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"You can't find the knowledge, quality of selection, customer service and committed neighborhood store setting anywhere else. I look forward to another 10 years of business with A-Ball and its staff."
DeNeice Worthington
Homeowner
Portland, Oregon
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Tips For The Bathroom |
When looking at your bathroom, ask yourself the following questions. What do I like about it now? What do I want to change? For those who have older homes other questions top the list. What is historically appropriate and what works for a modern household?
These questions are the beginning framework for your reconstruction. After you make a list of what resources from the past will remain in your space, you can begin to fill in what can be reasonably salvaged, what can be purchased used, and what can be blended in to the space that is new.
We are fortunate because there are many manufacturers of newly made products that have the ambiance of old fixtures with today's technology. Faucets in particular come to mind because they are usually the most problematic when it comes to refurbishing old ones.
Buying an old faucet is likely to be more of a headache than it's worth. There are always exceptions. If you have a machine shop nearby and want to pursue it, you can probably have new stems made, the seats built up and reground. Then it is off to the plater to have a new nickel finish applied.
Sometimes after all that, it may still fail to shut off the water. The other experience is that you may not be able to find matching china escutcheons and handles that will work. Any time you are dealing with a Fuller Ball style faucet, you will have to create your own Fuller Ball washers. These have not been manufactured for many years.
On a happier note, I would recommend that you rebuild your toilet if at all possible. Few of the new toilets, even those that are supposed to be reproduction, really fit into an older bathroom. The dimensions of the new tank are not quite right, so the aesthetics do not work. The toilet tends to be the easiest to restore or to get salvaged. An old toilet can sometimes be transformed into a work of art with only a thorough cleaning and a new seat. After the toilet is done, it is easy to get excited about the rest of the space.
It is wise to have a list of questions and issues that should be addressed before starting work on your bathroom. Wall and floor repair and restoration comes first with one exception: shower or tub valves in the wall. It is important to evaluate the longevity of the valves before proceeding with rework or retiling where the valves are. Oftentimes the valves are no longer good but the tile work is exquisite. In this case, check to see if there is a wall on the other side to access the valves. It is easier to repair lath and plaster than it is to cut out tiles.
There are a number of tub and shower valves that are of the high quality and style of the past. This makes replacement a bit less painful because the end result is a reliable fixture that looks beautiful in your restored tub or shower.
Many times the tub that is in the bathroom cannot be replaced with a tub that has the same look. Then you need to decide if you want to change the look a bit with a new tub but not go too far afield from the original or decide to resurface the existing fixture.
In consideration of a resurfaced fixture, you will need to understand the quality of the process and material. The resurfacing material is either an epoxy resin or polymer with properties similar to fiberglass. The durability of the finish is contingent on the preparation done to the surface before application and the care taken by the end user of the fixture.. Most professional resurfacing companies warranty the work for five years. In all likelihood, the surface will probably hold up well for close to ten years before it needs to be resurfaced again.
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