large (at least 12x12) floor tile in whatever color suits you. I say at least 1ft because it's harder cleaning all the grout - large tiles mean less grout. I hate beige, so I tend to like grays, but again... personal preference. Wall tiles. Some people get shower bodies instead of tiling around the tub. I think they look cheap, but they are often easier to install and to replace. For the sake of argument, let's assume wall tile. Some people get wainscoting in theirs, for those unfamiliar with the term, that's when you have paneling along the bottom half/third of the wall. In this case, the paneling would be tiles. Tiles are easier to keep clean, but harder to replace if you ever want to change the look. Compared to paint, that is. You often get smaller sized wall tiles than floor tiles, due to not having to clean as often. Again, preference. Briefly looking at home depot, and keep in mind the whole spiel about the blue/black dress and monitors not being accurately calibrated, I'd say something along the lines of http://www.homedepot.com/p/MS-Interna ... ase-NMETCHA1224/203673203 , http://www.homedepot.com/p/U-S-Cerami ... 9148?N=5yc1vZarszZ1z11cvn or http://www.homedepot.com/p/U-S-Cerami ... -ft-case-761-36/202866003 It's really hard to go wrong with something simple and neutral. Chrome finishes tends to be cheaper than nickel or bronze, cleans easier, but some people dislike the extra shininess that comes with it. Also if you chip off the chrome, it's harder to make it look new again, whereas that's a lot harder to do with aforementioned nickel. Get a light color paint for the same reasons as earlier. Gray and white are neutral and go with everything. Pick a pale blue, yellow, orange, whatever and you're fine. Satin, semi-gloss or hi-gloss are the standard options. Quite a few specialty finish paints don't hold up well to the moisture and heat in a bathroom, research them closely before using. Ceilings are almost always a standard white. There are two schools of thought on what sheen to use. Neither is wrong, it's just situational. Standard ceiling paint is flat. Flat paint absorbs moisture and allows it to permeate into the ceiling and out into the outside world beyond and the room above. The downside is this can accelerate the growth of mold. If you do not have a mold problem, this works perfectly. If mold is an issue where you live (I'm on the top floor of a building, I have had flat ceiling paint for decades with no issue), use the same sheen that you used on your walls. However. You've just turned your bathroom into a sauna. Moisture now has nowhere to go. Condensation will bead up on the ceiling and sometimes be thick enough to drip down.
Posted on: 2015/3/4 23:09
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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The saying goes, "you can have it fast, cheap, and good....pick 2" I'm a fan of classic subway tile B&W bathrooms with pinwheel floors. All gotten at Lowes or HD. I'll check out MDM's place, for some kitchen tiles. I love the jet printed faux stone porcelain with textured surfaces that's available now. I think I paid ~$1.80/ft last year.
Posted on: 2015/3/4 18:35
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Re: Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
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Tile Wholesalers Of Newark (Ironbound section) have the best quality vs. price ratio around. Plus they have an excellent selection.
Posted on: 2015/3/4 18:11
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Just can't stay away
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2007/10/16 15:41 Last Login : 2022/12/5 15:16 From Jersey City Heights
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I hate to be the one to inform you of this, but "professional" and "inexpensive" vary inversely.
Posted on: 2015/3/4 17:39
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Tips for a cheap and painless bathroom renovation
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Home away from home
Joined:
2006/11/15 19:54 Last Login : 2019/1/18 16:12 From Harsimus Cove
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The time has finally come for me to do a complete bathroom renovation.
Anyone want to share the name of a reliable, professional and inexpensive contractor? I need the job done fast since I have a 1-bathroom condo. I'd also be interested to know if anyone found suppliers of tile and bathroom fixtures that they would consider a bargain.
Posted on: 2015/3/4 17:34
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