When you decide to redo a room, you are confronted with many choices that will drive the feeling of your space. Adding floor and wall tiling is a creative, trendy way to make your space feel vibrant and new. If used correctly, your tiling design will tie the whole room together. Let's take a look at some modern ways you can add tiling to your home to help you start planning your renovation today.

Subway Tile
Subway tile is a trendy statement piece that can be added to a variety of rooms. Most commonly used on bathroom walls and as a splashback in kitchens. This tile will make your space feel urban and trendy. You can find subway tile to match nearly all decor schemes. Regardless of how you do it, this option is practical, being easy to install, and timeless. You will enjoy the benefits of this renovation choice without fear of it going out of style.

Reclaimed Tile
These days you can find great deals on nearly any kind of reclaimed materials, and tiles are no different. Adding something like a reclaimed slate to your bathroom will give it an earthy, natural feeling. Not only is this option good for the planet, but it's also good for your wallet, as reclaimed materials are less expensive than buying them new. So if you are concern about the cost of your kitchen renovation, definately look into this. The one drawback to this tiling idea is that you could fall in love with a type of tile that they only have a small quantity of.

Odd-Shaped Tiles
While rectangular and square tiles are a classic look, consider adding a modern twist to your space by using an odd-shaped tile. In traditional tiles, you can find shapes like hexagons and triangles, and in mosaic tiles, you can find circular patterns that look almost like river rock. These fun options make great accent walls or floor patterns. The drawback to this tile idea is that the installation is fairly complicated. A lot of planning and time goes into making sure it is executed correctly, but in the end, your hard work will be worth it! Final Thoughts These are only a handful of ideas for you to consider when renovating your home. Compared to other tasks, tiling is straight forward and can completely transform a space. So go to the store and start browsing tile options, don't be afraid to go with a more creative selection, you'll be able to enjoy this renovation for years to come!

Bathrooms can take a lot of abuse over the years. Constant moisture damage and general usage will eventually turn a shiny new bathroom into a ratty old one. Sooner or later you will start to think about giving that old bathroom a makeover to turn it new again.

There are lots of things that can go wrong with a bathroom renovation though. A remodel can run off the rails due to shoddy work, sub-standard materials, or poor choices. So here are five tips on how to stop that bathroom makeover from ending up as a disaster.

1. Avoid spending too little or too much on the renovation.
When considering how much work you want to be done you need to think about how much usage the bathroom will get. If it only gets light usage then you probably won't want to spend a fortune on it. If it's a shared bathroom for a large family then it will get much more use, so make sure you budget to do a job that will stand up to the extra usage.

If your house has a certain level of value then you may also need to match that level when renovating. Otherwise, the bathroom may end up devaluing the property as a whole due to the mismatch in luxury standards.

2. Avoid over-renovating.
If your bathroom is a mess then it can be tempting to think of just ripping everything out and starting fresh with a complete remodel. Often this is a mistake though. Costs can quickly spiral out of control and simple jobs can turn out to be a nightmare due to the complexity of plumbing and waterproofing.

It's often a better option to take a closer look at what's wrong and see if what you are dealing with are fundamental issues or just cosmetic ones. Fittings can be replaced and sections of broken tiles may be able to be renovated without replacing an entire wall of them. Cracked shower glass, rubber seals, and plastic runners can usually be replaced without renovating the entire shower area. Flooring can generally be resurfaced too, but it can be expensive due to the surface area involved and issues with waterproofing.

Before you go overboard with your bathroom remodel in Eltham, first make a list of the things that definitely need serious remodeling and then another list of the things that just need some cosmetic repair work done.

3. Avoid using sub-standard trade contractors.
When doing a bathroom renovation you won't want to spend any more than your budget allows, so make sure that you get multiple quotes. You should also research the reputation of the people giving those quotes. A cheap quote from a dodgy contractor may end up costing you more in the long-term due to sub-standard work. It doesn't do you much good if you save money in the short-term and then find yourself in the position of needing to get much of the work re-done in a few year's time. Make sure that anyone you hire is properly licensed, fully insured, and has extensive experience with bathroom renovation work.

4. Avoid focusing on trendiness and style instead of practicality.
Trends in bathroom designs tend to come and go, with many styles only lasting a short time. Sometimes this is due to shifts in design fashion and sometimes it is due to the impracticality of the design. There are many design components in a bathroom that look good but which may not stand up to the needs of the real-world.

Bathrooms are practical places with a need for practical approaches to their design. For example, things such as free-standing bathtubs may look good but can be a nightmare to clean around. Shallow washbasins may be stylish but tend to result in a mess of water on the floor. Your bathroom needs to be more than just a showpiece.

5 Avoid doing renovation work that is beyond your skills.
If you are handy and knowledgeable with the tools and work required for a bathroom renovation then you can save yourself a lot of money by doing some of the bathroom makeover work yourself. Be cautious of doing work for which you are not qualified or experienced though. Plumbing and electrical work are legally required to be done by licensed professionals, and some carpentry work may need specialized knowledge to deal with waterproofing issues.

There are many ways that a bathroom renovation can go wrong if the work is not done to a professional standard. So take careful inventory of the jobs you are sure that you can do yourself and leave the rest to licensed professionals.

Your bathroom is one of the most important rooms in your house. It's where you go to wash off the day's grime and freshen yourself up. You need it to be in tip-top shape. So make sure your bathroom renovation project stays on track and that bathroom will end up giving you decades more service as a result.