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DIY Projects: How to Vinyl Tile Your Bathroom Floor for 30 Dollars in 360 Minutes

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How I outdid Martha Stewart (in my mind).

I recently watched Martha Stewart on a talk show.

While baking a perfect-looking cake with a special glaze and chitchatting with the hosts, she talked about how she served different courses at Christmas time in all of the different homes she owns.

The first course is served in one home, the second in another, etc.

 As much as it would be awesome to live that lifestyle, I had to roll my eyes upon hearing this.

I just don’t think I would admit that on national television. Can the average viewer relate to that?

Here’s one of my DIY projects I did for Thirty Dollars

Okay. . .one time, due to a storm that prevented us from celebrating Halloween in our neighborhood, I set up each room of my house for Halloween and our kids went trick or treating “door-to-door” as if they were visiting different houses in the neighborhood.

My husband and I pulled out some of our kids’ old dress up clothes. We wore funny hats, glasses, and scarves pretending we were different people in each of the houses (rooms). We were well-equipped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, fake spiders, and flashlights. I can’t  even say that I necessarily gave out different candy for each room, but there was a different experience and the kids enjoyed it. So while this woman gets several houses ready for a feast, I try to just get my house ready for company.

I love having birthday parties. I use them as self-imposed deadlines for home improvement projects. I planned on tiling the bathroom floor prior to the party but I didn’t have a minute to call around to find someone to do it. I also find it overwhelming to research, get references, etc. Truly, I find the whole process draining. It’s just not my thing.

So rather than taking the time to pick up the phone and have someone else do it, I decide to go it alone.  I’ve done projects in the past that came out okay.  I opted to put a vinyl floor down for a quick fix.

I began peeling and sticking my way to a new bathroom floor.  I knew right away that I would have to cut around the molding in the corner near the vanity. I figured that “road bump” would be easier to deal with in the beginning versus later since the adjacent squares could be tucked under the metal strip of the doorway I started right next to the vanity.

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I read about this on Handy Man magazine afterwards. They instruct you to start in the middle of the door. I chose not to do that because I didn’t want tiny rectangles near the sink.

 If I started outside of the area, it would have been harder to line up. Then lip it wouldn’t look as good. So I started in that corner and then worked outward from there.

I had to get a cat’s claw tool from the garage to lift the metal strip up a bit without bending it. I lifted the metal up making sure to try to pull the nails up as well. I wanted to prevent them from bending. Once I was able to loosen them a bit, I pulled them up a bit with a hammer. It works best if you do a little near each nail.

It will give enough to lift the nails up a bit without ruining anything. Once I stuck the tile back down, I could tap the nails back in securely. My lil’ tool enthusiast helped me out a bit before getting on the school bus, she hammered the nails back in for me.

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I then filled in wherever I could. This was the easy part. You just have to be sure you are keeping everything nicely aligned. It gets tricky when you are near the toilet.

I took the paper backing off of one of the tiles to make a stencil so I would know of how to cut the tile. I creased the paper around the edges of the toilet to get an outline.

I then cut the paper out first using the backing  I had removed from another square. I then placed it down to see how accurate of a fit it was.

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I know to do it “the right way” you have to take the toilet off and put the tile down first. I’m just really good at cutting around it.

This is key for those who do this eyeball-style like myself, you don’t want to chop up too many tiles. When you think it is a great fit cut out the tile. (Find out proper tool). Line up the paper on the tile. Be sure to mark it (better on the back of the tile so it doesn’t show.)  Continue to tile the rest of the bathroom. You have some leeway when you’re near the tub. You will be able to caulk so the tile doesn’t have to look so perfect near the tub.

It got tricky near the baseboard heater. I took the end piece off so I can go underneath. Any time a piece goes under, you don’t have to be as perfect because no one will see it. I think it looks pretty good!

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 After finishing the floor, I was ecstatic that I paid a little over thirty dollars to have a new floor.

I purchased the materials at Lowe’s. These were 12X12 Terracotta Clay Vinyl Tiles with a slate finish. These self-adhesive tiles were easy to install and have a low gloss finish. Unlike Martha, I may not have an extra house, but I do have a new place to do a happy dance. When taking on a project, be sure to consult with a licensed professional. Read more here.

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Here are other challenges I completed.

Day 1 How to Vinyl Tile Your Bathroom Floor for 30 Dollars in 360 Minutes

Day 2 DIY Organization: Secret for Organizing Tiny Pieces of Kids’ Stuff for a Dollar

Day 3 Tidy Up the Laundry Room in Minutes for 30 Dollars

Day 4 Cleaning Games: Dirty Little Secret for Cleaning Your Sink on the Cheap

Day 5 Cure Sink Clutter and Cut Cleaning Time in Half for Free

Day 6 Free Help: Vacuuming Confetti

Day 7 I took a day off.

Day 8 Declutter in Minutes with this Trick Plus Motivation from REAL SIMPLE Editor-in-Chief

Day 9 How to Clean Picture Windows on the Cheap

If you find this information useful, you should take a minute and share it with your friends. Or comment. Thanks.

 

12 responses to “DIY Projects: How to Vinyl Tile Your Bathroom Floor for 30 Dollars in 360 Minutes

  1. I just chose this tile yesterday afternoon for my hall bathroom…when I came home, I was quibbling about the colour….but after seeing your end results in your bathroom I love it! I can’t wait to install mine! Thank you for sharing your DIY experience!

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