Source:  Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

(March 24, 2007) — More so than with any other room, remodeling your bathroom can increase your home's resale value.

In fact, a moderate-sized bathroom remodel, which costs about $10,499, brings a 102 percent return on your investment, according to the 2005 Cost vs. Value Report published by the National Association of Realtors in REALTOR Magazine and by Hanley Wood in Remodeling magazine.

But before you look to magazines and TV for ideas, it helps to know what flies in this area.

Walls

Paint is the cheapest upgrade you can make. "Spa" shades are popular, as are pure, clean hues and warm, earthy colors, says Christy Haag, an interior designer at Teschner's Decorating Center in Pittsford. She suggests the following colors in Teschner's C2 paint line: the light-turquoise "Mykonos," the soft, earthy green "Jute" and the gentle, sandy gold "Pilot." Haag recommends avoiding colors with a lot of grey in them, as they look too cold. She also advises tinting a white ceiling with one-eighth of the color formula used on the walls. White ceilings, she explains, make your bathroom look smaller, especially if there's no other white in the room.

Jeff Underwood, manager of Hadlock's House of Paint in Victor, says Benjamin Moore's "Dry Sage" and "Raisin Torte" are popular, along with the paint line's historical shades like "Tyler Taupe" and "Lenox Tan."

Wainscoting — that paneling that goes halfway up the wall and is often painted white or off-white — is as hot as ever. You might even try taking it three-quarters of the way up the wall and finish it with a bull-nosed border.Chair rails, which get their name from being the height of a chair back on the wall, can also be elevated to three-quarters of the way up the wall.

Haag says a new trend for powder rooms is wallpaper. Go for something large-scale, timeless and classic, perhaps in a tone-on-tone pattern (a white design on a different tone of white, for example). Haag suggests checking out designs from Thibaut.

Counters and floors

Cultured marble and solid surface materials like Corian are the two most popular choices for countertops, says Joe Preston, office manager for Upstate Bath Systems in Victor. But cultured marble is gaining because it often sells for about half the price of the solid-surface materials. For a sharp-looking combination in the cultured marble, Preston suggests a granite-colored countertop with a sink in the same color. Solid surface materials that are thicker or with nicely edged counters also offer a richer look.

Also very popular are vessel sinks, or bowls that sit on top of the counter, says Mark Potter, spokesman for Norbut Construction in Henrietta.

When it comes to floors, Preston says the two hot picks are ceramic tile or laminate. True, the tile look is a lot richer, but it's more expensive and, because of the grout lines, more maintenance when it comes to cleaning. Tongue-and-groove laminates, which offer tile looks and are becoming more popular than wood for floors in bathrooms, are perfect for the moist air and can go right over the existing floor. And you don't have grout lines, so you can clean them with a damp mop.

As for new faucets and cabinet hardware, Preston says to go for brushed-nickel. Chrome is also hot, as is oil-rubbed bronze.

Potter says more Rochesterians are also asking for electric floor heating, which can be easily installed in cement under tile or stone floors.

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