c/bathroom-remodeling

Rant: 18 months into my own bathroom reno before I realized I was tiling wrong

I was laying 12x24 porcelain tile in my shower and kept getting lippage no matter how much I leveled. A buddy walked in, watched me for 2 minutes, and said why are you back buttering the tile like it's a mosaic, you need to burn in the thinset on the wall first. Has anyone else had that ah-ha moment where one simple trick fixed their whole tiling game?

Spent $800 on a 'waterproof' vinyl flooring and now I've got mold behind the toilet

The sales guy swore it was fine for bathrooms but the seam lifted after 3 months and water got underneath. Anyone else get burned by that 'luxury vinyl' hype in a wet area?

Pro tip: stop using those giant floor tiles in small bathrooms

I was dead set on 24x48 tiles for my 5x8 bathroom reno. Looked great at the store. But my tile guy talked me out of it. Said anything over 12x24 in a tiny room just makes the space look chopped up because you can only fit like 2 tiles across. He was right. I went with 8x12 hexagon pattern instead and the floor actually looks bigger now. Saw 3 other guys on a forum yesterday complaining about the same exact problem with big tiles. Anyone else get talked out of something dumb by their installer?

Finally figured out why my grout kept cracking in the shower

Tried 3 different grout brands over 2 years and they all cracked within a month. Turned out I was mixing it too wet - a tile guy at Home Depot in Phoenix told me to aim for a peanut butter consistency, not pancake batter. Has anyone else had this issue with pre-mixed vs powder grout?

Question about mixing tile sizes in a small shower

I did a 2x2 inch hexagon tile on the floor and 4x12 subway tile on the walls of my 3x4 foot shower in Portland. The grout lines don't line up at all and it looks awkward where they meet. Anyone deal with this mismatch before and found a clean transition fix?

I finally learned why my shower drain was always slow after 3 years of blaming the pipes

I was watching a YouTube video from a plumbing channel last week and the guy mentioned that most shower drains are actually straight pipes leading to the trap, not curved like sinks. I thought my grout or hair was the issue, but he said the real problem is often a cheap plastic drain flange that catches stuff. I pulled mine out and sure enough, it had those little ridges that snag every bit of soap scum. Anyone else dealt with a flimsy drain flange that just collects gunk?

Walked into a showroom in Chicago and found a toilet shaped like a throne

I was just looking for a basic white toilet for my half bath remodel. But the salesman kept pushing me toward this giant, throne-like thing with armrests and a fake fur lid. It cost $2,400 and had a built in speaker for royal announcements. I asked if they had anything less medieval, and he just stared at me. Has anyone else run into weird luxury bathroom stuff that makes no sense?

Spent $800 on a heated toilet seat and it was totally worth it

I live in Michigan and our bathroom gets freezing in the winter. I dropped $800 on a Toto washlet with heated seat and warm water. My wife thought I was crazy but now she uses it more than I do. Has anyone else gone all in on a fancy toilet and regretted the cost or loved it?

Saw the worst tile job ever at a hotel in Nashville last weekend

I stayed at this place near Broadway and their bathroom floor tiles were sticking up at the edges like a cartoon. One corner had a sharp point that almost cut my foot. I pulled back the shower curtain and there was MOLD growing between the grout lines on the wall. How do these places pass inspection? Has anyone else run into shoddy work like this in hotels?

Tried a heated floor mat and it melted my floor wax

My plumber buddy warned me about cheap faucets

Six months ago my friend Dave who does plumbing in Denver told me never to buy a faucet under $150. I ignored him and got a $60 one from the big box store and now the finish is peeling off after just 4 months. Anyone else have a cheap fixture fail way faster than they expected?

Comparison: My DIY mortar mix vs. the pre-mixed bags for shower floor

Last month I tried mixing my own dry pack from sand and cement for a shower pan. Thought I was saving money. After 3 failed attempts with crumbly edges I finally bought the $25 pre-mixed bags from Home Depot. The difference was night and day. Mix held together perfectly and troweled like butter. Has anyone else tried both and regretted the DIY route?

