Full Bathroom Reno: Sealing Tile and Installing Shower Hardware

This post is very delayed as this part of the project was finished months ago, but thanks to baby on the way, you are getting it now! Better late than never, right?

We left off with a freshly tiled and grouted shower that needed to be sealed and finished. I personally sealed the tile (pre-pregnancy!) myself, so I did not get any photos. There is nothing to show really, since the sealer is clear. You simply brush it on with a paintbrush, being sure to cover all pieces of every single tile. I followed the package instructions, which said to brush it on and wipe it off after a certain amount of time. It's a fairly easy process, except our incredibly uneven natural stone offered a lot more angles and edges than typical tile. I still say it's worth it!

Next, Jake caulked around the ceiling and tub, which I don't have pictures of either. He is a much better caulk-er than me, so I asked him to do this step since this caulk would show at the end result. I chose white caulk for the ceiling and tub surround, since both were white.

Then, Jake installed the shower/tub hardware, which included the showerhead, handle, and tub faucet. The pipes were already in place, so this step was simply assembling it all. Again, our tile selection presented a challenge of being uneven, which made the hardware not sit flush against the wall. Long term, that could cause a big problem with water leakage, mold, etc. Thankfully, we asked my dad and he suggested filing it down. He actually came over and helped Jake with this, and they were able to get all of the pieces to sit flush. Then, Jake finished them with clear caulk. He was the one who thought clear would be better, and I am so glad I listened to him. The clear looks amazing! The white would have been very obvious around that natural stone and dark hardware.

Finally, we have the finished product.

You can see in some of the photos of the shower wall with the hardware that the wall is not finished next to it. Both walls next to the tile still need to be finished, but we will do that step last, when we do all of the finishing, painting, etc.

I love the hardware I chose. It's a dark oil-rubbed bronze, which really pops off the natural stone shower. It has these gorgeous sparkly flecks in it, too. I really love the gooseneck shower head and the handle- it reminds me of an oil pump- which is a fond thought for this Texas girl.

Right now, I have up a simple oil-rubbed bronze rod with just a white shower curtain liner. We have been using the shower since late July when it was finished, and it has been heavenly. It is so much lighter and brighter in there with the new tub and tile, and it such a pleasure to use. For the first month, easily, I would just stare at the beautiful tile as I showered. I am so pleased with all of our choices and so proud of the fact that we did it 100% ourselves.

I don't have any good pulled back photos, because of the size of the bathroom and my lacking photography skills. I need to have someone over to take good photos of the shower for me. Still, you can see the difference, right?

Before:

After:

We just love it!!

Check out all of the shower renovation steps by clicking on the orange "Full Bathroom" link under this post.