Inexpensive Bathroom Updates - Part Two
16 August
It's been quiet on the rental cottage update lately and if you are a new subscriber, you may not even know what I'm talking about.
Long story, short; I purchased one of my parents' rental units from them and am renting it to my daughter. She and I have been fixing it up since she moved into it in August 2023.
So far, we have painted the whole inside, I had the old linoleum in the kitchen, dining, and laundry room replaced with LVP and we have been working here and there on different rooms and the exterior. But, we haven't actually finished anything; until now that is!
Today I'm sharing the finished bathroom!
Inexpensive Bathroom Updates - Part Two
The Reveal
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As I said, I am renting this house to my daughter so we've tried to keep most of the projects we're doing rental friendly but still show her personality and make a cozy space she loves.
Here is a short video tour of the finished space:
You can see part one here: Inexpensive Bathroom Updates - Part One, the rental-friendly updates that we've made in the bathroom so far are as follows:
1. We painted the walls with basic white paint from the Habitat ReStore. We chose white to brighten up the small, dingy space. We shopped at Habitat because it's cheaper and they sell Recolor recycled paint; it's good for the wallet and good for the environment 😁 The window trim is Studio Clay by Behr.
2. We used wallpaper to create an accent wall. The wallpaper is called Bits of Stars by Love vs Design. We used it just on the end wall with the window. If you haven't heard of Love vs Design, definitely check them out. You can order any of their wallpapers in any color; no more "I love that wallpaper but it's the wrong color!"
3. I replaced the old broken shower fixtures with new matte black fixtures and we replaced the toilet because the tank on the old one was broken. And yes, this is how the prior renter was living because she didn't like people coming into her house... not even the landlord (my dad at that time) to fix things.
4. We painted the scratched-up oak vanity with a sample pot of paint that almost matched the trim color.
.jpg "painted bathroom vanity")
5. I reused the old hollow core door and made a new sliding door to save space. The side of the door you're seeing here is in the laundry room and it has been finished. I'll share when I do a laundry room update!
6. We used peel-and-stick floor tiles to cover the old linoleum.
1. Roll out the clay to as close to the same thickness as possible each time.
2. make a paper pattern to use when cutting each tile shape so they are uniform. Use clay tools or a butter knife to cut each tile out.
.jpg "cutting out the clay tiles")
She wanted some with a wavy edge so we made some like that.
.jpg "DIY clay tiles")
4. After baking, arrange them on a flat surface to see how they will look before installing.
.jpg "DIY clay tiles from polymer clay")
5. Paint them. We used several different colors on ours.
6. Install them with tile adhesive just like you would install regular tiles.
.jpg "use tile adhesive to put the tiles on the wall")
.jpg "tiling the wall with DIY clay tiles")
7. Once the adhesive has dried, grout them with normal tile grout and once that has dried, seal them with a clear sealer. We used Triple Thick Gloss Glaze by DecoArt to get a shiny look.
.jpg "grouting the DIY tiles")
.jpg "grouting a tile backsplash in the bathroom")
This is what they were looking like at this point, the only problem was... we HATED them!
For our first attempt, we used gold leaf on the gold tiles and several different shades of pink, but by the time we had installed them, grouted them, and sealed them, the gold leaf had turned a weird green color, and we thought the pink was too much with the floor. So we repainted the gold tiles with liquid gold leaf and used a special gold leaf sealer.
We liked the gold tiles now, so we repainted the pink tiles with the window trim color and some with a terracotta color... we STILL hated them 😬
We finally came up with a combination that we both liked: several different shades of white and off-white with the gold tiles interspersed. I was so thankful too because I was about ready to just scrap the whole project!
.jpg "finished tile backsplash")
WARNING: If you are bothered at all by little imperfections, then this isn't the project for you. The tiles are not all exactly the same even though we used the same template to cut all of them; they are not all exactly the same thickness and some of them formed little bubbles while baking; all of this affected the spacing in between each tile making some spaces wider than others.
But we wanted a very organic look so we love them 😊
.jpg "tile bathroom backsplash with DIY clay tiles")
If you're saying "That's not renter-friendly," you are absolutely correct but this landlord is really cool 😂 If you want to make this a renter-friendly DIY, I would lay the tile on a thin piece of plywood cut to the size you need for your backsplash. Apply the tiles to the board leaving the corner tiles off; screw the panel to the wall, and then add the corner tiles. When you move, you'll just need to pop off the corner tiles and remove the panel!
To finish up this bathroom makeover, I installed some shelves above the toilet.
And we added these Target Opal House curtain panels that I thrifted for $6.99, a plant hanger in the shower, and a muted pink rug.
.jpg "new double shower curtain")
This is what really took it over the top for my daughter. She said, "Oh my God, I love it!" I have to say, I agree!
.jpg "thrifted curtain shower curtain")
I used a tension rod to hang the curtains and left the clear liner on the regular shower rod so she'll be able to leave the pretty curtains open and just close the liner when she showers.
.jpg "using curtains to make a shower curtain")
.jpg "shower curtain hack")
.jpg "thrifted BATH sign and shelf above the door")
The new LED color-changing ceiling light was also thrifted. There were just bare wires hanging out of the ceiling before.
The window fan is... you guessed it, also thrifted and while it's not the most attractive thing, it's needed to help with moisture. Even with the regular bathroom fan on and the window open, it was still too steamy. I found this fan for $12.99 and it works like a dream!
.jpg "thrifted bathroom light and fan")
See the rest of what we've done in this rental here:
How to Make Your Own Throw Rugs - made from vintage carpeting!
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Posted by: Tania | Little Vintage Cottage
at 16 August
Tag:
home decor
It all turned out beautifully! I love the curtains on the shower; and, I wish I could find a little window fan like that. Good job, ladies!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Vikki! The fan was such a a lucky find.
DeleteWhat a cute bathroom and I love the idea with the shower curtain!
ReplyDeleteThank you Gina! The window curtain as a shower curtain makes such a difference. I'm going to do it at my own house too!
DeleteWow! The bathroom turned out super adorable. I love the fish scale tiles, and the shower curtain adds a lot of personality.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tuula.
Delete