Vent: My plumber made me feel dumb about my vanity choice

Last week my plumber came to hook up the sink in my new bathroom. I spent $400 on this fancy floating vanity from a big box store. He took one look at it and said "you know this leaves all your pipes exposed right?" I never even THOUGHT about that. Now I have to either return the whole thing or build a stupid skirt for it. Has anyone else had a contractor point out something obvious you totally missed?

That comment from my plumber about drain slope changed my whole approach

I was redoing my shower drain and a plumber buddy stopped by, said my 1/4 inch per foot slope looked fine but he always goes with 3/8 inch for showers because of soap scum buildup. Switched it out on that job and haven't had a slow drain complaint since. Anybody else get specific pipe advice that made you rethink standard codes?

Visited a showroom in Raleigh and saw a toilet flange installed wrong

I was at a plumbing showroom last Thursday looking at vanity options. One of the displays had this tile job that looked perfect until I noticed the toilet flange was sitting way above the finished floor. The sales guy said it was fine but everyone knows that's a leak waiting to happen. Has anyone else caught bad work in a showroom display?

That week my new tile started popping off one by one...

Shoutout to the plumber who called me out on my cheap vanity lighting plan

I was bragging about saving $200 on some budget sconces from a big box store and he just laughed, then pointed to the shadows they cast on his own face. He said 'you'll hate the way those look every time you shave.' Has anyone else had a contractor save you from a bad call like that?

Wasted $400 on a heated floor system that didn't work

Installed those electric mats under my tile in Denver. Followed the directions step by step. Wired it up and nothing. No heat at all. Turns out I nicked the wire with my trowel during thinset and broke the circuit. Anyone else ruin a heated floor install this way?

Tiler told me to stop using plastic spacers and switch to wedges

I was setting tile in my guest bathroom and this old tiler at the supply yard in Phoenix said plastic spacers are for amateurs. He showed me how wedges let you micro-adjust lippage (you know, the uneven tile edges). Has anyone else made this switch mid-project?

The tile guy left a level in my wall - should I go back and get it or leave it?

I was remodeling my guest bathroom in Austin last month and the tile installer dropped his 4-foot level into the open wall cavity behind the shower valve. He said he couldn't reach it and we just moved on. Now I'm standing here looking at the drywall patch and wondering if that level is going to rattle around forever or cause some weird issue down the road. My buddy says leave it, it's just a level. But I keep thinking about how it might shift and hit a pipe or something. Has anyone else accidentally sealed something inside a wall and regretted it later or am I overthinking this?

Overheard a contractor say you should never use dark grout on a bathroom floor

After my dark gray grout in my bathroom in Portland has looked perfect for 3 years with zero staining while my neighbor's white grout is already turning yellow, isn't it time we stop acting like light grout is the only option?

Why does everyone tile a bathroom floor with white grout? That's a disaster waiting to happen.

Has anyone else found a grout color that actually stays looking clean for more than a month?

My tile guy told me I was using the wrong grout for a wet shower floor

Switched to epoxy grout after he pointed out how cement-based stuff soaks up moisture and stains in like 6 months - has anyone else had issues with grout cracking in a steam shower?

I finally found a fix for a squeaky shower floor that actually works

I was remodeling my guest bath last month and after laying down new tile, the floor started squeaking like crazy. I thought I messed up the subfloor but turns out it was just the mortar not bonding right in one spot. My neighbor came over and said try drilling a tiny hole and injecting expanding foam under the tile. Worked like a charm and no cracks. Anyone else have a weird fix for creaky bathroom floors?

Unpopular opinion: big soaking tubs are a waste of space

Three years ago I helped a client in Portland rip out a huge jetted tub they used twice, and last week my own remodel made me realize I'd rather have a bigger shower. Anyone else find those tubs just collect dust and soak up cleaning time?