60s bathroom refresh

[Sam Leon]

I prefer older buildings when it comes with rental.   They tend to have better bones and better quality construction...but I hate the bathrooms that comes in teal, pink, yellow, green, blue...I have nine bathrooms in various properties covering the entire rainbow color spectrum.

I am seeking advice on two things.

First, most of these bathroom have the integrated ceramic soap dishes, tooth brush holders.  Tenants would crack them or break them...they are impossible to fix.  Here are a few pictures.  Note the two over the pedestal sinks.  There are also soap dishes next to the bath tubs.

Now here is a picture of a broken one.

These are not glued on or screwed on, there is a ceramic protrusion in the back about 3/4" thick, and it's set into the wall with thick set mortar.  The only way to remove this from the wall is to use a diamond blade grinder and cut into this and score horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines and slowly carefully pry or chisel it out piece by piece trying not to damage the adjacent tiles.  Very laborious and dusty.

This is what I did to fix the broken one.  I am not too happy with it but heck, it's a rental.

Now, I have another one in another property that cracked...and a third one that chipped.

So I am looking for ideas what I should do with these.  May be if one cracks or breaks, I would take out both the left and right sides and do something else instead - but what?  I was thinking some sort of a ledge or shelf across the width of the sink?  Ideas?

Second, anyone has done tile refinish/glazing?  I have done cast iron bathtub refinishing re-glazing, but not wall tiles.  Can these colored tiles be reglazed to white?  Would it last?  How often does it have to be redone?

[Pat L.]

Originally posted by @Max T.:

I I have a nice baby blue one that I don't know what to do with.

 Same here.

It was in such good shape I couldn't bear to tear it apart. Now after 7 years of college girl tenants, hair dye stains in the grout lines, bubble baths & the inevitable overflows its time to rehab & go with a shower base & surround.