Bathroom Tile

When I moved in to my husband's home a year ago, our bathroom was straight out of the 1970s (and part of it still is). There was brown tile on the floor, most of which had come up or gotten broken. Since the tile had come loose, water had dripped into the floor and the sub-floor had to be completely replaced. While we were taking care of that my husband and I decided to completely redo the bathroom. We replaced the big, old, avocado/dark wood vanity with a smaller white vanity and replaced the toilet, luckily our shower was in good shape and didn't need to be replaced. I unfortunately don't have before/after pictures of the first bit of work, but I do of the latest work. After pulling down wall paper and painting the untiled portion of the bathroom, it was finally time to put down flooring to cover up the sub-floor. We decided to go with vinyl peel and stick tile, because it would be easiest for me since I was taking this on by myself. While peel and stick is probably one of the easiest types of flooring to put down, you quickly learn what works and what doesn't.

Here's my list in case you decide to take this on:

1. It's not always easy to cut in a straight line, even with a straight edge. 

2. Caulk and molding will cover a multitude of sins, especially if you have to cut around a toilet.

3. It may be worth it to pay for a new wax ring and take the toilet out before you tile, you don't have to, but it saves time. 

4. On your first project, avoid patterned tile. Matching the pattern up can be a little harder if you don't have a room full of straight edges. 

5. The paper backing that covers the adhesive makes the best template, recycle and reuse them!

6. Always scissors over razors. Better control = better cuts. 

Now you probably are curious as to what it looks like.

Before:

(the kitten is Vitamin C...she's my helper)

Midway (including my mess):

The finished product:

Over all, it took my roughly 3 1/2 hours to complete my 30 sq. ft. bathroom. It probably would have been quicker had I removed the toilet, or at least had more room to get behind the toilet (the vanity and toilet are really close together). 

My next project in this room: taking down the tile on the wall. Eventually you'll get to hear what I learn about hanging drywall!