When we were getting ready to put our suburban house on the market, our real estate agent told us to get the best price for our house we should update the shower in our master bath. We did it and it came out beautifully and was worth the expense since we sold the house in 10 days.
I know, crazy, right?
But it was in our best interest to update the master bath shower so our home would be comparable to other homes like it that are for sale in the area when it goes on the market. I know it seems crazy to add something like this to a home since we won’t get to enjoy it, but it will help the house sell quicker and for a better price.
Here is what the shower looked like BEFORE:
Remember when I stenciled the shower door here and removed the door to the bathroom since it covered the shower door. I replaced it with a barn style rolling door.
We initially planned to just replace the door, but after talking to a real estate agent…we went a little further with the makeover.
So I headed to the the new Floor & Decor that recently opened in the Philadelphia area to find discounted tile that would make the shower feel like a spa.
When we vacationed in Mexico, the shower in our room had a pebbled tile floor that I loved. When I saw these flat mosaic pebbles I knew they would become part of the new shower.
I also had to find tile that would look good with the existing ceramic tile on the floor of the bathroom since that was staying.
We, and I say “we” since I did not DIY this makeover…we hired a contractor to do it for us. The wet bed and plumbing involved were more than I felt comfortable doing myself. I have tiled walls and floors with no problems, but this was a bit too complex for my DIY skills.
Here is the AFTER
It came out better than I imagined and without the molded fiberglass shower insert taking up space, the stall is bigger and easier to move around in now.
With the pretty new tile, I now have to clean up the grout on the floor. You know how it goes… you update one thing and then everything around it all of a sudden doesn’t look so good. :-)
Tile I used:
One of the reasons I like Floor & Decor for tile is not only for the great discounted prices they have but that every piece of tile is sold individually so even if you open a box, you can still return what is left.
Floor – Grey Flat Pebble Stone Mosaic. Walls – 3 x 6 Tumbled Travertine Cote D’Azur Brushed Transition – 3 x 12 Tumbled Stone Cote D’Azur Brushed Bullnose – 3 x 12 Tumbled Travertine Cote D’Azur Brushed Grout – Sanded 77 Frost
Here is what the wet bed looked like that had to be added to the floor after the previous molded fiberglass shower insert was removed.
We have only hired a contractor to do a project around the house once before, so we enjoyed getting to sit back and watch the gutting and then tiling process instead of doing the work ourselves.
A marble shelf in the corner to hold bottles of shampoo and a shiny new faucet handle are the finishing touches. Nothing too expensive or fancy, but enough for a nice update for the shower.
My favorite part is the floor. I just love the way the pebbles look and feel on my feet.
When using stone for a shower, it has to be sealed when installed and resealed again once a year.
It is simple to do with a ready-made sealer that you simply brush on. Tom, our contractor, mixed an additive into the grout that will help keep the grout uniform in color and seal it as well. He used Grout Maximizer and for the stone, Premium Stone Sealer.
For now, we get to enjoy the new shower until we sell and physically move from the house.
I love the stone and how the upgrade makes not only the shower look, but the entire bathroom.
More bathroom makeover inspiration:
If you would like to see a very budget friendly bathroom makeover, you may like how I made over the hall bath for $265.
If you are interested in how to makeover a shower. I gave the tub and shower in this bath a little DIY facelift that took it up a few notches on the style meter. You can see the before photos and all that I did for $265 in this post: DIY Home Improvement: Budget Bathroom Makeover
We moved to a new house on a lake. I have made over two baths in this house without the need to hire a contractor.
Read about these bathroom makeovers:
Here was the mood board I created to makeover a 1970’s era bath into a very colorful one. See how I did in this post: Colorful Bathroom Makeover
Powder Room Makeover That Would Make Chip and Joanna Proud
This post is sponsored by Floor & Decor. Thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that make In My Own Style possible. All content and opinions are my own.
What is the shower measurements?
Hi Tricia – The shower stall measurements are approx 3′ – 6″ square.
How much did you end up spending for materials and labor ? Would you be able to break it down. About to do the exact same thing to my bathroom and my standup shower is exactly the same size as yours . Awesome post!
Hi Anj –
When I wrote this post we were doing it to get the house ready to sell and hired a contractor to do it for us. We did not DIY it so I don’t have the exact cost of everything. The tiles were the most costly since we used stone and not ceramic. The tiles, door and new plumbing fixtures were around $2000.
Beautiful makeover! Our master bath small single stall shower needs updating due to old leaking ceramic tile. I am trying to decide if it is worth the cost to enlarge (involves moving toilet and plumbing). Do you recall the dimensions of your shower? We will be selling in 2 years.
Thank you!
H Martha – The size of the shower stall was approx. 3-1/2 feet square.
thank you for posting!!! We are in the middle of remodeling the bath. We have the same exact shower. Ice lived in our 4 bed 2 bath house with plans to do this since we bought the house. 12 years we didn’t use the shower. We have four kids. No more waiting. I envisioned in just like you did it! Thank you. Easier for my hubby as he is doing it totally by himself. Thanks again.
