Bathroom Remodeling Ideas for Tile Showers
- Use a tiled shower as a bathroom focal point.soap dispensers image by Dragan Trifunovic from Fotolia.com
Tile bathrooms can look dirty and dated, but a few simple remodeling ideas can revamp your tired tile shower. Whether you want to redo your tile, add tile to other parts of the room or just do some switching around, an updated look can breathe new life into your bathroom space. Remodeling your bathroom around your tile shower creates a focal point that gives the space cohesion and character. - Stand-alone showers that are not accompanied by a bathtub can feel small and enclosed. Use a tile pattern to create the illusion of height and space by staggering tiles vertically. Select neutral-colored tiles that have a long side and short side; tiles that are 2 in. by 4 in. work well for vertical staggering. Instead of installing tiles with the longer side laying horizontally, install tiles so that the long side is perpendicular to the ceiling. Lay the tiles so that they don't line up exactly to create a purposefully staggered look that guards against a plain or uninteresting pattern.
- If your old tiles are in good shape, there is no need to completely replace them if you want to update your bathroom. Carefully select a few tiles in scattered locations; use a small hammer and chisel to remove the selected tiles. Replace the tiles with a brightly colored tile of the same size to add color to the space. Match or contrast the color of the new tile to the rest of your bathroom. White tiles pair well with a bright yellow accent tile while blue tiles are complemented by green tiles. Alternatively, replace the old tile with several smaller tiles in the same color or a slightly different shade.
- Don't limit the tile in your shower to the inside of the shower. Create a cohesive look by extending the tiling to the outside of the bathtub. Installing tile to a curved, fiberglass bathtub requires specialty knowledge; pay a licensed contractor to properly perform the job. Select matching tiles with an additional detail like scroll work or stenciling for the tub tiles.
Alternatively, extend the shower tiles onto the bathroom ceiling. Start at the outer corners of the shower on one wall; mark out a triangle connecting the two corners to a point in the center of the ceiling. Lay the tiles in the triangle. The tile that lines the edges of the triangle can remain uncut to create a jagged or staggered edge rather than a straight edge, or the tiles can be aligned prior to setting them to create a smooth-edged line. A strong, thin set mortar should hold the tiles to the ceiling so long as the ceiling is not textured or bowed.
