Inexpensive flooring update for $300 bathroom re-do!

Sorry it took so long to post again! Had two flu sick kids...and man they love to share, so our house has been a hotbed of infection, but we're on the rebound now!

Here is the rest of my bathroom re-do for cheap...

Here's a reminder of the blah beginnings....note the boring sheet vinyl floor....

Here's another sad view of the boring, boring bathroom....which (in my sister's defence) isn't usually that messy

So...obviously the boring floor had to go, but I was terrified of tile and I knew it would take up a chunk of the budget...so I found these peel and stick vinyl floor tiles. All you do is well, peel and stick, and if you want...you can add grout! If you've never seen this tile before, the tops are actually textured and colored and it really does look and feel like tile (minus the freezing toes in the winter, which is a good thing). With the grout it looks pretty real.



So this is my son, he's not possessed- and he's almost 2 now....he was almost 1 in this picture of the floor. Note the tile and grout...looks great!

 I got the floor tiles at Home Depot for like 30 dollars a box....Here's it online. I only needed 2 boxes since it's such a small room...the floor totals for the floor were about 90 dollars, but it made a HUGE impact.

Here's your material list-

Figure out the square footage of your room, and add a few extra tiles (for messed up cuts, and because you'll need some after you cut the others)

Purchase your tile.
Purchase the special grout for these tiles, bout 10 bucks, and one little tub covered my whole floor with plenty of extra. Regular grout won't work, it'll scratch the tiles....and you don't have to seal this grout!!!
Get either a grout floater or they have a kind of piping bag you can use too.
A big ole car washing type sponge
A sharp utility knife
Chalk String
A level
Tile spacers based on how far apart you want your tiles.


Here's a site with a tutorial about how to install real tile, but you basically follow the same directions.

You need to clean your existing floor SUPER well. I set mine on a diagonal pattern which is supposed to make the room look larger. Make sure to use the chalk to make a nice straight line where you want the center of the tile. And peel and stick using the spacers to place the tiles. Cut the tiles round the edges.We found that using the paper off the back of the tile as a stencil of the area we needed cut worked great. Just take an extra paper from an already laid tile....and use a pencil to mark where you need to cut it, then place it on the tile to be cut. After you're done, apply the grout based on package directions and VOILA! A new floor! My parents have had the tile for about a year with no problems. Water hasn't leaked beneath it, no tiles have peeled up, and none have worn down to white. It's seriously easy peasy, even a remodel virgin could do it!



Much better floor...