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Bathroom low ceiling


Shower design for a small bathroom: 6 space-boosting tricks

Shower design for a small bathroom need not compromise on style and comfort.

A small shower room or bathroom can feel cramped and unwelcoming, particularly if it has low ceilings. But there are many ways to make it feel more spacious, according to Yousef Mansuri, head of design at bathroom experts CP Hart.

So, if you are considering walk-in shower ideas that take over the whole space or simply a cubicle you want to feel spacious, this is what to consider.

These clever tricks will help with shower design for a small bathroom, particularly if you are in the planning stages and looking for small bathroom ideas.

1. Fit a flush shower head and tray to boost headroom

(Image credit: C. P. Hart/ Paul Craig)

'A low ceiling requires careful showerhead positioning,' Yousef Mansuri explains. 'A flush-to-ceiling shower can help gain extra headroom, as will a low-level shower tray.'

A ceiling-mounted shower head – also known as a rain shower – is the perfect shower design for a small bathroom or walk-in shower and very desirable because it gives the bather a more immersive and often more luxurious experience.  

While it may need more extensive plumbing work compared to standard shower head, it is a great solution for low ceilings and comes in a range of models, including ones with adjustable nozzles and changeable colored lighting.

2. Enhance space with a glass shower screen

(Image credit: C. P. Hart)

Another trick to help maximize space in a small shower room is using a glass screen. This will help trick the eye into thinking the room is bigger, and also creates a smart, streamlined look. 

3. Pick wall-hung fittings to make a small space look bigger

(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)

Choosing the right sanitaryware is key in any shower design, but in a small bathroom you need to think particularly carefully about how to choose a shower.

Wall-hung fittings allow you to see right to the walls beneath them, giving a better sense of space, adds Yousef. 

'A stud wall is built out by at least 12-20cm to hide cistern and pipes, but if you have a partition wall already, for example it’s a newly created en-suite, you can utilise the interior voids. '

4. Create more wall space with niches

(Image credit: Future / Jonathan Gooch)

Floating shelves are great for having essentials to hand without taking too much space. Other clever small bathroom storage ideas include creating a niche or ledge above the sink if you don’t have room for a vanity. 

Building large niches into the shower walls also means you have an easy and clever spot to hold all your bathing needs.

5. Swap a shower room for a wet room for tiny spaces

(Image credit: West One)

If you are short of space, wet room ideas can be a game-changer, although there has to be consideration given to ensuring the room is completely waterproof. 

'Wet room floors give the illusion of extra space, as there is no break in the floor type. Underfloor heating can free up wall space for other fittings,' says Yousef.

6. Hang a large mirror

(Image credit: Future / Jonathan Gooch)

Hanging a large mirror is another way to get the illusion of space. Clever mirror ideas can bounce light around in a room, making it look brighter and larger. 

With clever tricks like these, any shower design for a small bathroom can be as stylish as one that is twice the size.

Shower Renovation Raising a Low Ceiling

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Welcome to how we are updating our boys bathroom – demo week. Today we are sharing tips on our Shower Renovation Raising a Low Ceiling.

Some say 7 feet is tall enough for a shower ceiling.

It’s functional because it keeps the heat in allowing for a warmer shower.

But they didn’t ask my 6’6″ son’s opinion.

So here we are at week 2 of the One Room Challenge – demo week – which is notorious for running into unforeseen issues.

Want to know how we fared? We were pleasantly surprised.

This week was all about demolition and raising the roof!!

Look at this low ceiling.

So as you can see, the shower ceiling in this bathroom was very close to the shower head, dropped down about a foot from the rest of the room.

When we renovated our master bathroom last fall, we were able to raise the ceiling and we hoped to do the same here.

So, how do you know if you can raise the ceiling to allow for more head room?

First, head up to the attic.

Before making any cuts, you want to make sure there aren’t any pipes, electrical, or HVAC ductwork in place. That low ceiling may have a purpose.

Once we found out there weren’t any structural hurdles, we cleared out all the blown insulation from that area.

We, being Trent, because I don’t do attics!

You don’t want to open up that ceiling and have all that insulation fall on your head, so go ahead and remove it before you cut it open.

Table of Contents

Shower Renovation Raising a Low Ceiling

Next, clear away any drywall to expose the framing. It’s another way to get eyes on what you’re facing before doing any demolition.

