Bathrooms

Bathroom remodeling is one of the best ways to add function and value to your home.

Just a little time spent cleaning those oft-forgotten corners can really make a difference in a room’s appearance. Home improvement writer Jakob Barry shares his tips for making your bathroom gleam, with spring cleaning ideas that are quick and sustainable.

Even when bathrooms are cleaned regularly, they seem to lose their shine in areas that aren’t part of the standard upkeep. For example, you may scrub the toilet and the sink and wash the floor once a week, but what about spots that are a little more out of the way, like shower walls or the bathroom ceiling?

Have a leaking toilet? Fixing it is easier than you think. Watch our easy solution to a leaky toilet in 60 Simple Seconds.

Finding water all over your bathroom floor from a leaky toilet is never a good situation. Fortunately, fixing the leak is only a few flushes away. One of the most common causes of a leaky toilet is the wax ring that sits between the toilet and the drain. Replacing a leaky wax ring is a quick DIY job that should be done when you first notice the leak. Watch this episode of 60 Simple Seconds for a quick look at how to replace a wax ring and fix that leaky toilet.

Clean your bathroom grout to get your bathroom looking tiptop. In this episode of 60 Simple Seconds, homemade grout cleaner is an effective way to do this dirty job dirt cheap.  

Is dirty grout diminishing the look of your tile floor? Grout, especially in ceramic tile floors and bathrooms, collects dirt and grime. Sealing grout can help to keep it clean, but it’s important to get grout clean before sealing it annually. There are many methods for cleaning grout and some depend on the type of tile you have. Before spending money on an off-the-shelf grout cleaner, try a grout cleaning solution that can be made by using basic household supplies like baking soda, ammonia, and white vinegar. Watch this episode of 60 Simple Seconds for a simple method of cleaning grout.

The final step in most ceramic tile projects is to seal the sanded grout. Unsealed grout gets stained and dirty, moldy and mildewed. This simple home maintenance task should be performed every six or 12 months and will save you lots of time scrubbing.

Sealed grout is waterproof and easier to maintain, which makes for a better looking floor. Sealed grout holds its color better and will prevent water from leaking around your tiles. Sealing sanded grout is also a quick DIY project that you should do once or twice a year to keep your tile floors and bathrooms looking sharp. It only requires grout sealer and a brush. Watch this episode of 60 Simple Seconds for a brush-up on how to seal sanded grout.

The bathroom is one area of the home that is extremely vulnerable to water damage. Showers, tubs, toilets, and vanities provide hundreds of gallons of water on demand every day. In addition, evaporating water and steam from baths and showers significantly increase indoor humidity. Properly designed bathrooms should incorporate substrate materials under surface finishes that effectively manage water and moisture to prevent structural problems and resist mold growth.

We tend to spend quite a bit of time in our bathrooms, although generally they are the smallest spaces in our homes. The bathroom is one of the most personal and private places that we have in our everyday life, and the way in which we design the space will have an incredible effect on how we perceive and use it. Some may think a bathroom makeover has to be an expensive endeavor riddled with plumbing issues or pricey designer tubs, but that is absolutely not so. Reimagining your bathroom doesn’t require loads of cash or a decade of experience in remodeling work. You just need the right inspiration. Here are a few tips for designing your bathroom on a budget.

Preventing water damage inside our bathrooms is just as important as directing water away from our homes. Caulking, as part of routine homeowner maintenance, prevents avoidable damage around the multiple fixtures and different building materials located inside a bathroom. To get started all you need to know are the areas inside a bathroom that need to be regularly maintained, how to remove existing caulking, and how to apply a new bead of caulk.

Many puns have been applied to toilet replacement and installation, but in reality replacing or installing a toilet is a pretty simple home improvement project for a do-it-yourselfer. The workings of a toilet are contained within the fixture itself, so the installation comes down to making a couple of plumbing connections, one for the water supply and one for the waste drain. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, for a video guide through the process of installing a toilet.

Bathroom sinks all install in much the same way, despite the wide variety of styles and components available, and the installation of a bathroom sink is a project that just about any DIYer can accomplish. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, as he installs a lavatory cabinet, undermount sink, countertop, faucet, and drain to complete our custom bathroom series.

After tile, one of the most challenging jobs in building a custom shower is installing a glass shower enclosure. There are many options for shower enclosure systems, but to work properly the enclosure has to fit the shower precisely. This often necessitates hiring a professional to fabricate and install a system based on the specific dimensions of your custom shower. However, there are glass shower enclosure systems available that any savvy do-it-yourselfer can install with a few basic hand tools and a little know-how. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, as he demonstrates how to complete a custom shower with a glass enclosure system.