Bathroom update (under $60!)

~ Tanya

After ripping up my old carpet and installing laminate flooring upstairs, I couldn’t help but to be a little more bothered by my dingy, brown bathroom tile. While at Home Depot one day I noticed that they had a vinyl stick tile that wasn’t brown and did not remind me of a school gym floor. It was white and faux marble patterned – my style. I never plan to invest the money to remove the current tile and install new porcelain tiles, so I picked up a box of the vinyl tile and decided I would tackle the small bathroom to complete my upstairs transformation.

I chose this rectangle tile by TrafficMaster :

Perks of vinyl stick tiles

  • Easy to cut (utility knife or sharp scissors)
  • Most are able to be installed without grout (or with grout if you really wanted)
  • They provide an affordable face lift to a room
  • Easy to install
  • Easy to remove if you hate it and need to change them out

Materials I used

  • Vinyl stick tiles
  • Exacto knife / utlity knife
  • Sharp craft scissors
  • a ruler / straight edge
  • pencil
  • scrap paper
  • towel / baby wipes / surface cleaner
  • white caulk

The process

This is the ā€œbeforeā€. The first month I moved in I went paint crazy and this room got a pop of dark green (Behr ā€œHosta Leafā€). I tried to pick an accent colour that would work with the brown tile.

Before starting, be sure to wipe your surface with a wet wipe or rubbing alcohol to get all the dirt and grease off – the vinyl will stick better.

Make sure to read the specs of the tiles you choose, but mine listed that they were suitable for concrete, plywood, tile, and many more surfaces!

Each tile has a paper backing that you remove slowly to reveal the sticky coating.

I used a combination of a utility knife and sharp scissors to cut my tiles. Use a long ruler for straight edges, and score the tile using an exacto knife. Once the tile has been scored a few times, you are able to bend the tile along the score line and it will snap cleanly along your line. I then took the knife and ran it back along the bend to smoothly cut the tile that remained connected.

My room was pretty easy, as I didnā€™t have many corners to work around. But for tricky spaces like around toilets or vanities, use a piece of scrap paper to create your template.

Paper is much easier and cheaper to mess around with. Once your paper stencil fits well, then it is simple to trace and cut out the tile shape.

My cuts werenā€™t all precise and perfect, but thatā€™s ok! Caulk šŸ‘ fixes šŸ‘ everything šŸ‘

Once you have all your tiles laid down, use some caulk to seal all the edges of your room and around the toilet. It covers up any imperfections and creates a seamless look.

Look at these crisp edges and the major glow-up!! šŸ˜

And of course, I didnā€™t stop there.. because why would I? šŸ¤Ŗ I felt like I had a fresh palette to work with, and I had been waiting to incorporate a certain moody paint colour into my home since seeing it featured on Lone Foxā€™s YouTube channel. I decided to grab a $5 sample at Home Depot and give it a shot.. what was supposed to be a ā€œswatch to see if I like itā€, turned into a new accent wall – those sample jars go further than you think!!

Spot the boob light šŸ‘€ still saving up and searching hard for a replacement for this one!

I chose Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore, and I love it!!!! It is very hard to photograph, but it is a deep navy blue with some grey undertone to it. I opted to paint the baseboards and the wall shelves Hale Navy as well. I had seen some designers paint baseboards of accent walls, and I think it really works in this space to complete the look. I wanted to switch up the shelves for some DIY wood shelves, but the toilet is not centered on the wall šŸ™ƒ so I decided it was best to leave the tiny corner shelves in place. I would love to swap in some gold accents next! But for now, I am quite happy with my budget makeover šŸ¤©

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCL0kymHQ-q/?igshid=10djrkhz4wd4k

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