Tile Wainscoting in Bathroom

I've started discussing the bathroom tile at Terry's forum.  One idea I have is to continue the lower portion of tiles from the bath alcove down the main wall of the bathroom as wainscoting.  This would work perfectly with 35 inch high tiles, which would reach a height of 50.5 inches above the bathtub, then I'd continue that line, 50.5 inches high, for the wainscoting.  But what is the proper height for bathroom wainscoting?

According to this source, the typical height of bathroom wainscoting is 38 to 42 inches, but 48 to 54 inches is also common.  So my 50.5 which seems about right would be right in there.

It would also be just above the existing towel bars.  It would seem better to me to have the towel bars mounted in the wainscoting than above it.

Back Yard Cats

Here's an article claiming that outdoor cats are bad for the environment.  I think this is basically true, and unfortunately TNR (trap-neuter-return) can't work (reduce feral overpopulation) without very high compliance which is never going to happen.

Meanwhile, I've agreed to let my friend adopt an outdoor cat in my back yard.  It has been going pretty well so far in temperate autumn weather.  The cat is just now becoming old enough to be neutered, and will be neutered next weekend.  So we are doing our part, according to TNR dogma, but since I already know it isn't enough,  have I become the Bird Killer?

Well, yes, but then like most people I already was.  I think the way to think about this is something like "Everything in Moderation."  Nearly everything we do hurts something, so harm is reduced by not doing much.  One cat is "not much" I still believe.  So I'm not going to feel very guilty for just one outdoor cat.

If I were feeding a colony of strays…that would not be good at all.

For what it's worth, I also have a little rationalization.  My pet free back yard had become something like club med for stray cats, who loved to lay on my patio, and over the past 10 years, I've found a few dead birds in my back yard.  All without feeding a cat myself.

So anyway, assuming my back yard had already become a killing field (or at least shooting gallery) for cats killing birds, having a permanent outdoor cat wouldn't increase the bird killing much.  It might actually reduce the bird killing if my friend's cat kills fewer birds than the previous hordes of strays, and if my friend's cat keeps the strays away..which it already seems to be doing.  There is a cat fight every other day or so, and it seems that other cats are more and more being kept away by my friend's cat's instinctual territoriality, plus the fed cat has not only a territory but a feeding system to defend.  My theory has been that other cats will quickly give up, as they were never getting that much from my yard anyway.

So as far as bird killing goes, if you can restrict your feeding to just one outdoor cat, and keep it reasonably well fed, in a territory it defends from other cats, it's probably a wash.

Maybe I don't really have an "outdoor cat" in my back yard.  What I really have is a back yard cat, and that's different, as I just described.  I suppose he isn't actually being restricted to my back yard, but in the long run, it's the only really defensable and worth defending territory he has, and he hasn't gone much farther yet.

I'm also fine with a few coyotes around (not many and not too close) to keep the excess stray cat population down.  As long as back yard cats stay in their place, they will be fine.  Many environmentalists praise the role of coyotes in the wild as the bird's best friends.

My friend doesn't think so highly of coyotes as I do.

OMG! Onice Marfil from Porcelanosa

Somehow stumbled upon this company, which does segregate wall and floor products.  So I would think that wall would be without unneeded texturing.

And this is just incredible looking, and 35 inches high (it might work!) and 1/16 grout line (top quality pros should be able to do it right).

Some Tile CHoices

Tarsus Beige.

Takla Desert Sun.  I like this color a lot.  I could combine it with either a lighter or a darker color.  I don't especially want a textured tile, I'd rather have smooth polished, but Desert Sun appears to have only a very gentle texture, so I think OK.

Takla Milky Way is a lighter color that Desert Sun could be paired with.

Takla Venus is a darker color.  Perhaps too dark, but bold.

I discovered Takla looking for porcelain version of Crema Marfil marble, but their Crema Marfil has distinct 3d crack lines which I think unsuitable for shower.  The other Takla's above are also 3d rendered tiles that are not perfectly flat/smooth.  But they have an amorphous flatness, which I think is OK, since it doesn't tend to attract lime in a particularly visible way.  Why can't I have my fake marble perfectly flat???

In the same series (ironically "Polished Marble") as Crema Marfil, there is one (and apparently only one) fake marble that is without fake crack lines (at least as far as I can see in photos).  But it's white and useless for me.

