Some highlights from my mini bathroom reno
We once went through a big bathroom remodel in our real house. So many decisions and ways to mess up. I changed the size of our shower the day they framed it, I special ordered a vanity in the wrong size, ugh. At least here, if something doesn’t work, just do it over, for kinda free.
This was the only “before” pic I could find. I need to remember to take more of these. The room I designated for the bathroom is pretty small, less than 7x7”, so I had to sacrifice the bathtub for a shower.
I 3D printed the sink (forgot to add a drain), countertop, faucet, cabinet frame, door and drawer fronts. I then assembled it using basswood for the sides and drawers. The marble is printed on paper and attached with Mod Podge.
For the tile - I used stock images of tile patterns (I’m a graphic designer so for anything I don’t make myself, I always buy the license.) I used Photoshop to scale it down to 1:12, filled a whole page with the pattern, then printed it on plain white paper. I painted the gloss on pretty thick, on just the center of the tiles, avoiding the grout lines. I tried Sculpey glaze, Mod Podge (gloss) and nail polish. They all seem to work about the same. Nail polish was the most stinky.
I framed the shower with chipboard and covered it with the tile. I used Mod Podge to attach the paper to the chipboard (don’t use the matte version for “glazing” your tiles - not glossy enough). The glass for the shower was cut from acrylic sheets. I painted dollhouse hinges silver and used Gorilla Glue super glue to attach them. The shower door handle is silver jewelry wire that I bent into shape.
I wanted a gooseneck lamp for over the mirror. I 3D printed the shade and the little disk thing that attaches it to the wall. Then I had to encase the wire in something with that curved shape. I kept asking my husband, the wiring guru of our family, “do they make a hollow bendable electric wire that holds it shape?” He couldn’t think of one. Or he didn’t care. So my solution was this: I wrapped polymer clay around a thick string, bent it into shape, baked it, then removed the string. (I didn’t bake it around the wire because it was already attached to the switch). Then after it cooled, I removed the string and had a hole to run my wire through! Not totally perfect though - I had to cut it since the wire had a hard time getting through the extreme curve.
I always try to use what’s on hand, so for towels, I just searched the house for good towel candidates, and found some (clean) shop rags. Nice and thin. I think everyone knows a mini towel won’t just “hang” on a hook like a really towel. So I sprayed it with this fabric stiffening spray, formed it into shape, and it dries in that position. Also worked great for getting the hand towel to stay in a folded position.
The shiplap (if you can’t tell) is actually printed on paper. I 3D printed the mirror frame so it would have the tiny little inset. Made some “signature” hand soap and lotion. Snuck into my daughter’s room and clipped some leaves from her real mini palm tree.
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