Trent was able to see the framing could easily be cut away and raised up a foot. No pipes, vents, or electrical issues to deal with!

Now we were in business!

But this next step got super-duper messy.

We lined the tub with moving blankets to protect it from damage.

Next, Trent covered his ears, eyes and nose to keep any debris or flying objects from hitting him.

IMPORTANT! Shut the door before you make any cuts. Dust will be flying everywhere, so I had a shop vac going while Trent made the cuts to control the dust.

Using a tile saw and a spray bottle filled with water, Trent cut a square into the tiled ceiling.

After that, he was able to use a hammer and pry bar to remove the rest of the ceiling with minimal mess.

See what I mean! If you prep properly, you can minimize the amount of dust and debris that spreads to the rest of your home.

Now we could see the framing that we want to raise up a foot.

We removed the nails and used our Dremel Multi-Max tool to cut away any nails we couldn’t reach.

Now it’s as simple as raising that framing up into place and securing to the exposed studs.

We gained about a foot of head room – which is perfect for our tall boy!

Using Green Board, we drywalled the ceiling in. Green Board is specifically made for moist environments.

This was the biggest hurdle for this room and we are so glad we could do this for our son and it wasn’t a huge task to figure out.

So that was the high five moment of the week! It couldn’t have gone better for us.

We also were able to remove the mirror behind the vanity as well as the countertop. We did find one issue that we had to change our design plan on.

Our original plan was to raise the vanity up, however, after seeing how they installed it and tiled around it, we had to switch gears.

We built a frame on top of the existing vanity to increase the height.

And it was a pleasant surprise!

Had we gone with the original plan, we would have needed to fix the flooring underneath the raised vanity.

This option not only saved us time, but also money!

I was able to tackle the grout issues in the bathroom.

But, to keep things orderly, I taped off where the grout was in great shape and only removed the grout on the lower half of the tub surround.

I’ll be sharing tips later this week on how to easily remove grout and the secret tool to make it easy on yourself!

We also removed the old ceramic towel bars and toilet paper holders.

During the ceiling demo, we saved some tile to fill in the missing gaps from where the ceramic fixtures were.

Another thing that got moved was the electrical!

Remember from last week where I showed that the electricity was IN the shower?

We removed that and swapped it to the wall on the other side.

In other electrical news, Trent also prepared the wall for two separate lights instead of the single one in the center of the wall.

So I started sanding away the paint from the front of the vanity.

It was painted with oil, so it was a bit of a chore and stripper wasn’t cutting through.

And last but certainly not least, I was able to scrape the ceiling from all that ugly popcorn!

Not too bad for demo week. In the past, we have always run into issues that were game changers. And while we did have a design plan mishap – it ended up being in our favor.

So I hope this Shower Renovation Raising a Low Ceiling tutorial gave you some ideas!

Check out our finished to do!

ORC Budget Bathroom


Remodel To Do List

So, next week is all about prepping the tile for paint and grouting the tub, mudding the ceiling in the shower and adding tile around the top of the shower surround, and building the vanity top.

Don’t miss out on the other spaces my blogger friends are renovating. Over at the One Room Challenge, you can follow along with the 20 featured bloggers or the other guest bloggers like me. This year, there are close to 300 participants across blogs and social media.

You will definitely find creative ideas for any room you are tackling.

A huge thanks to Linda from the One Room Challenge and the sponsors listed below for giving me the inspiration I need to create a room for those I love!

Don’t miss the other posts


in this Bathroom Makeover!

THE BEFORE
RAISE THE ROOF: HOW WE MADE THE BATHROOM CEILING TALLER
DIY SHOWER DOOR UPDATE
HOW TO MAKE A BATHROOM VANITY TALLER
REGROUTING BATHROOM TILE
INSTALLING AND LIMEWASHING BRICK VENEER
DIY CEILING PLANKS FROM LAMINATE FLOORING
HOW WE CHANGED OUR BATHROOM TILE FOR $150
HOW TO MAKE CEDAR FRAMED MIRRORS
THE BIG REVEAL!

