Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
We scavenge anything old. We’ve been lucky with our bath fixtures, picking up clawfoot tubs, pedestal sinks and an ornate Victorian toilet for free. Finding the plumbing fittings to go with these antiques is the hard part. Below is a list of links so you don’t have to search the internet for hours to find the right clawfoot shower enclosure.
Signature Hardware
Clawfoot Supply
Vintage Tub
Antique Plumber
Dea Bath
A Ball
Shop 4 Classics
Rensup
Rejuvination
Yo, that dude’s name is Crapper!
Actually, Thomas Crapper, a London plumber, set up shop in 1861. He promoted sanitary fittings and a water waste preventing cistern syphon. The company is still around today and offers some gorgeous reproduction bathroom fittings. They are not inexpensive and with shipping….yikes! But I’m thinking it might be worth trying to make my own version of “The Throne“, pictured below.
Icestone
Of the three larger companies fabricating recycled glass composite countertops, Icestone, the best known, is also the only local one. The product, made from 100% recycled glass mixed with concrete, is manufactured in a day lit factory in Brooklyn. The chemical composition is benign and 99.5% inorganic. Icestone comes in a variety of 23 colors. Local showrooms include Chelsea Arts Tile and AK Tile Studio.
Vetrazzo
Vetrazzo is composed of 85% recycled glass with a binder of cement, additives, pigments and other recycled materials such as fly ash – a waste by-product of coal burning power plants. They do not utilize synthetic, petroleum-based resin binders. The product comes in 16 colors and is manufactured in California.
EnviroGlas
EnviroGlas Slabs are made of 75% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled glass and 25% binder by volume. They do use resin in the process. There are 22 standard resin colors or you can formulate your own design. The company is based in Texas.
Tools:
Utility Knife
Notched Trowel (See mortar bag for correct notch size.)
Mixing Trowel
Tile Cutter (You can rent one.)
Level
Rubber Mallet
Floor Scraper
Chalk Line
Framing Square
Drill
Bucket
Vacuum
Materials
Wonderboard or Mesh
Thinset Mortar
Grout
Spacers
Screws
Tiles + 5-10% extra for screw ups
Design by Craig and Ebay
After restoring 3 floors of our house, there was no money left for the 4th level. The bathroom had to be put in from scratch and we didn’t have time to DIY it. Not that we would’ve spent a cent more on materials if we had it, but we were REALLY on the lookout for bargains this time.
How do you think we did? Is this high or low compared to others? Our big ticket item was the shower enclosure.
Clawfoot Tub: Free. Craigslist
Sink Vanity: $ 40. Craigslist
Glass Counter/Backsplash: $ 50. Craigslist
Sconces: $ 220. Ebay
Stained Glass: $ 250. Ebay
Copper Sink: $ 110. Ebay (Mexicopper)
Vessel Faucet: $ 92. Ebay
Medicine Cabinet: $ 50. Water St Market, New Paltz
Octagon Floor Tiles: $ 250. Bergen Tile
Mariner Toilet: $ 180. Lowes
Shower Enclosure $ 660. Clawfoot Supply
Hunter Exhaust Fan: $ 98. Lowes
Towel/Toilet Holders: $ 16. Ikea
Door: $ 20. Eddie’s Salvage (Greene and Grand, Brooklyn)
Doorknob: Free Came with house
TOTAL: $ 2036
PS:We still need molding, but we can probably come up with enough scrap from our basement.
Toto’s Clayton.
We didn’t have time to research this stuff during our renovation. We pretty much ran out to Lowes and bought the nicest looking toilets we can find within our budget. Hopefully, we’ll make up for our own water consumption by educating others on making wise choices.
As with the energy star label on appliances, look for the Water Sense label on toilets. Because there are so many different models to choose from, we won’t go through all the specs of each toilet, but rather lead you to the manufacturer so you can come to your own conclusions. One problem we have with these is that many of them are too modern looking for our taste.
Toto seems to be the best known in the dual flush category. We’ve heard mixed consumer reviews as far as upkeep and repairs. Tip: try looking on Ebay for bargains.
Caroma USA has a decent selection of dual flush toilets.
Kohler announced this June, the introduction of 9 new toilets bearing the Watersense label.
American Standard’s FloWise Toilet meets EPA requirements.
St. Thomas’ Mariner II is a not too modern looking pressure assisted toilet.
Check out Terry Love’s site for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about toilets. Comparison charts, forum and tips.
We came up with 4 companies in our search for recycled ceramic and terra cotta floor tiles. All of these companies manufacture glazed wall tiles as well, but we’ll cover that in a separate post.
Fireclay Debris
Fireclay’s Debris series is a terra cotta tile containing 50% post consumer and post industrial recycled materials. Their standard sizes are 8×8, 12×12, 8×16 and 16×16, as well as geometric patterns. Finishes are available in unglazed, antique and dark antique. It’s best to contact them directly for Debris sales questions.
Quarry Tile’s Natural Hues
Quarry Tile’s Eco-Body line contains approximately 34% recycled solid waste which was previously going to public and private landfills. All of the recycled waste products are recovered from within a 350 mile radius of their manufacturing plant. Several Dal-Tile locations carry Quarry Tile.
Terra’s Traffic
Terra Green Ceramics, which has been around since the late 70’s, manufactures 7 lines of recycled glass and/or ceramic tile. All tiles are made with 55% post industrial glass. Stone Source is the local NY distributor for Terra Green.
EcoCycle Pine Barren
Crossville Porcelain Stone offers their Eco Cycle Line, containing 40% recycled ceramic content. This “stone-look” series comes in 8 colors. There are several locations in NY that carry Crossville, including Bergen Tile. Be sure to check if they carry this particular line.
Items You Just Can’t Live Without
Nobody likes to talk about it, but we all need to do it. So, what if you’re renovating a bathroom and it will take days, weeks or months to complete? Yeah, a bucket works fine, but indulge yourself in the luxury of a porta potty!
We bought ours on Ebay from a company called Short’s Marine. The Thetford 135 model is less than $100 and will last about a week before you make your husband empty it. Camping World also sells them, along with the chemicals to go with it.
The chemicals that break down the waste do contain formaldehyde. Supreme Green is eco friendly, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well as those harsh chemicals.