Investor · Albuquerque, NM · Member since 2014 · 160 posts · 35 votes
Hey BP,
It seems like I've chaffed about 20 questions today alone, but here's the most recent.
I have a flip that I'm rehabbing and I keep scratching my head when I look at this PINK bathroom. The whole theme is pink to include the toilet and the tub.
I'm considering leaving it and taking a hit on the selling price. It's in fair shape, and I'm concerned that if I spend the money to rehab it, I may not get my money back out of it.
I've also considered painting over everything a white or neutral color and painting the tub. Someone else also mentioned a cover they can put on tubs these days. I haven't fully researched these options.
Investor · Brookfield, WI · Member since 2015 · 42 posts · 8 votes
10y
Toilet is $125, make the switch. Tub is more expensive, but they make an epoxy that can be painted on that will make it look a whole lot better than pink. We have had mixed results with it though. Cheaper you go with it, the worse off you are. Talk to someone at a Home Depot, they should be able to set you up.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
10y
I second re glazing the tub and replacing the toilet.
Wall and floor tile can be tiled over without demo. Just make sure you have a plan for the edges before you start. Also you will need a flange extension for the toilet waste pipe.
Swap out the vanity/faucet, medicine cabinet, and/or light fixtures. Keep the remodel cheap by not changing the layout of the fixtures.
Flipper/Rehabber · Chesterfield, MI · Member since 2016 · 94 posts · 35 votes
10y
I can speak from personal experience having purchased a home for my own use that had bathrooms and several bedrooms pink. Change them immediately for your own mental health! Spending any amount of time in them or around them will drive you crazy. Certainly you're going to limit your purchasers with all that pink. Most are going to think about all the work they're going to have to do and money they will have to spend if they buy the house, which is going to limit their interest.
Investor / Real Estate Agent · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 73 posts · 36 votes
10y
I'll agree with some of the above - refinishing/reglazing is the way to go. Every other house I buy has a pink or aquamarine bathroom from the 50s and 60s. It's a chemical process applied by a pro and is quite durable, and way cheaper than demo and install. Find a local tile refinishing company, pick your color, refinish tub and tile. Replace the toilet and sink and fixtures and you are good to go.
I would add that for my market, this would only be a good idea for a low - medium grade finished flip, or a rental. These days the buyer expects higher level finishes in the bathroom and kitchen.
I'll agree with some of the above - refinishing/reglazing is the way to go. Every other house I buy has a pink or aquamarine bathroom from the 50s and 60s. It's a chemical process applied by a pro and is quite durable, and way cheaper than demo and install. Find a local tile refinishing company, pick your color, refinish tub and tile. Replace the toilet and sink and fixtures and you are good to go.
I would add that for my market, this would only be a good idea for a low - medium grade finished flip, or a rental. These days the buyer expects higher level finishes in the bathroom and kitchen.
Good luck!
How much does something like this cost?
I would definitely switch it out. By the time you factor in longer Dom, higher holding cost, and lower sales price you will end up losing more money. I can speak from experience in our market. Good luck!
Wilmington, DE · Member since 2016 · 116 posts · 59 votes
10y
@David Torres nails it... as soon as somebody walks down the hallway and sees that bathroom, they will (fine.. may*) be instantly turned off, and think in their heads they have to gut the entire thing. The average consumer will think it will costs 10s of thousands to completely redo the whole bathroom, while we all know it's just a few grand... I'd do some aesthetic rework on it
Shenandoah Valley, VA · Member since 2016 · 69 posts · 35 votes
10y
yes you can sell the pink and blue and green fixtures on ebay or craigslist. there are people looking for the retro styles if they're in good shape. though i would say you might want to re-glaze the tub to save time and money, but sell the toilet. check out these sold listings of pink toilets on ebay.
Thanks for looking it up on Ebay for me! That's wild. Yes, those are gold and pink walls. Some crazy wallpaper job. It's actually in pretty good shape, just wild choices in style.
Shenandoah Valley, VA · Member since 2016 · 69 posts · 35 votes
10y
that is amazing. sad you'll have to tear it all down, it should really be a museum exhibit. but yeah, no one wants a bathroom that crazy these days. i see a hanging swag light in there as well. my goodness!
Grove City, OH · Member since 2016 · 167 posts · 66 votes
10y
What I would do is remove the vanity, toilet and the tile wall up to the shower and all the wall paper. Have the shower walls and tub re-glazed and re-caulked white ~$500. new vanity $200, toilet $100, faucet $50, $50 for lighting, $200 in paint and drywall and for $1100 you have a brand new bathroom rather then a detracting eyesore.
Charlotte, NC · Member since 2016 · 99 posts · 56 votes
10y
Yep, that's definitely pink, and a retro-kitsch look wouldn't be understood nor appreciated in rural Arkansas.
The absolutely cheapest update: Remove the two courses of tile above the vanity. Reglaze all the remaining tile and the tub white.
From the pics, it's difficult to assess the floor mosaic tile, but it looks fine, and save it if it's in good shape. (If not, there are floor-specific reglazing options.)
Replace the vanity with a CLEAN-LINED contemporary white cabinet, top, sink, faucet, and hardware.
Same for a simple, clean, modern light fixture above.
You might be able to use the existing mirror if it's not de-silvering around the edges. (Cheap detail tip: replace the plastic rosettes in the corners with simple plain ones that disappear.)
Replace the toilet. Put it on eBay along with the matching self-rimming sink!
Obviously, Replace the shower curtain rod, and remount a bit higher.
That just leaves the walls... if they're in good shape after removing the wallpaper, consider a soft pale color--maybe something out of the floor mosaics--to relieve the antiseptic white a bit.
Charlotte, NC · Member since 2016 · 99 posts · 56 votes
10y
Zana Blue - You're not alone there... that's why they pay good bucks for the fixtures on eBay.
For multi-family rehabs, I've redone a ton of these small '50s-'60s baths with the pastel tile and fixtures, but added an updated punky-kitsch twist, and people went absolutely crazy for them (budget kitchen re-dos, too). But, that was in Los Angeles by the beach... rural Arkansas doesn't exactly paint the same hip demographic picture.
Designer/Contractor from Riverside, CA · Member since 2015 · 56 posts · 26 votes
10y
Samuel DeMass I'd say from my interior designer perspective if you are removing everything else in the house that has that style then remove that too. A cohesive design is more sellable. If one thing is off, your buyers will only see what's wrong, or what needs fix = more money. Imagine the increase in your holding costs while your property sits without selling, take that money and put it into fixing this. If your preserving this style throughout the whole house then keep it.
That's fantastic! Hope it does great on the market for you.
I'm still a little torn on what I'm going to do with the pink, but in the end I'll probably just get rid of it. The market isn't big, so there's not a lot of pink niche space.