Lauren has just completed a modest yet high-impact update to her mid-century bathroom. At the centerpiece: Yowza, a fantastic mosaic floor she created using Dal-Tile’s Mosaic Design Tool… and a memorable toilet saga that ends with a gift bestowed by the ever-powerful retro decorating gods. Lauren is a regular reader, and has emailed me several times with product tips to share. Read on for her story, which includes resources and her and husband Jon’s renovation experience.
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Lauren writes:
Hello Pam!
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Well, it’s been a long time in the making, but I am finally able to write you the convoluted and overly detailed story of how things went with our bathroom renovation! Just a head’s up that this may be a lonnnggg email.. lol.
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To start with you should know that in our 1956 house we were lucky to have had all the original pink tile in the hall bathroom. The sink, tub and toilet were matching, and so I had a lot to start with. What took the glitter off the diamond was faux marble sheet vinyl linoleum on the floor (in green) and a bad medicine cabinet and swag lamps that hung above the sink.The first thing I decided to do was schedule someone to come out and clean up the grout and professionally clean the tiles. The “Grout Medic” was the company I went with. It took only a few hours and looks great. The fallback here was that since the tiles are brick layed fashion, the grout guy ended up chipping several tiles and scratching a few others. It is still up for debate in my head whether this step was worth it. It pains me everytime I look and see a chipped pink tile that was otherwise *fine* previously. Still, it brightened up the tile, and for that I’m pleased.
The next step was was to decide on what floor I would want. Going off your suggestions, and hours of flickr searching for examples, I decided to use Daltile since they had a customizable feature on their website, and I could switch around colors and patterns. I picked a mosaic “block random” pattern and colors that would accent the pink tile. Daltile does not make a pink that matched mine, so I went with an aqua blue, an almond color and a speckle. Upon going into Daltile to order the tile, the clerk there had no idea about the customizable feature on the website, and had to be shown. A printed sheet of the colors and pattern was shown to him as well, in which he replied, “I don’t think we even make that”… But alas he was wrong, and the tile was confirmed and put on order.
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I had picked a professional tile guy to do the installation. I chose him via an online service after seeing he had all his licensing and plenty of great reviews. He started work and things were going along decently, (though he had a tendency to really rock out to his classic rock station while working…lol), and I was impressed with his ingenuity with solving a few tile snags that had come up. The toilet was removed, the tile was set, and after just two days — the toilet was to be put back in place and wah-lah! But this is where the story gets interesting… He was putting the toilet back in… Four bolt toilets no longer the standard, he was trying to bolt in the two front bolts when “Crack!”… the base of my original pink toilet was cracked, and a large chunk was broken from it. He was fairly apologetic, and said he would be able to take the toilet and repair it. I was upset, obviously, and skeptical, too… but there was no real choice. A few days later, I inquired to see how things were going with the toilet repair and he said all he had to do was a water test and he would be able to bring it over that. The next day he arrived at my door, flustered and clearly “done”… handed me $300 in cash and said, “I cracked the tank, too. I’m sorry. Here’s money for a new toilet.” Well, my heart was heavy because as you know — we love our original pink fixtures, and to lose one is a bit awful. Not to mention, it put a major dent in the ‘big picture’, or how I wanted the bathroom to look. And so began the start of a search for a matching pink toilet… a near impossible task to find one the same shade of pink as the tub and sink.Meanwhile, the sink and tub were going to be refinished (or reglazed). After much searching and reviewing various companies and processes, I decided to go with ADX Refinishing, run by a very nice guy named Art Bailey. I was able to find paint chips of the sink underneath it, and Art was able to have his people match the color perfectly!!! And, after consulting Art, he thought he may be able to refinish a new toilet as well. After looking around, I decided on the American Standard Champion 4. Art came and refinished the tub and sink, removing the gaudy little star grips that were stuck there since sometime in the late ’70′s, and he took the toilet with him to refinish.
