apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is not design suggestion per say but for the floor I would start by telling your landlord to fix it. I'm pretty sure there is something in building codes against having exposed wood in a bathroom floor. It's just goind to get wet, rot and warp.

Often times, landlords are happy to pay for the materials if you're willing to do the work. In my last rental, I would just deduct whatever I spent that month from the rent and turn in the check along with a copy of the receipt. See if you're landlord will do a similar arrangement.

Um, isn't the best time to complain about/discuss the condition of an apartment *before* you move in?

As far as flooring, I think vinyl, in sheet or tile form, is you answer.

But, yikes, a suspended ceiling in a bathroom!! I'd poke up some of those acoustical tiles and make sure there's no leaks or mold up there, too...

Curious. What's above the acoustic tile? Is it raw up there (wires, pipes?) or was it just a retrofitted drop ceiling intended to save on utilities. In college I lived in an apt where there were drop ceilings (and fluorescent lights) in every room. All day, every day I felt like I was living some kind of weird office nightmare. While I couldn't have taken them down without dealing with the fluorescent's wiring, it looks like this might be a far simpler job for you. Would the walls and ceiling above the tile require anything more than paint?

maybe it's just me, but i don't think this bathroom is that bad at all. or i guess i don't know entirely what your objections are.

if they're structural (concerns about water damage in drop ceiling and exposed wood around sink), the only options are to bug your landlord into fixing it or to get permission to do it yourself, with rent rebates as financial incentive.

if they're cosmetic, here are some quick-fix DIY ideas:

the exposed wood around the sink: cheap adhesive-backed vinyl flooring. lay it right over your current floor (including the exposed wood).

the drop ceiling: try covering it up with some more interesting material using either a staple gun or by tucking it into the metal rim bits.

lower the lighting. this'll make the idiosyncracies a little less noticeable.

changing out the white shower curtain rings for metal ones will neaten that area up visually. the contrast between the red shower curtain and white rings draws the eye upward, which only accentuates the gross ceiling.

get rid of the junk on top of the medicine cabinet. and hide the toiletry clutter in some kind of container. i've discovered in my own disaster bathroom that improving the details helps when there's not much you can do about the bones.

How old is your building? I'm wondering if the drop ceiling was to hide crumbling plaster, but that'd require a fairly old building or an ugly past that involved a burst pipe.

I'd definitely take a peek to see what's up there, particularly if it's enough of a health hazard that your landlord can be convinced to replace the drop ceiling with a couple of sheets of greenboard (waterproof drywall).

How would your landlord feel about your pulling up the vinyl flooring and replacing it? It doesn't look old enough to be an asbestos hazard, and the room might be small enough that you could use a "remnant" from one of the discounters if the landlord doesn't want to pay. Vinyl or linoleum sticky-tile squares are also a possibility (the lino comes in reds and greens that might match your decor) -- it's not a wonderful long-term fix, but you don't seem to be living in an historic preservation site. Either way, it's potentially a DIY project.

You could always replace the acoustic tiles with new ones...or with painted ones. I don't think they're that expensive or hard to replace. They're probably there for a reason, though...

hey - thanks for the suggestions so far...

(I actually was pretty desperate for an apartment and at the time - this place seemed ok - I was living pretty far away and I have a dog which makes apartment hunting more difficult)

I thought this was bad until I saw my new friends across the street - they are blessed with hardwood floors throughout - but, good lord -the entire ceiling is this acoustical crap! I would lose my mind completely.

I think there might be moisture issues and I am preparing myself for the nightmare of bringing it up to my landlord. He's an ok guy basically but, he is a bit of a slum lord and I have the nicest apartment that he owns...

And my lease is up this month - so I could move - but, this place is pretty cheap and huge!

I think I will include a letter with my rent check this month - perfect timing for this post. eh? (good thing I haven't sent it in yet...)

Oh god - I have now looked - it's really bad! Really bad! Painful...

Houston! We have a problem! :(

I tried to add photos of what is up there - you can see the pictures at the flickr set... It looks really scary up there... Probably moisture/health problems.

here is one pic - hopefully this link will show up...

http://static.flickr.com/89/205117532_d3f07db171_o.jpg

Wow. That's UGLY.

If it's vinyl tile, no problem! Screw some backerboard over it and tile. You'll have to be without a toilet for at least 48 hours, but it's a DIY job. :-) If it's already tile, then get self-adhesive vinyl tiles to put over it. They come in subtle and tasteful natural stonr patterns these days. As for the acoustic tile...well, it depends on what's above it!

Whoa. Take a look at the flicker pixs of what is hidden by the drop ceiling. Truly frightening. Looks like a safety and health hazard, but if the landlord is really a slumlord I doubt you'll get any satisfaction from him. Check with your local housing authorities to find out if you have any recourse to force proper repairs.

yeah - at this point - this is a health issue... thing is - it seems there are health standards here in maine but no real enforcement of those standards... from what I understand - if he refuses to fix it - I get someone out here to prove it and then I have to go to court... (phone call time...)

Hopefully he just takes care of it...

tiffany; your ceiling is scary, if your lease is up, can you use this as an negotiation point for the next lease? also, for the floors, i happened to post these on flickr the other day and thought you might be interested or inspired. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctp1/199807466/

good luck with your landlord!

Your bathroom is not that bad at all.

What I would do:
- Re-tile the floor. I suggest something clean and simple as White.
- New cabinet hardware in silver/chrome including the hinges.
- new shower curtain and bath mat in black or black+white
- I say lose the toilet seat fuzzy cover thing
- and maybe for added punch, frame your mirror in a black frame to give it presence

Those are my suggestions

I think you have a leaking mess above you - whatever you do, don't rent "Dark Water".

There are people who can use dogs to sniff out mold: chances are, it's there, then it's legally required to fix.

Good luck!

J

the bath is no place to bleed.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=led+grow+lights

The electrical wiring isn't to code. See the silver box there? It should be accessible from the room. Hmm....

oh and in the toilet seat cover defense. it's there for a reason... to make it quieter when the toilet lid is closed - because the idiot dogs from next door start barking everytime it's closed... yeah i know - time to move...

the one reason i like it is this amazing office space that i have...

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/look/look-house-tour-email-from-tiffany-010377

you think your bathroom is scary? my lanlord removed the floor above my bathroom and I have drop ceiling, its winter and what about my privacy? there is work construction going on above me and the tiles get heavy with plaster and crap and shift, im srared to shower when some guys working over my head,maybe hes a pervert or just naturally a guy?

I don't have much to say about the ceiling but I recently redid my (rental) bathroom with the flooring posted about here recently - it's Trafficmaster Allure resilient flooring from Home Depot and it looks a lot like real wood and is waterproof - plus installation is a snap and there's no glueing, it just lays on top of the existing floor. Everyone thinks my bathroom looks great now (unfortunately I haven't uploaded photos to Flickr yet...)