Here's the old bath:

Here's the new:

1. where counter meets backsplash - grout?
2. where tile floor meets wall - ??
3. where tiled shower stall floor meets tiled wall - ??
4. corners of shower walls - grout?

And while we are on tile basics, when do you use sanded v. unsanded grout?

Thanks in advance. I wish I could hire some of the tile experts here and then I wouldn't have that sense of dreaded anticipation that this is all something I should have to worry about ....!

Subject 1: Rain Showers
1. On another post I read that 9'6" for the height of the shower head would be too high. Since my ceiling is going to be 10' should I get a longer arm (or whatever the correct term is) to bring the rain shower head lower? What would be a good height for this? Is this standard or does it depend on the brand, my water pressure, my preference? Basically I have no preference since I've never used one of these before but all the comments seem so favorable and I'm trying to be open to new ideas.

2. Are rain showers only suitable for showers and not tub/showers? The designer at the plumbing supply looked at me in horror when I asked if this type of shower head could be used in a tub/shower in addition to the hand spray. "Nobody does that," was her comment. The specific tub I was hoping to do this with is the Tea for Two (K-855-R)which is 66" x 36" overall and 45" x 25" at the bottom of the bathing well. Since we can't have a separate shower in the space available I was hoping to liven up the shower experience in this bathroom.

Subject 2: Hand Sprays
1. We have never had an expensive hand spray, only waterpiks installed on the available shower arm. These have worked perfectly fine---cheap and long lasting as well as effective. In the new bathrooms I was thinking of upgrading to the fancy items I've been seeing but as always questions arise. Do the metal sprays really hold up better over time than the plastic sprays? Ususally with the plastic waterpik hose of smooth plastic I just give it a quick wipe with the sponge while cleaning. Is there a problem keeping that metal coil hose clean? (You all are going to think I'm cleaning obsessed but really I'm just efficiency obsessed---maybe lazy but I want things that are low maintenance). This brings me to that slide bar. Do these mechanisms hold up over time? I was thinking that I would prefer one that attaches to the shower arm just like the waterpik and then maybe install another bracket or hook at a lower level for someone who wanted to shower while seated.

2. Again, for that Tea for Two shower/tub combo, if you think the rain shower would not be suitable would a fixed head of some sort at one end and the hand spray at the other end seem like a good idea? I'll have a one foot deep seat/ledge at the spray end that could be used for a seated shower or leg shaving.

Long post but I hope someone can help me. Thanks

Contractor just informed me that we need 3 more BOXES of wall tile. The cost overrun here is getting ridiculous. Remodel is going on 7 weeks and counting...

Sorry I don't have great pics -I can't get the lighting right. But we used the Rex Abisko wood look tile and it turned out really great, though it is an espresso brown, not the medium brown you see in some of the pics - I remember some were asking about it a while back. Literally everyone who sees it thinks it is wood, including cleaning people who started using wood products on it until I told them it was very resilient porcelain and that they should clean it well and not be afraid!

Also sorry about the sideways pics - they look right on photobucket, so I don't know why they go back sideways when I paste in the HTML code. . .if it hurts your neck, then tell me how to fix it!

Thanks again,
atsmith

Also, any opinion as to whether we'd be happy enough with the wall mounted 4" deep cabinet, or should we go with the wall mounted 6" deep version? This is for my son, who will have plenty of vanity storage as well, and no electric inside the med. cabinet.

Thanks for any info!

Here is a link that might be useful: Robern Fairhaven Wall Mount Cabinet

Now for my question: Has anyone used the teak bath mats on the bottom of their showers? I am having a glass (not totally frameless) shower and no tub and I like the look of this teak bottom instead of my plain shower pan. This is a modern bathroom. Any suggestions? Complaints? I like that they do not do business with Burma and it's supposedly not detrimental to the rainforest.

Here is a link that might be useful: teak bottom

Here is a link that might be useful: Eleven months of blood, sweat, tears and many dollars over budget!

Thanks

Has anyone regretted their decision to install a vessel sink?

