If you’re tackling a bathroom remodel project, having a working knowledge of what to expect and what to consider can make the difference between a months-long waking nightmare ending in a bathroom that you settle for or a near-pleasant experience resulting in the room of your dreams. Consider the following collection of tips from popular bathroom remodeling application your cheat sheet for finals week. You’ll be happy you prepared.

Sometimes even a pedestal sink can disrupt the only available traffic lane in a bathroom. In this case placing a corner sink across from the toilet works better than a sink across from the shower. The opening and closing of the shower door usually creates an awkward walk-around condition. When adding pattern on the floor, stick to the same tones as the wall tiling so the scheme doesn’t overwhelm the space. And with your palette, don’t forget that color comes from all the bathroom’s elements, not just tiles and paint.

Beautiful buys will help turn a hardworking family bathroom into a more welcoming space. For families, soft neutral colors work well, grey and smoky blues are relaxing and work well with white sanitaryware and wood finishes. Wood is a good material in a bathroom as if softens the look and adds warmth. Keep it to accessories though, which can take a splash or two of water.

One of the most challenging projects I will have to take on is the refurbishment of our bathroom. Now apparently the average size of a bathroom is the UK is 6ft by 8ft so whilst I thought I had a ridiculously small bathroom it would appear that it is in fact pretty average. However, we do have an unnecessarily large window on one wall which does restrict what we can do with the space, but I’m considering taking this out and replacing it with a smaller one.