Car Enthusiast Revs Up Bathroom Fixtures with Concrete

Basement bathroom gets one-of-a-kind concrete treatment with toolbox sink, white wall tire mirror and more
By Khara Dizmon, Concrete Network Managing Editor


Concrete Bathroom Countertop
Time: 01:22
Rafter C Precast Concrete creatively designs car-themed bathroom decor incorporating concrete.

Shelley Chomistek of Rafter C Precast Concrete in Alberta, Canada submitted these photos of a basement bathroom recently renovated using decorative concrete. "We were contacted by a local car buff to transform his bathroom into an automotive men's room," says Shelley. The client gave the general idea of what he was looking for, but let Rafter C come up with the concepts. "In addition to owning a 1928 Model A truck, and Gallaxie 500 XL 63," says Shelley, "the owner had recently purchased a 1965 Galaxie 500 convertible at the Charlotte, NC Nascar Speedway. So we wanted to create a room that reflected his appreciation for cars. The theme of the bathroom is Nascar and antique cars. Both of which the client likes."

"Because concrete is a liquid stone, it can be molded to assume shapes and inlay objects that would be impossible to achieve with almost any other material," Shelley explains. Using a Mastercraft toolbox on wheels as the base, Rafter C Precast Concrete designed a 3" polished concrete top with a built-in backsplash. Incorporated into the backsplash are 3 working car gauges which light up and serve as a night light when the bathroom lights are off.

"We came up with the toolbox and gauges idea, but originally we just had the gauges as inserts. Then the client got excited about it and got them wired in. Now when the lights are off, the gauges light up with an orange glow," explains Shelley.

The countertop and backsplash are precast as one solid piece. Rafter C's crew modified the tool box, securing the top drawer where the sink is. Shelley bent wrenches to create towel hooks. She also purchased a towel rack constructed of old stick shifts (see in the reflection of the mirror in the top photo). She chose a modern faucet with straight lines, rather than curvy to fit with the mostly masculine theme. For the countertop, she used Fu-Tung Cheng's Charcoal coloring and inlaid colored stones. Then smoothed the top using the grind and polish method. Finally, the countertop was sealed with Cheng's sealer and wax.

"In addition to the concrete counter we added a Model A white walled tire mirror frame," says Shelley from a Model A tire she took down to a local shop and had a mirror put in. "We found a shock stool in a shop and asked to buy it, and they said, 'Yes,'" laughs Shelley. "We also included a tire repair cabinet and a checker board floor to pull it all together."

Rafter C Precast Concrete
Guy and Shelley Chomistek
Box 243
Medicine Hat, AB T1A 7E9
(403) 527-2848 Office
(403) 581-9101 Cell
(403) 504-1589 Fax
www.raftercprecast.com

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