To view more photos, I've put a link to the Photobucket account with pictures of all our baths and kitchen below. There is a list of the different selections on the left hand side.

Here is what we used for the master bath:

Kohler toilet San Raphael
Kohler sinks
Kohler shower fixtures (rain shower head, handheld and regular shower) — in Varnished Bronze
Glass doors through Expo Design Center
Tile —Casa Dolce Casa porcelain; through Expo Design Center
Arch/niche tile and backsplash mosaic trim — travertine from Home Depot
Counters, bench in shower and top of "pony walls’’ at shower — Durango travertine stone
Cabinetry – custom made locally; cherry w/custom stain
Sink faucets – Aqua Brass in antique brass
Towel fixtures — from Expo in Antique brass
Radiant heating - Warmly Yours
Vent – NuTone w/light
Lighting – Restoration Hardware Grafton double sconce in bronze
Paint – Benjamin Moore Mocassin

Here is a link that might be useful: Hmsweethm's baths & kitchen

MATERIALS: What are my choices? Acrylic? Fiberglass? Cast-iron? What's the best way to go? Please could you name some brands for me to look at.

SIZES: Also am I tied into buying pre-set sizes?

Is there such a thing as custom-sized pan to fit my own shower dimensions?

Thanks!

Here's a view of the kohler whirlpool tub and DW's vanity. The windows over the tub are glass block and are curved.

Here's the view standing in the doorway of DW's closet. This is looking towards my closet and vanity. "Her" toilet is immediately the right of where the camera is. My closet is so big I have an ironing board permanently set up inside - you see a bit of it in this picture. The floor is natural-cleft quartzite with a tumbled-marble listelle. Quartzite has a lot of natural color variation, ranging from off-white to grey and brown. Some of it is very sparkly/shimmery from the high quartz content. That's the shower on the right. It also has a curved glass block front. You can see the doorway to "his" toilet just beyond the shower. If you walk in that direction and turn right after the shower, you'll exit the bathroom.

Here's a closer look at the vanity. They have curved fronts as well - both the cabinet and the marble surface. The marble is giallo anticato and is on the vanities and tub deck.

Here's DW's make-up table, which is directly opposite from her vanity. It has a small chandelier. In the stock plan for our house this was a linen closet and recessed can light. That's the shower right next to it. There are frameless glass doors on both sides of the shower.

Here's the shower. Lots of controls going on here. The first column of stuff on the left is a showerhead (all fixtures are kohler) and two body sprays. In the next column are a diverter on top and the temperature and volume controls. The diverter directs water flow between the showerhead, body sprays, and the handheld on the far right. In the next column over are controls for DW's showerhead, which is just to the right. The same listelle from the floor repeats here. There are niches on both sides.

The shower is tiled to the ceiling.

As you walk in the door, turn left and you see the tub. There is a small heater below the towel bar. The faucet handles to turn on the water to the left of the tub. The spout is in the middle, across from the tub, as well as the control for the tub (American Standard Roman tub faucet AS3901000SN with Handshower Jasmine/Amarillis spout in Satin Nickel).

The tub is a BainUltra, air jet tub. It gives a gentler massage than a water jet tub, like a whirlpool. I like it a lot. The window steams up as soon as I turn the jets on, so we are debating about putting a window cover on.

Opposite the entry door are the sinks and center unit. The door frames the center unit, which has a small light we use as a night light. The mirrors will be built in on either side of the center unit. The sinks are American Standard Morning above counter sinks. The faucets are American Standard (American Standard Single Hole Lav Faucet in Satin Nickel AS3808.101SN)

Turn to the right of the entry door and you see the shower. It is a walk-in shower and will not have a door or curtain. The shower head you see is a massage shower head (Hansgrohe RAINDANCE S 150 AIR 3JET HANDSHOWER 28519821) on a bar (Hansgrohe RAINDANCE UNICA 36" WALLBAR 27598820) to bring it down to the seat level.

You can see the details on my blog.
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