With guidance from their renovation team, Brooklyn homeowners unveil a dream bathroom

• Homeowners: First-time homeowners Carly and Peter posted their bathroom remodel on Sweeten
• Where: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York
• Primary renovation: Refresh an outdated bathroom
• Sweeten general contractor
• Homeowner’s quote: “[My contractor] answered all of my questions about the bathroom materials we were considering, how to take measurements, and what other things to consider. [He] guided me through the entire renovation.”
• Sweeten’s role: Sweeten matches residential renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering know-how, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free.

Written in partnership with the Sweeten homeowner Carly. “After” photos by Kate Glicksberg for Sweeten.

Begin with a small remodeling project

Our 1,000-square-foot co-op in a building constructed in about 1841 was our first purchased home, after renting for a decade in the West Village. After nearly two years of living in the home, we were ready. 

But we wanted to start small with a bathroom since we had never been through a renovation before. Posting our project to Sweeten made it easy to begin because of their curated list of contractors to choose from.

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Refresh and personalize

Our bathroom is large, with high ceilings and room for a lot of storage, including our stackable washer dryer, shelving, and closet space. For the most part, we just wanted to update all the fixtures and materials, improve lighting and personalize it to our needs. I was open to reimagining the storage areas if it fit within our budget, especially in the vanity area.

"My biggest challenge was keeping all my selections simple so as not to overwhelm our space."

Choosing bathroom materials

Originally, I had really ambitious design choices like using three types of Moroccan tile and wallpaper. However, since this was our first renovation, I felt we should keep it simple. First, I’m no designer, and second, we did this during Covid when getting materials was a real challenge. 

I did a lot of shopping and sourcing ahead of time prior to contacting our contractor. Shopping online or a big box store was overwhelming and confusing for me. I also wanted to use quality materials that were a little higher end.

Our Sweeten contractor introduced me to a local plumbing supply store. The proprietor there had years of experience and knowledge; he helped me source everything except the tile. My contractor was able to coordinate all deliveries without me being there (such a relief!).

Keep choices manageable

The first thing I chose was the vanity. We wanted a unique piece that had a lot of storage space. I found something classic — but not basic. It had rose gold hardware, and I then matched my other fixtures with it. After that, I moved on to choosing a medicine cabinet with built-in LED that has clean, simple lines. For the tile, I went to a specific tile website with a curated collection, rather than the endless options available online or at a big box store.   

My biggest challenge was keeping all my selections simple so as not to overwhelm our space.

A good renovation partner

Our Sweeten contractor also helped me visualize the space. The layout didn’t need to be changed, he said, it was already being used as efficiently as possible. The whole process went smoothly, and my contractor allayed my fears of what a “normal” budget was and what our responsibilities were as the homeowner.

He answered all of my questions about the bathroom materials we were considering, how to take measurements, and what other things to consider. My contractor guided me through the entire renovation.

We really love the clean design, and the new bathroom works exactly the way we want to use it.

Renovation Materials

BATHROOM RESOURCES: Marble Tech Bianco Gioia 12×24; polished porcelain tile: TileBar. Kohler Purist fixtures in gold; Kohler Veil toilet; Otto Home Goods Ashley 36″ white bathroom vanity; Blossom Pillar medicine cabinet: Carroll Gardens Plumbing Supply. Majestic chrome glass shower door: Glasscrafters.

A note on fixtures and appliance deliveries: If you’re on a tight timeline, Appliances Connection has over 50,000 items in stock and ready to ship nationally. If you’re in the NY/NJ metro area, in-stock items typically deliver within 2-3 days.

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Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Sweeten.

The post My Sweeten Story: A Bathroom Remodel Lands the Right Materials appeared first on Sweeten.

When budgeting for a bathroom tiling project, it’s easy to become focused on the cost of the tile itself. After all, tile is at the heart of the project; it’s the main look of all of this. However, crucial (and often overlooked) steps like prep and time for labor can impact how much it’ll cost you to tile a bathroom. 

In this guide, Sweeten outlines three categories that go into the cost to tile a bathroom: prep, materials, and labor.

Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering guidance, tools, and support—for free.

Tiling prep work

Before beginning the tile project, a number of items in the bathroom must be removed. After they have been removed, the subfloor must be assessed.

Using ceramic tile in your bathroom?

Ceramic tile requires a stable base (substrate) that is rigid and does not bend. The bathroom’s existing subfloor should either be strong enough or it should be strengthened. For natural stone tile, the industry group Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) recommends that the substrate be twice as rigid as for tiling with ceramics or porcelains. If the substrate is not smooth enough, it may require an additional layer of underlayment.

