Best Way to Age a Bathroom?

[vvzz]

How about a pan shower arrangement
IMG_0248.JPG
Doesn't have to be this fancy but I' sure you get the idea. You can buy brand new enamelled pans with stubby Victorian cabriolet style feet. Sits rite on your tile.

These ribcage showers are a dream of mine. They are everything but cheap. eBay has one for over a thousand bucks right now.

They are supercool, but somehow they give me a tuberculosis sanatorium vibe or something. Little bit too much on a creepy side!

[Sara]

They are supercool, but somehow they give me a tuberculosis sanatorium vibe or something. Little bit too much on a creepy side!

I second that! I don't know why but the creep factor is off the charts with those!

I 'aged' up my bathroom and still need to finish tiling the shower. But I think you can't go wrong with a pedestal or cast iron hanging sink - depending on the space and how the layout turns out. Then with the shower, I chose to go with a schluter-kerdi application so the shower could be a custom size. That might work for you too here - again, depends on your dimensions. Choose a classic tile and you'd be amazed at the difference.

You really can't go wrong with a subway tile. But I chose a wainscoting instead. Cheaper option.

[phil]

LOL when I saw it I thought it looked like some sort of bondage contraption and it turns out I wasn't alone in getting a weird impression of the thing.

[Ober51]

That's what makes it so great, haha.

I also bought a lot of vintage details for the bathroom. Jess wasn't crazy about the vintage tub spout, but it's great. I also picked up some great Mott cup/toobrush holder and soap holder from the early 1900s. Those will be installed shortly. Pictures to follow.

[phil]

nothing wrong with a little shower bondage lol .. it looks neat and it is definitely unusual looking. If it is made from decent quality parts it could be really fun. I'd just make sure you don't' get a bunch of thinned down tubing or chromed plastic. Its hard to tell visually but plumbing parts sure range in quality.

[SouthernLady]

Thank you all for the input--and especially pictures!

I've been scouring Craigslist daily for an old toilet and sink, with no luck yet. I know something is out there!

The ceilings are coming down as soon as I get a good report on asbestos. I have read that even if the tiles are asbestos, if I keep them wet while pulling it down and tie up the trash securely, I can remove them myself. Do y'all know if that is so? The original tongue and groove ceilings are still in the entire house, although covered, so I know it's going to make a drastic difference to have them restored.

I am kind of half-and-half on the floor... I LOVE a wood floor, and I have seen a wood floor restoration done well in a bathroom. I have tile in the old bathroom on the main floor--it seems to have originally been a sleeper porch with a bathroom added in the '20s possibly.

[eclecticcottage]

In NY a homeowner can remove asbestos and just throw it out. A contractor has to jump through all sorts of hoops. I think it varies by state though.

Oooo tongue and groove already there! I am jealous!

I also love the wide plank floor look. I have strip oak (yuck) at the Cottage in the bathroom and it's ok, but you have to wipe water up quickly. It also has kind of an ick factor for me by the toilet, like I feel like I can't sanitize it as well as tile-but that's just me.

[Nettie]

I love the wood floor in my bathroom and I don't have issues with moisture. We put a tile shower in what used to be a small closet and then I put the door casings back up around it and hung a curtain. It kind of disguises the shower and people just see the clawfoot tub (not shown). I use an antique dresser for the towel storage and this really adds to the vintage feel. Also I think the wainscotting helps with that.

[1918ColonialRevival]

Keep looking for the sink and toilet. They're out there!

As for the asbestos, common sense applies. I've removed old acoustic tile by misting it, taking it down one at a time, and bagging it. I also wore a good respirator while I did it. I didn't bother having it tested - I automatically treat anything over 30 years old as if it contains asbestos. And asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, so I don't see any issue with returning it to the ground from which it came.

I'll probably draw some fire for saying this, but I've long believed that the asbestos danger has been largely inflated. Working in an industrial setting for years is harmful, as is anything that is fibrous or dusty. But I believe casual exposure, including removing asbestos containing material with common sense safe handling, to be low risk. There was a time when virtually everything contained asbestos. If it were as deadly as the government acts like, no one would have lived past the age of 50.

[1918ColonialRevival]

How about a pan shower arrangement
IMG_0248.JPG
Doesn't have to be this fancy but I' sure you get the idea. You can buy brand new enamelled pans with stubby Victorian cabriolet style feet. Sits rite on your tile.

These ribcage showers are a dream of mine. They are everything but cheap. eBay has one for over a thousand bucks right now.

They are supercool, but somehow they give me a tuberculosis sanatorium vibe or something. Little bit too much on a creepy side!

They didn't sell a lot of ribcage showers even when they were new, which is one reason they are so hard to find today. Most of these were made in the 1905-1920 timeframe when the majority of bathrooms didn't have a shower. Besides being expensive, many people were skeptical of them in the early years.

My neighbors are fortunate enough to have an original one in their house (1919). Theirs is installed inside of a marble surround, which was the alternative to the cast iron enameled pans.