While the toilet was getting refinished, it was time to paint, install the light fixture (the Nuvo 24″ vanity lamp that I emailed you about earlier), the mirror (Nutone Admiral with cosmetic box, which my husband cut a 2×4 square from the back of to allow use of the outlet which would have been otherwise covered), exhaust fan (Hunter Halcyon), and fresh electrical fixtures (GFCI outlet and light switch), and finally the new faucet (Kohler Memoirs with Stately design). Now, it was about time for Art to bring back our new toilet, freshly refinished with the same color as the tub and sink. Alas, it still wasn’t meant to be, and he brought back a shiny white toilet. Apparently, the various curves of the toilet caused the new glaze to drip and ooze and being a good business man, didn’t feel comfortable with the results with the colored glaze on. So, we were now at the point of a nearly finished new-ish bathroom, with fresh tile, tub, sink, faucet, mirror/cosmetic box, and exhaust fan – and a tall, oversized, doesn’t-quite-look-right toilet. Needless to say, even though the bathroom looked nice, we were pretty bummed about that integral missing piece.
Well, five days ago, my husband was out on a walk and he gives me a call: “Get in the car, drive around the block and come get us. Don’t ask questions, just come quick.” I drive around the block, and one of our neighbors had on their driveway the same pink Crane Neuday we had just lost in our renovation! It was not only the same make and color, but it was from the same neighborhood, originally installed the same time as our original! We salvaged the toilet, spent a few hours scrubbing it, replaced the flushing guts, and it was ready for install. Out came the tall, shiny white toilet, and in went the pink. Finally the picture of the bathroom was as it should have been, or as close as we could get it. Score one for Save The Pink Bathrooms!
As far as how we got to this house… Well, I have been into 1950′s stuff for about 15 years, and have always wanted a vintage mid-century house. We bought this house in a neighborhood primarily built in 1956. All the houses around here are very similar, and the neighborhood takes great pride in ownership, thankfully. As for our house specifically- I chose to buy this house because of the original tile in the kitchen and bathroom (and the neighborhood, of course). So many of these houses have already been gutted, so it was nice to see one that had some nice things left. The outside of our house was already covered in vinyl siding by previous owners, so sadly we don’t have the original “combed wood” wood shingles that are the covering for most of these houses. Another cute feature a lot of the houses have (which we don’t) is the built-in bird house at the eave of the garage or front of house. Ah well… we hope to make one one day. In any case, we have done several things to the house since moved in… Refinished the hardwood floors, had custom cabinets built with curio shelf, replaced the kitchen flooring with Armstrong tile, and painting, of course. I have so many ideas and plans… but time and money are always an issue, right? One thing at a time. I’m glad to be done with the bathroom and so very ready to have a “break” from it.
P.S… Just wanted to thank you again for the endless amount of inspiration you have provided via your blog!! Without it, I swear none of this would have been completed.
- Lauren
Beautifully done, Lauren. And, what a great story about the toilet. Thanks so much for sharing.
60 colors of mosaic floor tile for a mid-century bathroom 
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Become a fan
Looks wonderful! I would just have assumed the floors, medicine cabinet and lighting were original! It’s also comforting to know that these projects don’t go smoothly for everyone else but me! I would have cried about cracking the toilet. But, thank goodness you found another!!! Then I would have wept with happiness to see it in its rightful place!
The bathroom looks very cool! Are you in the Sacramento area? I used to live there! Sigh. Those were the best thrifting days of my life.
Regarding the resurfacing of your tub, if it is the same treatment the previous owners of my house used, I was pretty disappointed to find that it’s not very resilient to the wear and tear of washing dogs. (So now I have to call the guy and get it redone.)
Fabulous! Inspiring! My little project this summer is to re-rout the tiles on our counter. Thankfully, our tiles are in pretty good shape. Thanks for sharing the whole story.