Removing bathroom items

• Toilet: The toilet must always be removed before tiling a floor. The toilet will either be replaced, or a new toilet may be installed.
  
• Baseboards: Wall baseboards and any type of horizontal wall molding that touches the floor must be removed before tiling.
  
• Door casing: Door casing—the vertical trim that forms a door frame—usually doesn’t need to be removed. Tile workers can cut the bottom of the casing and fit the tile underneath.
  
• Shower/bathtub and bathroom cabinet: Showers, tubs, sink cabinets, and any permanent pieces do not need to be removed. However, sometimes they are removed during a full bathroom remodel.
  

Preparing (or repairing) the subfloor

When installing tile in a remodeled bathroom, it is common to find a damaged subfloor. This damage tends to be concentrated around the toilet, sink, and shower/bathtub. If you are removing the shower or bath, you may find even more damage under the shower pan or bathtub.

Sometimes, large sections of the subfloor may need to be removed and replaced with a new subfloor. In some cases, the damage may extend to the floor joists (the beams below the subfloor). Both of these fixes are separate from the tiling.

If you are working with a general contractor, the contractor will remove all of the necessary items and make repairs. This prep work should be done ahead of time before the tile subcontractor begins.

While removing items is heavily a labor cost, some materials may figure in. This depends on the scale of the project. For example, large projects may require the rental of a dumpster. 

Raw materials for prepping

Though tile is the most visible feature of bathroom tile, a support system of other materials makes a bathroom tile surface possible. 

Subfloor prep materials

• Solid subfloor: Exterior-grade, tongue-and-groove plywood is a standard subfloor material.
  
• Underlayment on top of subfloor: Many tile pros recommend laying down an additional layer of thin cement board on top of the subfloor.
  
• Leveling compound: Dips in the subfloor can be corrected with a liquid leveling compound. Poured directly onto the subfloor, this compound is self-leveling. It fills gaps up to 1-1/2-inch deep.
  

Tiling materials

• Thin-set: Thin-set is the mortar base that is applied under the tile.
  
• Grout: Grout is the filler that is applied to the joints between the tiles.
  
• Grout tint: Grout usually comes in a few variations of gray, black, cream, or white. But grout can also be tinted to nearly any color you desire.
  
• Grout sealant: Grout is porous and must be sealed to prevent moisture infiltration.
  
• Haze remover: A light haze remains from the grouting process. A liquid haze remover is needed to clean this up.
  

Optional materials

• Uncoupling material: When installing tile on concrete, many tile professionals recommend that you use a special material to avoid cracking. An uncoupling material disconnects the tile from the concrete slab. This prevents concrete from transmitting cracks to the tile. CTEF recommends that all concrete floors with pre-existing cracks be installed with uncoupling material.
  
• Radiant heating: To combat cold tile floors, many homeowners opt for radiant heating underneath the tile. This electrically operated mesh is embedded in the thin-set mortar. It is controlled by a wall thermostat.
  

Time and cost of labor

Many types of home projects are DIY-friendly. But tilework is a long-established, highly skilled craft that can be tricky for many DIYers to master. So, hiring pros to expertly lay the tile pays for itself many times over.

If the cost of tiling materials (thin-set, grout, etc.) is not broken out in an estimate, it may be included in the labor cost. If so, it will be noted as such.

One more factor that affects the cost of tile installation labor is the need for the tile contractor to return several times to the job site. After setting the tile, workers must allow at least 24 hours before returning for grouting. After grouting, workers must wait at least another 4 hours before returning to remove the grout haze. All consults and the clean-up are usually included in the installation cost.

Choosing the style and color of your bathroom tile is an exciting remodeling step. But as you now know, there are many other factors that can impact the total cost to tile a bathroom. Knowing those factors will give you a leg up in understanding the bottom-line total cost when discussing the project with your contractor. 

Ready to get paired with an expert contractor to retile, remodel, or fully gut your bathroom?

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Not sure which big-box cabinet retailer to use? Sweeten explains the difference between IKEA, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Cabinets To Go.

Take a look at five classic styles of bath tile that Sweeten homeowners chose for their bathroom renovations.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Sweeten.

The post How Much Does It Cost To Tile a Bathroom? appeared first on Sweeten.

When it comes to tiling your bathroom, there’s no right or wrong approach. Whether you’re looking to go more classic or mix it up with an unexpected pattern, these stunning spaces show how to pull off your vision.

