subject: Bathroom Remodeling vs. Bathroom Redecorating [print this page] Bathroom Remodeling vsBathroom Remodeling vs. Bathroom Redecorating
So you're looking at your bathroom and thinking that perhaps the view is not as good as it used to be. Perhaps you need to give this most trafficked of rooms a bit of a makeover. But how do you decide which elements to fix? Which ones to replace and which ones to simply retouch? The decisions lie primarily in having a clear understanding of the differences between bathroom remodeling and bathroom redecorating. If you're thinking of giving your bath a facelift and are looking to get more information on how to go about it, this article should help shed some light on the issue. Redecorating
Redecorating includes such tasks as adding color wood trim to your bathtub, or replacing a vanity with another one that has the same dimensions but is built in a different style. Or maybe you'd like to give the walls a new paint job or install a few pieces of decorative tile into your existing tile floor. Taking down your old bathroom curtains and installing new ones would also fall under the redecorating category: i.e. essentially anything that doesn't involve re-plumbing or tearing out walls and wires. Remodeling
Remodeling is more of an all or nothing deal. You can't pick and chose as much what to leave as is and what to change. This is because remodeling refers to bigger, permanent changes to your bathroom's so-to-speak "infrastructure". Once you decide, for example, that you need a bathtub replacement shower pan, you'll have to completely tear out your old bathroom pan, which could incur other necessary costs, such as changing your shower fixtures and walls to match the new bath floor. Now, if you decide to remodel your tub shower entirely, it's going to stand out if you don't replace the sink and faucets to match it. A new shower usually requires new plumbing, which often requires you to replace the tile. In other words, when you're talking about remodeling, you're usually talking about a string of interlocked expenses. Every addition of a new structural element will entail the addition of another. Can you mix and match?
It doesn't always have to be one way or the other, however. The trick is to know what remodeling projects can be accomplished without incurring a complete overhaul. Likewise there are quick, redecorating fixes that can do a lot to enhance the look and feel of a brand new bath. New lighting and fixtures as well as new paint can go a long way.