Amazing! This post came as we have been ordering samples to redo the floor in one bathroom and gut the other. And your tile color is very similar to the tile color we are keeping – my husband says it is brown and I say its pink so we went with mauve. Ha. We are also looking to using the “Grout Doctor” and having the tub and sink refinished. Good to know that it works and looks wonderful. Did you use Angie’s list?
What colors are those for your floor? I didn’t even think about customizing my own tile and now I might just do that.
Thanks for sharing! This is a huge inspiration for me!
Wow! What a great job! I had to read the entire story out loud to my husband – what twists and turns…I swear, we have a contractor who must be related Lauren’s tile guy….what a nightmare. (and yes…the classic rock!) We shrieked with delight when we read on to find that the perfect pink toilet was sitting, waiting for her at the neighbor’s driveway. Yay!
All of the reglazing looks beautiful and the tile that was designed is perfect. I also love the choice of medicine cabinet.
Congratulations to Lauren and her husband on their new home! (and I am intrigued by those built-in bird houses )
Gorgeous! do you want to come over and help me reno mine ; )
Also thanks a lot for all the tips. We have the original pink tub & tiles…we can’t wait to tackle our bathroom next.
FABULOUS! If you’re looking for a toilet seat in the right color, we saw several in a local hardware store the other day (in all the mid century colors: blue, pink, yellow, jade green, avocado green, tan, even black; maybe more… I’m listing from memory). You might get in touch with them at http://www.fischerhardware.com/
Wow, what a story! I was crushed on your behalf when the toilet got cracked…and beyond thrilled to hear that a replica was literally right around the corner!
The bathroom looks fabulous in every detail—congratulations on a gorgeous job with all the right details! And on that reclaimed pink toilet!
Amazing job!! Where did you get the medicine cabinet? I know it’s NuTone but I’m having trouble finding it….all the ones I’ve found have a mirrored cosmetic box but I love yours with the glass.
Nancy- Thanks!
Wendy- I was a bit curious about the resurfacing as well, and how it would hold up.. SO far so good. Also, tearing out the old tub was not an option so resurfacing it had to be!
mcmeg-
natalie- Be careful who choose for your refinishing, as I understand it- they are all not created equal. We used http://www.servicemagic.com for looking at business’. The floor tile colors are: Golden Granite (speckle), Spa, and Almond.
Kelly-Thanks..! And ya, it was an adventure to say the least!
Marcela- Your welcome about the tips. Just glad to be able to share! I got most of my ideas from Pam and all her readers
Tina- Thanks!!! I will check out the link and try to get a match. Awesome!
Andrea- Thank you
Can you believe it- I am just now getting around to buying matching towels, and it’s been a few months since this was completed. heheh.
Tracy- I am forgetting the name of the website we got the medicine cabinet off of. There was about three or four places that sold them. Product number: VM230P – Also, it should be noted that the sliding panels in the cosmetic box are made of plastic, not glass (they just don’t make em like the 50′s anymore sadly). When the cabinet comes, the metal part is covered in a thin protective plastic coating that you have to peel off, it’s a pain! hahah
Again, thanks all for commenting and complimenting! **happy**
~Lauren
I bet that you could get real glass panels made. Go to a shower door shop…it may cost a bit…
Lauren,
What an outstanding job you all did. Great work and just beautiful.
We have a bathroom in that same peachy/brown/pink tone and found a matching toliet seat at bemisseats.com. They have about 90 colors to chose from. You order the color kit and do a match then order the seat. Just some info in case you wanted to find a matching one. So happy your remodel had a happy ending!
Here’s my post on some sources for replacement toilet seats: http://retrorenovation.com/2009/02/06/where-to-get-a-toilet-seat-to-match-my-vintage-toilet/
Tracy, I found a place to order the medicine cabinet from. It is called Ventingdirect.com. There is even a positive comment left by a Lauren. Could it be our Lauren from this post? Looks like you can get the doors mirrored as well. Good luck
Great job! I saw some pretty pink chalkware at an antique fair this weekend that would to nice in your bathroom. I would’ve bought it, but I have the blue tile bathroom. The vendor is looking for blue version for my house. I did score a vintage ceramic fawn for my front garden. But enough–
That’s a fab job!! I love the floor (I have the same, but in a blue version).
