More Progress: new hardware in the guest bathroom

You read that right! I’m continuing to make progress in the guest bathroom. So far I’ve painted the disgusting gallbladder-colored walls with some lovely Route 66 gray and shared tips on how to paint around a toilet and hang shelves level.

Today I’m showing off the new hardware that replaced the cheap boring builder-grade hardware. And as always I’ve got a tip or two thrown in the mix to help make your life a little easier.

When we moved into our house a year and a half ago, the bathroom was looking a little queasy with the mustard colored walls. It also came with the cheapest builder-grade hardware that you can purchase:

In fact, it didn’t even have a towel ring or hook for a hand towel! I installed a small hook that I had on hand, but I never loved the look. Plus, the towel fell off the hook constantly right into the trash can.

All the new hardware was purchased at Target. I honestly do try to shop around at other stores, but I always end up finding exactly what I want for a great price at Target. Here’s what I purchased for my guest bathroom makeover:

I also found this darling little soap pump (also from Target) at Goodwill. The pump was broken, but I was able to fix it. Yay! I paid $6 at Gwil for it:

Everything was fairly easy to install. I am loving this new towel ring so much more than the little hook I previously had:

I really went back and forth about installing the ring here because of the plug outlet behind it, but in the end it seemed like the most logical place to hang a hand towel. I will just have to forgo plugging in any scented plugins.

I also installed a toilet paper holder exactly where the old crappy one was previously installed.

Oh, I also purchased a bronze wastebasket to match the hardware. Target.com didn’t have it listed so I couldn’t grab a picture of it from their site.

I’ve never owned a nice wastebasket. Isn’t that pathetic? All mine are either plastic or from the dollar spot. I finally bit the bullet on this nice one for the bathroom that all our guests use when they come over. Maybe some day I’ll splurge and replace the plastic ikea one I’ve got in my bathroom.

The other main piece of hardware I purchased was this towel bar that matches the towel ring and toilet paper holder.

Have you ever tried to install a towel bar? It’s kind of a pain! I actually ruined my wall trying to hang it. I had to patch the first set of holes and then install it a 2nd time to get it right. Argh!

My pain is your gain though. I finally found a very easy way to install the towel bar, so I wrote up a little tutorial for you.

Okay, the first step in installing a towel bar is to TAPE to the wall the paper guide that comes with the bar. I tried to hold it in place and mark my holes with a pencil, and trust me on this one. It was a total mess.

Once you have your paper guide exactly where you want it and you’ve double checked that it is level, insert your anchors half way into the wall THROUGH THE PAPER GUIDE. Don’t just make a pencil dot on your wall. Actually insert the anchors through the paper.

Side tangent: You know those little anchors that come with stuff like this? Um, ya, just throw them away. Go RIGHT NOW and buy a big box of
E-Z Anchors
and just keep them in your stash. First off, they hold a billion times better than those cheap little crappy ones that come with hanging kits. And second, they are so easy to install! Hammer them half way into the wall, then get a phillips screwdriver (the one with the plus sign on the tip) and screw them into the wall until they are snug. I highly recommend you buy these for all your anchor needs. End of tangent.

Next step for easy towel bar installation: Peel the paper template off the wall.

Now you have your anchors in exactly the right place! Suh-weet! From here, finish screwing the anchors into the wall until they are snug and flush.

You should now have perfectly placed anchors that are completely level. Now you can simply finish installing the towel bar using the directions that came in the box.

Once your bar is attached recheck that it’s still level. If it isn’t, try not to curse too loud and please refrain from beating the crap out of your new towel bar with a hammer. For the safety of everyone, let’s just assume the bar is level. 😉

And that concludes the towel bar installation tutorial.

Here is a shot of the entire bathroom taken from inside the bathtub. It’s hard to get the whole bathroom in the picture!

This little ol’ bathroom is sure coming together nicely.

Next bathroom post will be all about the shower curtain! But for now, let me leave you with a side-by-side before and progress shot. Seeing them next to each other makes it so much more dramatic, dontcha think?

Here’s a list of where I got all the other decor/accessories that are in the bathroom:

* wicker basket on back of toilet – Garden Ridge
* fake plant & white planter – ikea
* shelves – TJ Maxx (I think)
* gray towel & hand towel – ikea
* yellow towel on shelf – already had (it isn’t staying in this room, FYI)
* both vases with sticks – Dollar Tree (vases) & Target (sticks) – the vases will be getting spray painted soon though