DIY Bathroom Refresh

This is the story of our bathroom renovation.

I don’t have many photos of our upstairs bathroom to serve as a before. Regardless, it’s the main bathroom for all our showering/bathing. We do also have a shower in the basement, but it’s a bit of a dive. We left the old green tiles from the 1960s these last several years because they were in great condition. We also knew we eventually wanted to knock down this little half wall that divided the space, and it would definitely destroy the tile.

Anyway, here’s a before from the day we moved in.


We didn’t have a ton of cash to spend on this project, but I was getting sick of trying to clean all the grout on the floor . . . and I also just get bored without a project. We allotted ourselves $350 to do the work, knowing we also had some materials left over from previous projects.

The first step was knocking down the wall. Then came tearing out the tile. In the process we accidentally knocked the toilet tank, cracking it. We decided to keep our current vanity.

Progress photos:


That last one still gives me the chills. There was plaster and tile . . . EVERYWHERE. Three huge garbage cans full of the stuff. It took a long time to clean up and get a blank slate to start with the new stuff.


We put down the flooring first and then installed the new toilet. Then we got to the walls. We had some vinyl tile leftover from a project I did in the master bedroom, and I knew I wanted to put it to use. We also bought some plastic/vinyl wall coverings for the bottom half of the walls, as well as a few decorative pieces to dress it all up.

From there, I got a couple knobs for the vanity, a piece of artwork, and a cool door with hooks for towels. I also got a nice sturdy bench to stand or sit on. We left the tile behind the vanity and in the tub area (as well as the tub) the original green color. We eventually want to get it reglazed white. I’ve done a lot of research on this DIY reglazing kits, and it looks like a lot of work that doesn’t really hold up. The tile and tub are in good condition, so I’d rather wait and have it done the right way.

I realize I’m skipping lots of details, but I don’t want this post too long. So, I’ll just post the AFTER photos here. If you have questions, let me know. I estimate this project ended up costing around $400 if you don’t count the stuff we already owned (mostly some adhesives, grout, and the vinyl “wood” wall tiles).


My favorite part is how much space we gained by knocking out the wall. And how clean everything is now! It’s all vinyl basically, so you can just wipe it down with some homemade vinegar cleaner and a rag -- done! I also like the grey and wood tones. I am a huge fan of the vinyl floor tiles -- we also have them throughout our main floor . . . and they have help up well to high traffic.

I’m thinking I may do another post with more details on how we did different things, a cost breakdown, and answering any questions you guys have. Leave a note in the comments!

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Half Bath Mini Makeover

I have to admit in the nearly two years we've been in our "new" home, the novelty of having more than one bathroom has certainly not worn off. Our first house had a tiny, window-less bathroom on the second floor. One toilet. One sink. One tub and shower. And it was fine . . . until it wasn't. I remember dragging my huge pregnant self up the stairs in the final weeks before Ada was born and, ugh, it was pure torture.

So, this has been amazing:

The one thing we never liked about the bathroom off the kitchen was the pedestal sink. (Well, and the impossible-to-clean flooring.) I mean, it was lovely looking. But it was always unstable because it wasn't installed properly. Then we had the whole matter of a four-year-old hanging all over it. We tightened and tightened and secured. It'd never fail, though. A couple weeks or months later, everything would be loose again. This time? The plumbing connections started to fail.

Leaks -- we had enough.


Ah, that's better:


All the while, we've really wanted to expand the use of the bathroom and make it more utilitarian. We wanted a nice, deep sink for soaking or spraying off muddy shoes, dirty scrub brushes, (maybe bathing baby?), etc. A good cabinet as a place to store all our homemade cleaning supplies. Most of all, we wanted it to be sturdy.

I've been eyeing laundry sinks for the space, but most of them were too deep to fit. When we decided we wanted to change the sink, like, NOW -- I was thrilled to discover that Home Depot now carries a laundry sink cabinet that is under 22 inches deep with lots of storage and an AWESOME spray thing.

We rushed right over to pick it up along with some new vinyl tile flooring we've been meaning to install.


Stephen installed the sink in a matter of an hour. We love it. Stainless steel is perfect. The sprayer is already getting good use. The sink itself is 9 inches deep, so I definitely think we'll be bathing the baby in here often. And, like I mentioned, while we were at it, we changed the flooring by getting some of those 12 inch by 24 inch vinyl tiles and using grout to make them look more like real stone.

It totally transformed the space:


On the other wall, we have many of our cleaning tools hanging around on a simple accordion rack:


Overall, it's made us love this bathroom. It's the one our guests use when they're visiting, so it's nice to have it looking sharp. It's also nice to have a super messy craft project with Ada and have a great place to stick all the paint and goo until we can clean it. I can't believe I'm so excited about a simple sink.

Our house has come a long way since we moved in. And even since I did the updated tour in June. I guess it's time to do another tour. Maybe a video idea! My biggest project goal is to install a sliding or French door in the living room (in place of an existing window) that will lead into the backyard. We're thinking of getting a few quotes soon just so we have a number in mind so we can save. (I'm clueless on how much something like that would cost.)

Happy Thursday!

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