A Mint Green Bathtub Sets the Tone for a Vintage Bathroom
Inspired by a beloved mint green bathtub, this Jersey City vintage bathroom renovation pairs white subway tile and an inlaid black pencil border with mosaic stone floors, raises the ceiling, adds insulation, and introduces a larger drawer-filled vanity and a chrome medicine cabinet with lights.
- Homeowners: Homeowners posted their vintage bathroom remodel on Sweeten
- Where: Jersey City, New Jersey
- Primary renovation: The homeowners preserved the original mint green bathtub and kept the layout, then updated surfaces with white subway tile, an inlaid black pencil border, and mosaic stone floors. They raised the ceiling by removing a dropped section, added insulation, and installed a larger drawer vanity and a vintage chrome medicine cabinet with lights.
- Homeowner’s quote: “From the very beginning, our Sweeten contractor responded to the issues and questions we raised and collaborated with us in the design process. He helped us plan out what materials we needed and told us when we would need them. It was great to see the time and effort they put into clean-up each day. We’re both extremely happy with the end result.”
Written in partnership with the Sweeten homeowner
Bathroom remodel “must-haves”
Our home is a wood-frame row house in Jersey City, New Jersey. It’s 150 years old, has three floors, and 1,000 square feet. When we first visited the house more than five years ago, I fell in love with the main bathroom’s vintage mint-green bathtub. I knew I wanted to preserve it.
The place is historic, but over the years and through many renovations, most of its charm had been lost. The house’s two bathrooms are “newer”—added at some point onto the back of the house. The one we wanted to update is on the second floor, off of the primary bedroom. It’s our only full bathroom. We didn’t want to change the floor plan, but had a goal of modernizing while injecting a vintage feel. We planned to do this by keeping the original mint green bathtub and adding a period medicine cabinet we’d found.
Our second goal was to make the room warmer. We suspected it wasn’t properly insulated because it got so cold in winter. We’d lived in this house for five long winters, but there was never a good time to improve on it.
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Staying home during the remodel
We embarked on our Jersey City bathroom renovation last summer. Our household—two adults and two cats—had been working from home since the pandemic began in March 2020. My partner and I are handy and we’ve done many projects ourselves, including tile work, sheetrock, trim, carpentry, and minor plumbing and electrical work. We have a good sense of how things should be done, but we didn’t have the personal bandwidth to complete this project ourselves.
Luckily, the lockdown gave us the flexibility to have our only full bathroom out of commission. We would not have a shower during the bathroom renovation, but we had a backyard with a hose! We would prioritize our bathtub and shower update, then move to the rest of the bathroom.
Mint green bathtub inspires vintage bathroom remodel
In our Sweeten post, we mentioned the mint -green bathtub and our desire to work with it. We wanted the tub to feel intentional in the space, rather than something that was left there because it was too heavy or too expensive to get rid of.
To make the room feel more “classic,” we wanted to introduce vintage elements, but merge them with a modern design. Posting our project on Sweeten made it possible for us to “take the plunge.” We were hesitant about hiring a contractor, but Sweeten gave us confidence, knowing we wouldn’t be going it alone. Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you. Renovate expertly with Sweeten
Our Sweeten contractor used inspirational photos and sketched the design for the inlaid black pencil tile.
Improving the bathroom layout
As planned, we did not change the bathroom layout, but some demolition discoveries influenced the project. We found remnants of original pastel pink tiles near the tub—but while the color combination was classic in the bathroom’s era, we decided not to go so bold.
With the walls down, we saw that we not only needed additional insulation behind the new sheetrock but in the ceiling as well. We also noticed that the ceiling near the door had been dropped by several feet. Pulling it down and replacing it offered an opportunity to open and visually enlarge the space. This nice surprise changed the whole feeling of the room.
Picking bathroom tiles
Finding modern bathroom tiles that seemed true to the historic nature of the house, but that would also play well with the retro green bathtub, wasn’t easy. Matching tile to vintage mint -green porcelain is impossible, and coordinating colors—other than neutrals—are limited.
We’d first selected a different floor tile, also with a green marble effect, but when we tried to order, it was no longer available. We’d already chosen a project start date so we scrambled to find a replacement.
Fortunately, we found this mosaic polished stone tile. It was more expensive than our original pick, which gave us pause, but we needed to move forward. I love how it complements the vintage green bathtub.
Our Sweeten contractor used inspirational photos and sketched the design for the inlaid black pencil tile. He then executed it beautifully and it came out exactly as we’d hoped. The white wall tile has a vintage vibe but is simpler, allowing the tub and floor tile to shine.
Design ideas: old and new
We chose this vanity in part because it was larger than our prior one, and has drawers. Our little old house is tight on storage, so it was important to maximize the vanity’s potential. I like the legs—it resembles furniture and lets the floor tiles show. We’d come across the chrome medicine cabinet with lights at an antique shop and saved it until we were ready to start. Its curves are wonderful, as are the inner glass shelves, which are still intact. The mirror’s silvering has imperfections, but that adds to the charm.
My favorite aspects of ourthe vintage (but still modern!) Jersey City bathroom remodel are the high ceiling and floor tile. I had been planning the renovation for several years, and during that time I had collected probably 15 different floor- and wall-tile combinations. Ultimately, I was glad we took a few years to decide what we wanted and to find the right pieces. And I still love the green tub.
Working with the right renovation partner
From the very beginning, our Sweeten contractor responded to the issues and questions we raised and collaborated with us in the design process. He helped us plan out what materials we needed and told us when we would need them, helping us to avoid scrambles and delays. It never felt like our input was creating a problem, or that we were being ignored.
There was no avoiding the fact that we were living in a tiny construction zone but our contractor and his crew made it as painless as possible. It was great to see the time and effort they put into clean-up each day. We’re both extremely happy with the end result.
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Renovation materials
- Floor Tile: Artistic Tile WJ Mosaic Vitruvius Botanic Green
- Wall Tile: Daltile Restore Ceramic Bright White subway tile and bullnose
- Wall Trim: SomerTile Nero ceramic Listelo liner
- Chair Rail/Base Trim: Merola Tile Santorini Nero Zocalo structural base ceramic chair rail
- Bath Accessories: Latitude Collection robe hooks, shelf, and toilet paper holder
- Shower and Tub Set: Rejuvenation Blair thermostatic set with Round Contemporary shower head
- Vanity: Avanity Emma 43″ white undermount sink vanity with black granite top
- Faucet: Rejuvenation Blair Cross Handle faucet
- Towel Radiator: Runta Hydronic Omnipanel towel radiator
- Toilet: Toto Neorest Cotton White WaterSense dual flush elongated chair height 2-piece toilet
- Exhaust Fan: Roomside Decorative 110 CFM ceiling bathroom exhaust fan
- Mirror/Medicine Cabinet: Vintage
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Frequently asked questions
A couple of ways you can tell if a tub is a good candidate for refinishing are typically when the shell is solid and there are no structural cracks or rust-through. A professional can assess the material, plumbing connections, and prep needs so you can confidently decide between refinishing and replacement.
You’ll know if there’s extra space in the ceiling apartment when you can lift a panel or identify a suspended ceiling grid, which typically indicates a void or plenum above. Suspended ceilings are hung below the structural ceiling and leave space for building services, confirming there’s an air gap.
A great tip to follow when choosing hardware and lighting that coordinate with a retro color palette is to stay within a limited finish family. Compare finish and lighting samples against the tub and tile in your actual room, and keep proportions consistent so the palette feels unified.
