Local company specializes in quick bathroom makeovers
It is not uncommon to purchase a home and get a bathroom that is a mishmash of colors: avocado green tub, yellow walls and white sinks. You can't imagine living with it, but renovating a bathroom can be costly, especially if you choose to just gut the room and start over.
While some bathrooms do require a total renovation, most don't require that at all. Most have “good bones” and can be renovated effectively without spending a small fortune.
One option to consider is the use of an acrylic bath and wall system, also known as a bath liner. If you haven't investigated one in awhile, look again. They have come a long way in terms of looks and design, said Dimitris Nacopoulos, owner of Bath Planet of Chicagoland, based in Streamwood.
Many Bath Planet products install right over the existing ugly shower tile and chipped or faded tub for maximum cost-effectiveness and minimal mess. And you don't have to count on workmen invading your home for days or weeks. Installation can be completed in as little as just one day, he said.
Bath Planet products feature the look of ceramic tile, granite or marble — in 16 colors and finishes — but without the grout, mess and irritating maintenance because the liners are made of a nonporous, easy-to-clean material. Add to that the array of finishing touches that are available, including shower caddies, soap dishes, grab bars, curved shower rods and a selection of shower doors, and homeowners can easily create a complete, unique bathroom that meets their particular circumstances.
“Today's homeowners particularly gravitate toward our marbleized granite options. The solid colors are not as popular right now and while gray is extremely popular in the rest of the house, in bathrooms, most people still want the warmer tan colors or white,” Nacopoulos said.
Nationally recognized bathroom designers agree. They currently advocate three main options in bathroom color choice — entirely white (because white bounces light around the room and gives a clean, spacious feel to the smaller space); warm tones of brown, bronze and gold, which complement each other and make the space feel warm and comfortable; and bathrooms full of contrast — light countertops with dark tile or dark countertops with light tile.
For those whose bathroom configuration does not meet their basic living needs or wishes, replacement tubs and shower bases in a wide selection of colors, sizes and styles are available and easier to install than you might think. What an easy way to add value to your home!
Soaking tubs, for instance, are wildly popular today so many homeowners choose to replace their old tubs with them. In addition, accessibility and aging-in-place bath systems to ensure independent living for as long as possible can be easily installed in the place of an existing tub.
For older homeowners with aging-in-place concerns, products such as roll-in showers, walk-in tubs and even jetted tubs for easing tired muscles are all available, as are grab bars, handheld shower nozzles and other accessibility products.
Nacopoulos said Bath Planet's products have been evaluated by the experts at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute and deemed worthy of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, which provides a two-year limited warranty. So the institute will replace or refund the price paid for any Bath Planet product or service deemed defective. In addition, buyers simultaneously receive the Bath Planet exclusive lifetime warranty.
Bath Planet products are locally made, too. They are made in Palatine, where parent company BCI Acrylic/Bath Planet is headquartered. The business was founded in 1999 by Scott Rosenbach and Tom Barzantny, who sought to combine a high-quality, exclusive product line and lifetime product warranties with a network of authorized, trained local dealers with professional installers. There are 122 Bath Planet dealerships around the country.
For more information, call (800) 699-5926.