Flooring Tile - 1st of ? many on remodeling '50's bathroom

Hi ~ Our main bathroom is unusual to say the least. It's big! for the size of the house 15 x 14...built on 3 levels :eek: with lots of ugly tile. The lowest level is contains long vanity, potty & 4' step up to 2nd level with the bathtub (yikes) and then 2 steps down into the shower (4' x 4'). The 'tub' has a raised (4") rim and is sunken. It is about 2 1/2' deep and 6' x 2' in size. This is made entirely of tile. No curve, just straight up and down. To make matters worse...once you fill the tub, the on/off knob is on the wall by the entrance to the shower! You cannot reach this from inside tub. We have lived with this for over 2 years! As you might imagine, we always take showers :blah: ~ I want a real honest to goodness TUB bath. AND, I want to remodel the entire room. Started with purchase of iron claw foot tub. In good shape, but outside needs paint (?). Any pointers on that would be most appreciated. Next, I want beadboard as high as the existing tile walls (about 4'), topped with crown molding. How do I get this to stick over the ceramic? BTW, the larger tiles and bull nose is sorta peachy color. The small tiles are tan kinda. not pretty and impossible to match with towels, etc. I am shooting toward cottage vintage. Help please!

Sounds like right from the beginning, there are going to be demolition and plumbing issues to start. How much gutting do you plan? Are the tile walls bumped out from the walls about 1/2" with a radius cap tile or is it just topped with a bullnose tile of sorts? If you have a digital camera and could post some picures, that would be really helpful. As for the tub, check around to see who in your area does reglazing.