Well done!!
Lauren,
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this renovation, It was a pleasure working for you and Jon. I remember how disappointed you where with the broken commode, but can imagine your smile when Jon called and you grabbed this one..
Best to you and your family..
Art
If your house is vinyl sided, the combed wood shingles and bird house peak are probably still there hidden underneath the vinyl.
The only obstacle is that usually with vinyl installs, the original wood window trim is removed and the sills cut short.
Wow, everything looks great! Love the floor tiles and the medicine cabinet and lights.
BTW, we had our tub reglazed Jan 2007 (white), and it still looks as good as new. This is our only tub/shower, so it is used twice a day. You just have to be careful and use appropriate cleaners in it–we use Srubbing Bubbles, and I don’t believe you can use hair color because the finish is a little more porous than a factory finish.
Happy to see that another pink bathroom has not only been saved, but made even more fantastic. I did a small blurb in our Neighborhood Association newsletter about Save the Pink Bathrooms since there are quite a few original ones in our neighborhood.
I love the pink and aqua coordination, beautiful! I have aqua and terra cotta in my master bath, and it’s very spa-like. I see your aqua floor tile color is ‘Spa’ so that fits. Beautiful job on that tiling. My tile guy loved to rock out also. And he destroyed my Hudie rings, oh, well….
hello elaine –
i was just reading comments on retro renovation and i see you have a terra cotta bathroom with aqua accents. i also have a terra cotta color bath circa 1958. i have lived in this house for years and years and have never really come up with a good paint color other than icky old off-white. the fixtures are all original and are sorta sandy-peach. i have tried towels/shower curtain etc. in peach, beige, sage green, and lately have been thinking about aqua. think you could send me a picture of your bathroom? i am tech-stupid so if i need to do something from this end let me know. my vanity is painted wood, the floor tile is solid rust color, and the walls/counter are an odd mocha shade that almost looks like sponge painting. and all the bullnose is rust again. suggestions would be welcome! thanks – maryann
hi maryann, if elaine wants to send me the pic i’ll see what i can do.
Fantastic job on your bathroom–ditto what everyone else says, but might I add, Lauren and Jon are the cutest couple ever!
What a lovely pink bathroom Lauren! I’m gearing up to bring back to life a 2nd bathroom in our house that was 1980-fied by panting the original tile (I will die a thousand deaths if I find out that it’s pink tile under that paint when we start removing.) I am obsessed with pink bathrooms and I even ask every new neighbor we meet (we’ve only been in our house for 2 years) if they have a pink bathroom. For those who say yes, I’m met with curious stares when I swoon over how lucky they are and beg them to PLEASE, PLEASE never destroy it. Lauren, you gave me lot of ideas to think about as I decide on my final colors. I have an aqua kitchen and this bathroom is off the kithcen so that might be the way to go to tie the two together. Pam, you are such a lifesaver to all of us and please keep bringing us these wonderful peeks into these lovely mid-century homes and their families.
Lauren!!! Love your bathroom! and what a shock to scroll down the and see YOU!!! Love it!!! Now I must search for more of your new house! I’ll be adding some sooon too – working on the remodel of our 1956 “ranchette”
Oh, wow! What a story and what an inspiration!
My husband and I are restoring a home from ’36. We are keeping all the original fixtures and tile in the bathroom. I can totally relate with what all you’ve been through! (Even though we aren’t finished yet!) I’m so saddened by the toilet story, but I’m so happy that it all worked out in the end. A retro renovation success story!
We’ve had people come in and make estimates for various things. For example, our tub surround was painted plywood, ughh. People are like “Oh, then we can do this to floor and when you change out your toilet” blah, blah. They always make a strange face when I say I’m keeping them.
