A small leak behind the shower body turned into big problems in our New York rental apartment. This unexpected bathroom renovation was a costly surprise and I looked for ways to make it more economical. Visiting a known tile resource in the area gave us a clear idea of what path to choose in terms of design, we went with “subway tiles“, named for the fact that this is the tile used in New York City’s subway system.
The fact that we chose subway tiles saved us big time. By choosing this commonly found tile we cut our cost from the $4.85 a sq.ft down to $1.67 a sq. ft. Instead of buying from the tile store we found the same product at The Home Depot.
Here is the tub area after the plumbers got their hands on it. plumbers are notorious for ripping up the place in an unruly fashion. Their only concern is to get to the leak. With an odd size tile, finding a match was not an option so instead of a patch job we had to do a re-tile for the entire bathroom.
Before
More tile mess.
After
Shown below is a “rope” detail that we chose as a decorative accent to give the bathroom a little pizazz.
Sorry about your plumbing issue but the redo looks great. It’s also interesting to hear that you found the subway tile so much cheaper at home depot. As we’re currently looking for backsplash tile, I know the temptation to go with the fancy stuff at the high end stores but you’ve inspired me to take a second look at HD’s products!
Thanks!
Rebecca
Rebecca,
We here at Tchochkes are always glad to inspire.
~ Patti