Previous Rooms we’ve completed through this

One Room Challenge

options and their features, selection, installation instructions

A bathroom is a room with high humidity and frequent sudden changes in temperature. Given this, as well as the abundance of options for finishing the ceiling, we will use the elimination method. We exclude unacceptable:

  1. Lime whitewashing quickly loses its appearance at high humidity.

    Whitewashed ceiling in the bathroom

  2. Chalk whitewash has the same drawback as lime, and in addition promotes mold growth.
  3. Wallpaper is dropped for the same reasons.
  4. Painting the ceiling with enamels or oil paints at constant humidity quickly loses its appearance, cracks and crumbles.
  5. Do not use drywall, chipboard or fibreboard. Due to high humidity, such materials are deformed and become brittle.

Given the above, the types of bathroom ceilings are limited. Thanks to modern technologies, stretch ceilings, plastic panels, suspended ceilings made of moisture-resistant materials, slatted structures and water-based paint are used for this today. All these options have their advantages and disadvantages, so we will analyze each one in more detail.

Stretch ceiling - the perfect solution for the bathroom

Stretch ceiling in the bathroom

Stretch ceilings are growing in popularity. Such ceilings have a number of advantages, including:

The only drawback is the complexity of installation, which requires professionals, and the relatively high cost of materials.

Suspended ceiling - a flight of fancy for creativity

Suspended ceilings are no less popular. This option is significantly cheaper than the previous one. Suspended ceilings are also presented on the market with a huge assortment. Alternatively, mineral wool slabs are used.

Plasterboard ceiling in the bathroom

Another material is moisture resistant plasterboard. To answer the question of which ceiling is better, you need to clearly understand the pros and cons of various materials.

So, if you were flooded when using mineral panels, then in this case it is enough to replace only the “affected” plates without dismantling the entire ceiling. When buying, you need to pay special attention to the moisture resistance of the plates. So, if clay or paper is present in the composition, then such plates are applicable only in dry rooms.

Both single-level and multi-level ceilings are made from moisture-resistant drywall. This material allows you to implement any design solution, including a combination of different materials. So, today a combination of drywall and PVC film is often found, resulting in an interesting design, and PVC provides moisture resistance.

The disadvantage of false ceiling is that each level reduces the height of the room by at least 10 centimeters. In houses with low ceilings, this option is unacceptable.

Plastic ceiling in the bathroom

Plastic ceiling - an ideal economic solution

A budget solution for a bathroom with a low ceiling can be a ceiling made of plastic panels. In addition to the price, this option has another serious plus - simple installation technology. To do this, a wooden beam is fixed along the ceiling area at a distance of 0.5 meters from each other. After that, using a construction stapler or self-tapping screws, the panels are attached to the timber.

This material is resistant to moisture and temperature changes, cheap and easy to install.

Slatted and cassette ceilings - the best solution for self-assembly

Often, the availability of self-assembly becomes a determining factor when choosing the type of ceiling. In this case, the best choice would be either a cassette or rack ceiling made of aluminum. These ceilings look great, are easy to install, resistant to high humidity and temperature extremes.

You can install such ceilings on your own, without resorting to the help of professionals. To mount the rack ceiling, it is important to install the frame horizontally in level. Subsequent cladding consists in installing the rails on special latches on the rails.

Cassette ceilings are available in two versions: open and closed frame system. In the first case, it acts as a decorative solution in the design of the ceiling. As for the second option, it resembles slatted ceilings. Cassettes do not require any additional fixing materials.

Another advantage of such ceilings is the durability due to the use of aluminum. The range of materials on the market allows you to create your own unique design.

Well, another option for finishing the ceiling in the bathroom is painting. It is clear that not every paint is suitable for such work. The most suitable - water-based paint. It has better moisture resistance.

So, the stretch ceiling can be called the best, but in this case you will have to turn to professionals, and it also costs more than others. At the same time, PVC material withstands humidity and temperature changes better than others.

If you plan to mount the ceiling yourself, then slatted ceilings are ideal. They look great, and are also not subject to corrosion and other moisture.

Bathroom ceiling: visual effects in practice

If your bathroom ceiling needs an update, breathe new life into it with fresh paint. Since bathroom paint must withstand a lot of moisture, use a durable, mildew-resistant product. In addition, it is better to choose a paint structure that dries slowly and splatters less.

But today we will talk about visual effects with which you can visually raise or lower the ceiling. As a rule, a low ceiling in the bathroom creates more problems than an excessively high one. Let's start with him. Only practical advice.