Oh, also nice to see the tub reglazing. We need to get our streamline moderne tub done and I’m skiddish. Now I feel better about it because yours looks so amazing!
Thank you, thank you! I’ve finally found the motivation to finish our bathroom!
Hi Lauren,
love your daltile pattern. Someone told me daltile is unglazed -is this true? How has it held up for cleaning? My daltile hexagon pattern I did a couple of years ago has got some spots in the grout. Maybe our tile guys didnt seal it properly. Anyhow, I am doing a remodel with another bathroom to do and thought this pattern (in some diff. colors) might work. Any advice would be helpful.
Sarah
Sarah, I think that some daltile is unglazed, some is not. Check the specs on the various lines you are looking at…. I think you may also be able to search. Also, re the grout, we have an FAQ on how some readers have cleaned theirs, just be sure to follow the directions in particular regarding proper ventilation.
Lauren – We put in a request for the same pattern and colors you did. We actually have the same color tile as you in our master bathroom. It’s that pinkish brown color – I just refer to it as mauve. Ha. Anyway, I wanted to know if you had to pay a processing fee for ordering less than 100 sq ft of tile? Looks like it is $125 here.
We also had to talk to more than one employee to make them understand what we wanting. One guy actually told us we had to go to a dealer, so we left and went to a dealer and they turned around and called Daltile. Haha. It was way fun.
Thanks!
Hooray for serendipitous pink toilets! Your bathroom is fabulous.
FYI: I used pink nail polish to fill in chips in my pink tile. It worked remarkably well. Even I can’t tell where the chips were.
Lauren,
I love your bathroom! I am so happy the toilet gods were looking out for you. We are thinking of doing the floor with Daltile mosaic, so I am thrilled to see an actual floor. Thanks for the story.
Love the bathroom particularly the floor. I have a blue tub, vanity, and toilet which II;ve grown to appreciate. The flooring that you have would work perfect in mine. thanks for sharing. We have had to purchase a toilet repair kit; however, the water is not filling all the way up so when we flush there is not enough pressure. Does anyone know if there is special kit for older toilets? My house was built in the mid 60s. My husband insists that we need to buy a modern toilet but I love my blue toilet and don’t want to change. If anyone has any ideas, it would be greatly appreciated. There must be a fix out there.
Angela, I recommend you call the folks at deabath.com — they are advertisers here and I have always been impressed with their knowledge about all this vintage plumbing. Hope you can save the blue toilet!!
Thanks Pam. I’m doing everything I can to save my blue toilet. I will get in touch with the folks at deabath.
Hi Lauren, Looks amazing! How do you like the re-glazing is it easy to keep clean? I bought a mid-century modest a year ago. I fell in love with orginial blue sinks and tub and the orginial starburst tiles. However, the sinks and tub are driving me crazy, they are constantly soap or toothpaste stained and I can not keep them clean. Anyone else have this issue? do you think re-glazing might make them easier to clean?
Thank you,
Tiffany
Tiffany,
Just be sure your reglazer person can match your color, and that he is **reputable!! 
The reglaze was a good choice for us, because there were also stains on the surface of our bathroom sink, etc. Plus both the tub and sink looked quite dull. Here’s the thing about the reglaze- It will not last forever. Thankfully, the fella I got the reglazing done from has a three-year guarentee and come back and redo the whole thing if something comes up. I might need to take him up on it because: The bathroom sink once had rust around the overflow hole, and now the former rust is trying to seep through a tiny bubble that was in the glaze. Now, that sounds like a big bummer, but I am unphased. I know I can have him back to redo the sink if I need to. Is it easy to clean?- Yes. You should *not use Ajax, only non-abrasives…like spray bleach. And one final “truth” about the reglazing.. The surface, though lovely- may have tiny particles of dust in it. There is no avoiding this.
Would I do it all over again? Yes & Yes
What a great story, I got goosebumps when your husband found a replacement toilet completely by chance right in your own neighborhood! Thanks for sharing this!