Diane~I love your shower update. I have the before picture as my shower now but really want to update. Could you give me a ballpark figure on the total cost? Hope the house sells soon.
Hi Dana – We sold the house in 10 days so updating the shower helped. It cost $900 for the stone tile and new fixtures. $1600 for the new door and contractor fee who did the job for us.
Hi Diane,
We are considering doing similar renos in our bathroom. So sorry to hear about your accident with your exploding shower door! Did the contractor offer an explanation as to what may have caused it? What do you have now for a shower door? Thanks :-)!
Hi Leslie – The contractor and Kohler have been to the house to see what happened. It was the design of the door, having 2 break told us that, but we also found out that tempered glass is made under a lot of pressure and if there is the tiniest flaw in it, that could cause it to explode. It is rare, but it does happen. Just do a Google search for “exploding glass shower door” and you will find many stories from homeowners. The contractor purchased a different type of door for the bathroom made by Basco. He installed it a few weeks ago. No problems with it. It is designed much better and looks very nice.
LOVELY makeover! We plan on gutting ours sometime (I pray) for now I will just live vicariously through you!
Thanks Jacque – Making over the shower was one of those projects we wished we did sooner. I can’t wait to see what you do!
Diane, I was wondering how much money or percentage of sale price do you feel is worth putting in a house to prep it for sale. How do you determine what is worth doing for the return? And is the return just monetary or also in how quick the house might sell? Just curious. You guys have done a great job. I like the new shower stall.
Hi Michelle – This is a great question. I am not sure there is a certain percentage. I was told by our real estate agent that it was more about doing enough that will make the house stand out among all the others that are for sale at the same time as yours. I would start to check out the MLS in your area and see what is for sale that is like your home. If your house shines among these, then you don’t have to do much, except declutter and depersonalize. If you see that a few of the homes have stone counters or new bathrooms and yours has Formica and old vinyl flooring, you may want to spend the time and money to make the home stand out more. The return is monetary, especially with bath and kitchen upgrades. They can add $100,000 more to your selling price in some markets, but adding upgrades and painting also helps the house sell quickly since your home will look better amongst the competition.
We are listing this week. We fixed lots and painted rooms neutral. We updated two big items. The shower in the master bath and new counters in the kitchen. These are the two areas that appraisers look for when pricing a house. Every house in the MLS like ours has these upgrades, so it was in our best interest to add them to get the best price we can and to sell quickly. I hope this helps.
Beautiful!!! I hope that you will get to enjoy it for awhile at least until the house sells. Reminds me that its time to seal our shower again. Thanks for sharing!!
I hope they use tempered glass next time- you won’t have to worry about it cutting you if it shatters because it’s like car glass- it breaks with rounded edges.
Hi Irene – It was tempered glass. It did break into a million pieces but the force was so great that it shot out like bullets all over the room and into my leg. :-( Some of the pieces were very sharp and pointy. After it exploded, the glass bits sounded like they were alive on the floor, popping,jumping and making crackling noises for about 10 minutes after it exploded.
Great job! Love the choices you made! Beautiful, clean, neat
You have done a great job ” Diane Henkler ” !! The shower is looking perfect. The ceramic tiles you have used in the shower is beautiful. Overall, I will say you are very creative and hard working!! Thanks for this creative post and keep sharing this type of posts.
Diane, I love all your choices! Especially the pebble floor….fabulous! We are in the middle of a bathroom “renew/refresh” and were tipped off to Stanley Steamer (I have no affiliation with them!), who will come in and steam your floors, then apply a “color seal” grout colorant that completely renews your grout. We turned our neighbors on to it, and they are also pleased beyond belief. We tried everything prior to SS….one product called “Finazzle” does an acceptable job of making the grout look a bit cleaner, but truly….you will not BELIEVE the difference that a perfectly uniform grout color will make with your floors. Our 18 year old floors look brand new. I wish I did get a referral fee from Stanley Steamer, lol, because I have recommended them to everyone. They charge a reasonable fee (I am an avid comparison shopper), and after a couple of hours, and about 100 dollars later, our floors look BRAND NEW. Good luck, I love your blog, and hope your home sells quickly!!
I just love it! I’m considering the tile you used on the walls for my kitchen backsplash. I have white corian countertops. How do you think that would look?
Hi Vicki – I think the tumbled Travertine tiles will look fabulous with white Corian countertops. The contrast in texture and color is what will add interest to the kitchen. I would go for it.
Vicki, I have white Corian counters and white cabinets. My backspash is travetine and we LOVE it. I have had mny workman come in and ask to take photos so they cn show their wives. I hve some talavera decorative tiles betwwen some of them. I could send a photo if you want to post your email address
Hi, Diane! Your shower looks great! Ours is similar, and I figured we’d have to gut the whole bathroom! There are some great ideas in this post; thanks!
