My husband, Tim, currently does home improvement/handyman work around Atlanta.  He's done various jobs for some of my home staging clients.  He also been referred by a real estate agent friend of ours who has given his name out to her clients who need quick repairs done from inspection reports.  He's also done quite a bit of work for our friend who is a contractor.

One day, while working at one house, he was called upon to stop by a neighbor's house on that same cul-de-sac to see if he could fix a few loose tiles in the shower of the master bathroom.  He said "no problem" and ran over later in the day to check it out. 

Well, there was a reason those tiles were loose. 

The shower was built out of sheetrock not concrete board---bad move.  The leak must have existed for sometime because the sheetrock was saturated and crumbled when touched and the tiles fell off like dominoes...the woodframe started to mold and there was a colony of teeny-tiny ants, as well.  {eww, I don't do bugs!}

So, the homeowner asked him to give him an estimate to fix it all and thankfully he was hired for the job!  Having assisted on this job, from the tile design, to demolition, to cutting, laying and grouting the tiles, I had the pleasure of meeting the homeowner and she said she was confident that he'd do it right!  The job took a few days longer than projected but he fixed all the unexpecteds so the job was done right.  =)

Ain't no lipstick on this pig! 

The homeowner selected stone-looking porcelain tiles along with a few decorative, accent tiles.  She opted for a darker 1"x1" mosaic tile for the floor and to be used as an additional accent.  Part of her updating included replacing the old brass shower head with an affordable bronze fixture. 

He custom built the shelves and the bench in the shower.  The rest of the shower will be enclosed with a frameless glass enclosure, with installation scheduled for later this week, by another vendor.

The problem? 

It was going to cost over $600 to purchase bronze Jacuzzi brand fixtures for their Jacuzzi tub!  The existing fixtures were brass and in rough shape. 

The Solution?

He told her he'd paint them and for less than $10.00, so she was able to get updated fixtures for her tub for a deal!  She was thrilled with the end result! 

What he did:  after sanding them down (the waterfall and the faucets), he used Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint on them and finished it with 3 clear top coats. 

He also taped off the trim on the bottom of the mirror and painted that the same color because it was previously brass as well. 

If you caught my other blog post, Take 90's Brass into the New Millenium, we used this technique on a brass dining room light fixture and it came out great!  If you have a homeowner that can't afford, or isn't willing to spend, the money on new fixtures, spray paint can be your friend. 

Please also note that we have had trouble finding the Rust Oleum brand Oil Rubbed Bronze color but used the Krylon brand in that color this time around and it looked just as good. 

*****I don't have any Before pictures of this project.  But, it was all plain white builder-grade tiles with brass fixtures. 

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ALR Home Staging and Showcasing provides interior Re-design consultations for Atlanta area homeowners looking to make a few changes without breaking the bank. 

Affordable home improvement and handy man services available by Tim Reilly of ATR Home Improvement.

Special discounts are available for home improvement/handy man services by ATR Home Improvement for clients of ALR Home Staging and Showcasing.  Contact us for more information.