Tickled Pink


(Image Credit: Equipe)

Large-format Subway 

(Image Credit: Domino)

Marbled Marvel


(Image Credit: Bright Design Lab)

Vertical Thinking

(Image Credit: Inside Out Australia)

Geometric Glam


(Image Credit: House and Garden UK)

Green Groove

(Image Credit: Bo Bedre)

Pattern Play


(Image Credit: Quadro Style)

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Sweeten is a free service that matches renovators with vetted general contractors, helping until project completion. See how these Sweeten homeowners updated their bathroom with classic herringbone tile.

Sign up to receive our newsletter and follow the blog for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready, start your renovation on Sweeten.

The post 7 Unique Bathroom Tile Designs appeared first on Sweeten.

Subway tile: A go-to classic design

(Above) Nikki and Chris’ bathroom remodel

Sweeten homeowners Nikki and Chris aimed for a prewar look. Iconic of old New York, white subway tile lined the shower and halfway up the bathroom walls. The white tile was the right background for their decorative black-and-gold pineapple wallpaper. 

Cost of subway tile

Standard ceramic subway tile costs around $2 – $3 per square foot. The cost increases with marble around $6 – $9 per square foot.

Subway tile variation

(From top) Katy’s beach house bathroom; and Steve and Lewis’ brownstone half bath

A longer subway tile has been growing in popularity. It has just enough variation to give off a contemporary vibe. Sweeten homeowner Katy’s master bathroom mixes a glossy subway tile with a patterned hex in black and white. Steve and Lewis went with a tumbled, handmade slimmer variation in cerulean blue for a small niche half bathroom.

Cost of elongated subway tile

For an elegant variation on the subway tile, a 3″ x 12″ tile in polished ceramic spans a price range between $4 – $16 per square foot.

Penny tile

(From top) Alicia and Ed’s bath floor tile; and Rachel and Michael’s walk-in shower

Penny tile is a classic option that gives off major vintage vibes. It works as floor tile in Alicia and Ed’s retro-inspired bath and transforms into a waterfall mosaic in Rachel and Michael’s shower.

Cost for penny tile

This kind of bathroom tile can range from $2 per square foot for porcelain to $10 or more for colorful mosaics.

Basketweave tile

(From top) Tina and Fletcher’s master bath; and Cory and Andrew’s bath

Basketweave is truly old-school, but it’s been making a steady comeback. It feels surprisingly modern as part of the minimalist design in Tina and Fletcher’s master bathroom. A variety of tile patterns coexist in Cory and Andrew’s bathroom. For the couple, the basketweave design complemented the penny tile and herringbone shapes. 

Cost for basketweave tile

Bathroom tile costs for lower-end options, like porcelain, cost around $4 per square foot. Expect high-quality marble to begin at $15 per square foot.

When you’re ready to get started on your bathroom or home remodel, work with Sweeten to renovate with the best contractors.

Popular Questions Asked

The post 5 Popular Bath Tiles and How Much They Cost appeared first on Sweeten.

Project: Gut a crumbling bathroom in Morningside Heights, Manhattan

Before: A hulking seven-foot tub dominated the layout, while the ruined floors, walls, and (most of the) ceiling all begged for attention, too. The old industrial toilet was leaking, a wall of ’80s-style glass-bottle tile needed to come down, and the vanity had begun literally to crumble. For Janna H. and her family, the bathroom was “disgusting.” “No matter how much we cleaned, it never felt clean,” she recalls.

After: Janna appreciated the history of her pre-war apartment building and worked hard with her Sweeten contractor to flatter it. She avoided today’s usual combination of medicine cabinet and vanity by choosing a vintage-looking white German pedestal sink and topping it with a 12-sided beveled statement mirror crowned with a wall-mount vanity light. For much-needed storage, a designer recommended tall built-in cabinets painted to match the bathroom’s charcoal walls.

Janna’s first-choice wall tiles cost $12,000, so she got creative and instead used regular subway tiles in a jaunty herringbone that’s vertical, rather than tilted the typical 45 degrees.

The tub was swapped for a spacious, walk-in frameless glass shower on a low curb. A hand shower accompanies the luxurious oversize rain shower head.

Bonus: The sink has a generous lip that serves as a functional surface when Jenna is applying makeup.

Style finds: Toilet and vintage-looking 1930 Series pedestal sink, both from Appliances Connection; bathroom faucet by Hansgrohe.

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The color, shape, and pattern of tile is a key player to a space’s personality. Take a look at Mollie’s shower wall which spotlights a bold chevron design.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.

The post A Bath Gets Graphic with Tile appeared first on Sweeten.