We have a similar set up and I’ve been toying with the idea of updating. Thanks for the tips!
wow, right?!! very timeless. an easy sell! the only problem being “why didn’t we do this sooner so we could be enjoying it?!” haha.
Hi Sharon – I agree with you :-) Wish we did it sooner.
Looks fabulous! This is one of those “upgrades” you really do get back when you sell for sure!
Easiest and fastest way to clean that grout (you wont even believe me, but it TOTALLY works)? Resolve carpet cleaner. Spray it on the grout, let it sit for 10 mins, use a grout brush or still bristle brush to give a little scrub (not a lot of effort at all), then I washed it off with a cloth in clear water (it’s slick if you don’t) and dried with a big beach towel. It will look brand-new with almost no effort. I was stunned!
Good luck with the sale. I hope it all happens quickly for you! XO!
Hi Scottie – Thanks for the tip about using Resolve. This is good to know…I like easy and using everyday products that don’t cost a lot. I can’t wait to try it.
Oh my gosh. The exact way we did our large shower, glass door and all. It’s gorgeous! Love the pebble tile under my feet also. The travertine is so easy to take care of.
Oh the after IS fantastic. I love the NON molded what ever shower (what I call the S**TTY molded bath/shower surround…… gag me with those things. I hate them with a passion. My house actually had a bathroom window till one of the previous owners decided to put in that hell on earth thing that goes up the walls. I want a window in every room…… yeah I know, it is impossible, but I hate my shower/bath bathroom because of the loss of the window.
Hi Sheryll – Oh my… I would not be happy with that. Do you follow the blog, In The Fields, previously A Country Farmhouse? They bought a new house and realized the same thing, that a shower was over window that was in full view from the outside. Crazy!
Oh Diane I am so owe everyone an apology. I so hate my molded shower/tub….. but I should have been kind…. er?
I do understand about the window thingy…………. and it is awful for anyone to cover a window or so I think.. (I might get unlike mail for this also). I truly believe it should be illegal in Florida (high humiditiy to begin with) because I so love my windows. Good windows are the soul of the house or so I think….. well and the kitchen.
I have all my windows open at this time and yes, I am in humid Florida, but I must open my windows at least twice a year….. for a long time length. I understand we have have better weather (AGAIN) here in good ol’ Jax than in NY……. how about that? lol
So pretty! I love the tile and pebbles together
I love the new shower! Especially the pebble floor. Great update.
Thanks Jann
It’s superb! We too have our home on the market. It’s all a roller coaster ride sometimes, isn’t it? LOL!
Best wishes on finding your new home. We’ll all love seeing you perform your magic on it, making it your own. :-)
Hi Connie –
I will be so happy when we are on the other side of getting the house sold and in a new place. Ed and I have never worked so hard getting the house market-ready. We hope to put it up this weekend. I hope yours sells quickly and you can move on to your next home soon. Roller Coaster is right! :-)
Diane your shower do over looks fantastic. You are such a hard worker that I was glad you got to watch someone else do the work for a change!
We did the same thing about 3 years ago but not because we were selling the house. It’s one of the smartest updates we ever did and I’m so glad to be rid of the fiberglass surround. We also had a glass door put in and I do have a regret about that.
I wish I had gotten the “barn door” style that slides on a track at the top of the door. With the frameless swing out door that we have you deal with water dripping from the door after use. We use a squeegee after each shower but you can’t get rid of all the water.
I’m excited about your move and look forward to following you on this journey. Vikki in VA
Hi Vikki – I know exactly what you are talking about with the swing out door and the water dripping on the floor. Our old door did that. The new glass door looks beautiful, but it did not last…it exploded a few days after it was put in. The glass shot out like bullets. I was standing in front of it and my leg got hurt. Spent the day in the ER. I will write about it very soon. The contractor is looking for a different style door now. :-)
Yikes! Glad you are OK. I was expecting to hear that the glass door is a pest to keep clean … that would be one of my concerns, and one reason I don’t get the fad for clear glass doors in showers. Seems like keeping it clean would be a full-time job. Also, frosted glass at least provides a bit of privacy for when kids have to ask you questions NOW and of course, you’re in the shower :-)
Until you actually stand on a pebble shower floor you have no idea how fantastic it is! I gutted a very small full bath as part of a redo getting my former home ready to sell. I purchased all the materials off the shelf at HD and Lowes, and loved the look of the pebble tiles at HD. Actually using that shower was amazing….like getting a foot massage every time you stepped in! One of the things I miss most about my house. Hope you are as fortunate as I was in selling. I listed at the end of October last year and closed the second week of December for over my asking price.
Hi Mary Ann – That is a great time frame to sell and settle. I hope we sell just as quickly. Fingers crossed :-)