Marble shower at Carrillo Tile

I think it was Carillo tile that was recommended by my plumber.  Here's a nice colored ultra luxury bath and shower done in a amber brown marble tile.  I love the color of the tile.  I'm not sure I'd want actual marble tile…need to look into that.  I once lived in a San Francisco house with highly upgraded bath and kitchen (suitable for a then million dollar house) and it looked similar to the above.  I loved the look but hated the slippery marble floor.  My version might well have vinyl plank flooring.

[The link above does not apparently select the actual picture I'm talking about, which is in the middle row on the left.]

Photo at middle row on right is ugly, IMO.  But very interesting as it appears to be exactly the kind of space I have, and similar tub to what I'm getting.

There has been a strange bulge in the wall where existing bathtub is, removing about 4 inches from the wall.  I figured that if you ordered the larger tub from Ray Ellison Homes, the space would already be there, but if you ordered the smaller tub, they stub the wall slightly.  Well that could be taken out.  Unfortunately it appears there still isn't room for a 66 inch tub, and this is a load bearing wall, but I do have this extra space I think.

So that middle row on the right gives one suggestion, have a tile shelf just above the tub on that side.

My idea is different.  I want to have the wall rise from the edge of the tub up to 38 inches.  At 36 inches grab bars are installed.  The idea is to have them stand out as far as possible, and make up for the large front and back areas of the Bellwether 32" wide tub.

Then the above is a storage area.  Up there gets less spray, but easily in reach if you are standing up.  In fact, I could have the "shelf" even higher for convenience, or matching the tiling pattern, up to 45 inches.  42 may be about optimal.

Anyway, corresponding with that line the tile color changes around the tub from darker color around the tub (so as not to mismatch the lighter tub) then back to lighter tile above 42 inches, or whatever.

So I was thinking I could keep this same line at 42 inches going down the wall where the towel bars are.  I would run the darker colored tile up to 42 inches, then painted wall above that, or continue the same tile all the way.  The lesser tile might have better acoustical properties.

Anyway, I hate the color that blends with the tub as in the picture in the middle row on the right.

Much better the two tone approach.  If I had tile (not marble) I might have patterned tile just at the border of light and dark.  With the marble not, it looks like they use a rounded moulding which may also be marble of the lighter color.  The marble sure looks nice, I wonder about practicality.

(Crema Marfil Marble)

I like travertine colors but I don't like the look of unpolished travertine that I've seen elsewhere as having been fashionable.

Grab bars

Here are ada grab bar guidelines.  Basically bars on all sides, two in back of tub, height 33-36 inches for top bar.  I'd go for 36 inches because I'm short…and hard to reach low bar with short arms.  The guidelines go into great detail about bar minimums.  I'm going for full coverage as much as possible and reasonable.

Here are some fancy grab bars.  At first I didn't get it, why so much more complicated?  But given that the mounts have to be on studs, the additional bar beyond the mounts is helpful, and allows you to maximize the available bar rather than be limited to what the studs give you.  So I do want something like this…and these look nice.

Here are some less expensive fancy bars from Moen.  Great reviews.  But these don't have the flexibility of the Greatgrabz Wave and Horizon bars…which feature moveable mounts.

50 lumen bulb

I've found and ordered this 50 lumen amber LED bulb with (standard) medium E26 base.  It was not easy to find, rather expensive at $14.32, and 1000Bulbs.com charged me over $10 standard UPS shipping for one tiny bulb.

But just what I was looking for, and hopefully will last almost a decade or more and I won't have to worry about replacing the tiny 7w incandescent bulbs with 50 lumen output ever 7 months or whatever.  The only place I found that 7w bulb now was also 1000Bulbs.com.  I got them online last time, but can't remember where.

I still like my Miracle 2W bulbs.  I know many hate them because they don't put out as much light as conventional bulbs, and the 50W equivalence seems rather exaggerated (I think more like 30W).  But I still find it a good amount of light for my back yard.  I notice the light is made of lots of LED's and I wonder if they are simply in series and thereby avoiding the need for a power supply--the usually most unreliable part which also wastes energy.  I think these bulbs are special and I hope they keep making them.  Andy they now cost less than the overpriced 50 lumen bulb (7.5W equivalent) I just bought which seems to have just one big LED.