He Almost Replaced the Old Blue Floor Tiles, Then Built an $8,500 Bathroom Makeover Around Them
Blue mosaic tiles covered the floor of a cramped bathroom that had gone about 50 years without a remodel. Vinyl flooring was meant to replace them, until demolition exposed how much work removal would take—and how well the old tiles had survived.
Reddit user u/ryan1064 shared the $8,500 renovation of his long-term tenant’s 5-by-8-foot bathroom. He designed the space, managed the project, and handled much of the work, bringing in trades for tile, drywall, plumbing, and electrical work.
Keeping the floor gave the new finishes a color reference. A dark teal vanity, white shower tiles, brass fittings, and restored grout changed the setting around the mosaic, making a feature marked for removal part of the finished design.
Oak cabinets and a long countertop crowded the room
Upper cabinets projected over the sink, while the countertop extended behind the toilet toward the doorway. Storage occupied much of the right wall, leaving the small blue basin tucked between wood cabinetry and the tub.
Blue fixtures and speckled wall tiles repeated the floor’s colors, but the dark cabinet fronts and striped curtain competed with the mosaic. The renovation would break up that concentration of pattern and wood without changing the room’s footprint.
Storage needed a new arrangement
Close views show the countertop wrapping around the toilet tank and the worn joints along the blue tub. Removing the extended counter would free space around the fixtures, but the tenant still wanted more storage.
Recessed cabinets offered a way to add capacity within the walls. The plan included a large mirrored medicine cabinet, a second recessed cabinet, and a linen tower.
Demolition changed the flooring plan
Stripping the walls exposed layers of concrete, wire reinforcement, and tile. Breaking through them took enough effort to raise doubts about removing the floor’s thick mortar bed.
Despite the demolition, the unprotected mosaic had sustained little damage. Its colors also suited the new design, so the owner canceled the vinyl installation and chose restoration.
“I realized it worked already with my design,” he explained.
Cleaning and polishing revived the surface. Clear resin repaired cracks, including one cracked tile, and fresh white grout sharpened the small squares. The original blue tub stayed too, with a white refinished coating.
Fresh finishes gave the old mosaic a different context
White walls and a shorter vanity replaced the band of oak cabinets and countertop. The floor now sits beside a dark teal cabinet rather than beneath a collection of blue fixtures, giving its color a more focused connection.
A white linen tower adds storage beside the toilet, while the large mirror reflects the shower window. Brass on the faucet, shower fittings, curtain rod, and accessories carries one warm finish through the room.
Scalloped tiles frame the glass-block window
White fan-shaped tiles cover the back shower wall, with grout outlining each curve. Their scale distinguishes them from the floor mosaic while retaining the repeated shapes that give both surfaces texture.
The glass-block window remains a source of light and privacy above the tub. Keeping the shower curtain drawn back exposes that window and the tiled wall from the doorway.
Vertical shower tiles bring in a second rhythm
Rectangular white tiles run upright on the side wall, where a narrow blue accent strip connects the shower to the floor palette. Straight grout lines meet the curved pattern on the back wall, giving each surface a distinct treatment.
Brass fittings stand out against the white tile. The owner acknowledged that communication with the tiler left the accent placement short of his intent, including its alignment with the shower fittings.
Dark teal anchors the sink area
The vanity introduces the room’s deepest color beneath a pale, gray-veined countertop. An undermount basin leaves the surrounding surface clear, while long brass pulls repeat the finish of the faucet.
Above it, the mirrored medicine cabinet supplies storage that the removed upper cupboards once provided. Its reflection also brings the glass-block window into the sink area.
Before and after reveal the value of keeping the floor
The comparison shows how much changed around the surviving mosaic. Oak cupboards, the extended counter, the blue sink, and the striped curtain gave way to recessed storage, a compact vanity, and a white shower surround.
The floor no longer belongs to an all-blue bathroom. Restored grout and new finishes make its small blue squares part of a deliberate palette, preserving a feature the owner had planned to replace.
Image credits go to u/ryan1064.