Redoing the half bath

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mattswabb
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Redoing the half bath

Post by mattswabb »

So starting this week I'll be tearing into the 1st floor half bath. It's very small and tucked inder the stairs. New toilet, refinish the sink, strip wallpaper and paint and refinish the floor.

One of the things is to replace the modern toilet. The rough in is 14". My wife found this toilet

http://deabath.com/index.html

I can't see spending a grand for a toilet. We are looking for a 1910 era low tank toilet. Anyone have any suggestions? Anyone ever buy a used vintage one and rebuild it successfully?

The other thing is the sink. Around the drain is rusted and might not clean up. Since this will not be used too often I may have the sink recoated with a spray on finish. The neighbor down the street has someone who does this.

The faucets are in poor shape. I can replace the seals, one still works and the other leaks. We want to have these refinished. Anyone ever do this or know of a place that does this? I've also been looking into the electroless nickel kits and doing this at home.

The sink is also missing the overflow grill. I might be able to make one at work and then have it plated. Anyone have a source for a replacement?

Here's the sink

Image


Image
Last edited by mattswabb on Wed Feb 18, 2015 1:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

lovesickest
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by lovesickest »

Re: Taps. You can get yours refinished at places that do plating for things like automotive parts. I have a vintage bathtub faucet that I bought on Ebay (for really cheap) whose finish was more compromised than I thought. I called around to get some quotes and was quoted approximately $ 150.00 and up after I sent pics of the item. Your quotes may vary depending on your location (I'm in a city where everything is expensive).

Re: Overflow grill, etc. It may be that buying an antique overflow and taps on Ebay may be much less expensive and less effort than fabricating something to fit, and having the taps replated. I got really lucky - although the finish wasn't great the faucet I purchased on Ebay fit perfectly and even the washers inside were in perfect useable shape. It was very nicely made and cost far less than the bottom-end crap I looked at locally in the hardware store. With Ebay you take your chances - not everything has been tested or is sold by a seller who knows their stuff. Sometimes an item can turn out to be junk - and was not knowingly misrepresented. I am a cheapskate and am patient and figure out how much I can afford to lose if something turns out to be crappy. 19/20 times the thing is fine.

Re: Sink Refinishing. I have seen more than a couple of "refinished" sinks with some sort of whizz-bang modern process and usually the new finish will begin to peel after several years, especially is there is a careless abrasive scrubber user. The new surface is never as durable as the thick old porcelain. I say leave well enough alone. Try a couple of mild rust remover type solutions but really - if this is the sink for the powder room at the back end of the house that is seldom used - don't sweat the small stuff.

Re: Toilet. Whatever you do don't buy a Kohler toilet ! The parts are proprietary and must be specially ordered from their suppliers (ie not available from the local hardware store). If I was buying a toilet again I would ask lots of questions about the parts - and spend less on an aesthetically acceptable toilet that was not a plumbing or performance diva. My toilet that cost 1/5 as much as the Kohler works better, too. Again - if this is for a seldom used powder room I would not spend a ton on a period correct fancy reproduction toilet. I would save that for the guest or master bathroom.

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Don M
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by Don M »

Cool sink!

Bungalove
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by Bungalove »

I agree about the toilet. I'd get a good-quality but not super-expensive modern one that has an older look; i.e. rounded edges and not sharp ones. Honestly? Toilet design has not changed all that much in the last hundred or so years.

I also highly recommend Jane Powell's book "Bungalow Bathrooms" for advice, photos, and ideas. For every component -- fixtures, floors, walls, etc. -- she gives two options, an "Obsessive Restoration" one and a "Compromise Solution" one.

lovesickest
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by lovesickest »

Yes ! I second that book. From the title I was expecting more deco and mid century bathrooms but I do recall many early 20th century bathrooms. It was very difficult for me to RETURN that book to the library...

Bungalove
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by Bungalove »

lovesickest, I've bought almost every Bungalow book the late, great Ms. Powell wrote. My fear was that some day soon they'd be out of print. "Bungalow Kitchens" is even better than the bathrooms book, and I also highly recommend "Bungalow Details: Exteriors" and "Bungalow Details: Interiors."

Her bathrooms book told me that for my 1916 house bathroom, an appropriate color for towels would be white. Period. I resisted for a bit, thinking white towels would look so boring, but you know what? They look perfect. Now I think colored towels would look jarring.

I love bungalows -- can you tell???

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Mick_VT
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by Mick_VT »

take a look at these guys: http://deabath.com

You can refurbish any old toilet wiht the parts they sell - they also freely give advice. I have a 1923 low flush that I rebuilt with parts from them and a 1910 high tank that I built from a tank picked up on ebay and a bowl from the local salvage yard. Toilet innards remained interchangeable over the years, very easy to rebuild and update.
Mick...

lovesickest
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by lovesickest »

Bungalove - do you have her book on Linoleum ? I felt like the biggest nerd ordering it from a discount bookseller on ABEBooks - I think I paid about $ 4.00 plus shipping - but I love that book, too. Everything you would ever need to know about Linoleum and carpet "linoleum"(technically not actual linoleum) in a coffee table type book. I recommend that, too.

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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by clover »

For refinishing the sink, if you know someone, I'd go ahead and have it done. We had a single basin, double drainboard kitchen sink with lots of chips and rust done for $350. The sink came with the house, and $350 was far cheaper than something new of the same size. I baby it (it's in a mud room, not a kitchen), and only wipe it down with vinegar and water. It's been two years and so far, so good on the finish. Since this is in a small half bath, the finish won't be put through too much, and you'll just have to watch the harsh cleaners. I was just thinking that if you were entertaining the idea of spending $1,000 on a toilet, you might not be happy just leaving the rust.

mattswabb
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Re: Redoing the half bath- looking for advice

Post by mattswabb »

I ordered the bungalow bathroom book from the library. The $1000 toilet is out. I'll be able to buy a used one of craigslist and rebuild it for a lot less.

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