{"id":41589,"date":"2024-06-15T18:00:31","date_gmt":"2024-06-16T01:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbarafalconernewhall.com\/?p=41589"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:51:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:51:19","slug":"that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/","title":{"rendered":"That Old Tub-Shower Has Got to Go"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_41606\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41606\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"https:\/\/barbarafalconernewhall.com\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/ noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-41606 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/upstairs-bath-2024-resized.webp\" alt=\"that old tub-shower has got to go 1989-bathroom-needing-remodel\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-41606\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">That old tub-shower has got to go. It&#8217;s time to replace it with a stall shower, which will be much safer. Jon and I remodeled this upstairs bath in 1989, removing the original 1950s gray and pink tile. This wheaty-yellow tile was as close as I could get at the time to the colorful tile of the 1950s. <em>Photo by Barbara Newhall<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That old tub-shower has got to go. Its bottom is slippery and it&#8217;s got no grab bars. Climbing in and out is iffy. And if shampoo is involved, just standing on that slippery tub is asking for a fall.<\/p>\n<p>As for taking a bath &#8212; the old glass doors have clouded up and taken the pleasure out of a nice soak. It&#8217;s claustrophobic in there now.<\/p>\n<p>And so, the time has come to rip out the 1989 tub-shower and turn the upstairs bathroom into a mini spa, just for me.<\/p>\n<p>There will be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Grab bars<\/strong>, the more bars to grab on to, the better.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A shower bench<\/strong> at the foot of the shower where I can sit and give my feet a good scrubbing, finally.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A shower wand<\/strong>, hand-held,\u00a0located next to the bench. Handy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And while I&#8217;m at it, I&#8217;ll make the rest of the bathroom attractive &#8212; and functional &#8212; with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pretty tile.<\/strong> Lots of pretty, mid-century style tile, colorful, the kind that was in vogue when my house was built back in the 1950s. Tile on the shower surround. Tile on the floor. Tile for the baseboards.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Corian vanity top.<\/strong> In a nod to the 1990s, however, there will be no tile on the vanity top, just a seamless integrated Corian sink and countertop. No icky, germy cracks between sink and countertop. No gunk at the base of the backsplash. No grout.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_41608\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41608\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"https:\/\/barbarafalconernewhall.com\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/ noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-41608 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/green-bath-detail-resized.webp\" alt=\"that old tub-shower has got to go 1950s-green-bathroom-tile\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-41608\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bathroom on our main floor still has its vintage 1950s tile &#8212; in four shades of green. Because of the lead involved in manufacturing the old tile, it&#8217;s impossible to match it these days. The tile is in great shape, but I&#8217;ll be asking the contractor to touch up the grout. <em>Photo by Barbara Newhall<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A killer medicine cabinet<\/strong>. Over the sink, a huge 36- by 36-inch mirrored medicine cabinet with a total of eight, count &#8217;em eight, shelves. This will be a recessed medicine cabinet capacious enough to hold all the stuff that is now crammed into the very narrow, very deep, built-in cupboard at the foot of the existing tub-shower. An oversized medicine cabinet is going to cost me, but I&#8217;m tired of trying to find stuff at the back of a dark cupboard with a puny 12-inch opening and shelves nearly three feet deep, front to back. (What&#8217;s that thing at the back of the cupboard anyway? A retired breast pump? A forgotten urinal from when Jon <a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2016\/12\/01\/broken-ankle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">broke his ankle<\/a>? I can&#8217;t tell. It&#8217;s as dark as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patmosislandgreece.com\/patmosapocalypse\/apocalypsecave\/index.html#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cave of the Apocalypse<\/a> in there.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bidet?<\/strong> For the toilet, an electric <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brondell.com\/swash-se600-bidet-toilet-seat\/?sku=SE600-RW&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw97SzBhDaARIsAFHXUWAX3YjNIUQBkRvrM5_mqMh9JY0JrXktsYRO7T45sLIS6JBMnHYjAMoaAgguEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bidet seat<\/a> for washing one&#8217;s privates was high on my list &#8212; at first. You buy one for $300 or $400, your contractor mounts it on the toilet, and from now on you can skip your shower once in a while.\u00a0 The bidet seat idea got dropped, however, when I went online and found a pair of low-tech<a href=\"https:\/\/shoppe.listentoyourgut.com\/products\/portable-bidet-squeeze-bottle-450ml?variant=40428063621252&amp;srsltid=AfmBOoofQomZxrccC5mViAmqzrMdJEPm5_8bRVpTf0uQru3so2RR2YYXDNo&amp;com_cvv=8fb3d522dc163aeadb66e08cd7450cbbdddc64c6cf2e8891f6d48747c6d56d2c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0bidet squirt bottles<\/a> &#8212; two for $19.99.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A make-up mirror<\/strong>, hard-wired, with a flexible arm. This will make it possible to get a good look at myself for once, should I ever decide to do that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yes, I know. Corian is pass\u00e9 &#8212; so late 20th century.<\/p>\n<p>And so is tile. Tile means grout and, &#8220;Ninety-five percent of the people who come in here say, &#8216;No grout,'&#8221; said the salesman at the tile and stone showroom. (Which is why I&#8217;m making an exception to my 1950s theme and putting Corian on the countertop.)<\/p>\n<p>Subway tiles, porcelain, quartz &#8212; all are on trend in 2024. But, like everything and everyone, they too will be dated one day.<\/p>\n<p>My house was built in 1952. If my new bathroom looks dated ten years from now, let its date be 1952.<\/p>\n<p><em>More about remodeling at our house at, <a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2021\/08\/07\/garden-remodel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Our Garden Remodel Is Done. Come Take a Walk.&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0 More about the interior remodel that Jon and I did during the covid year at, <a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2020\/06\/18\/hgtv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Our Remodel Is Done. Take a Look.&#8221;<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_41609\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41609\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"https:\/\/barbarafalconernewhall.com\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/ noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-41609 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/tile-for-upstairs-bath-2024-resized.webp\" alt=\"that old tub-shower has got to go tile-choices-for-bath-renovation\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-41609\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">After months of haunting local tile shops, I finally settled on, clockwise from upper left: handmade Pratt + Larson matte ceramic tile for the shower walls and baseboards; Corian&#8217;s Glacier White solid surface for the countertop and sink; Sonoma Tilemakers Hustle tile of recycled glass for the floor &#8212; with a hexagon shape. The vanity door color is Omega&#8217;s Dusty Miller. <em>Photo by Barbara Newhall<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"https:\/\/barbarafalconernewhall.com\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/ noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-41609 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tile-for-upstairs-bath-2024-resized.jpg\" alt=\"tile-choices-for-bath-renovation\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That old tub-shower has got to go. A stall shower will be much safer. No quartz for me, though. I&#8217;m going for colorful tile and a 1950s vibe.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/2024\/06\/15\/that-old-tub-shower-has-got-to-go\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[221,14],"tags":[2013,2857,1877,2858,34,1188,2211,2859,82,2860,2861,2862],"class_list":["post-41589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-house-and-garden","category-widowed","tag-1950s","tag-bath-remodel","tag-bathroom","tag-corian","tag-dont-miss","tag-house","tag-house-remodel","tag-mid-century-style","tag-on-the-funny-side","tag-pratt-larson","tag-quartz","tag-tile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41589"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48750,"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41589\/revisions\/48750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}