Been making some updates in the kids bathroom over here. I’ve been dying to change the tile in our bathrooms but it’s costly and so messy. Realistically new tile isn’t in the cards any time soon so an overlay option is enough to make this girl happy.

A little magic was worked in the kids bathroom. Want to see a “before”?

This is the “before”. Pickled pink cabinets in all their glory 2 years ago when we took up residence.

Painted the cabinets, added fresh hardware, removed 2 doors, painted the walls then created a Buffalo check accent wall. Oh and if you look out the doorway you’ll see the oak handrail which was all painted too.

For details about previous update in the kids bathroom click here http://desperatecraftwife.com/2018/07/20/project-update-kids-bathroom/.

Back to the tile now! I decided to give vinyl peel and stick floor tiles a try to update our flooring. They are waterproof and said to be easy to clean. Vinyl tiles are a great option for an inexpensive update. I love budget friendly home improvements!!!

SUPPLIES

-peel and stick tile

-Exacto knife or rotary blade, scissors

Amazon had the best price hands down and the tiles are deceptively heavy so a postal delivery is an added bonus.

Commissioned link for the exact tiles I ordered from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079DDZV15/ref=twister_B07RP44BPW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

PREPARE FOR INSTALLATION

1. Start with a clean, dry surface.
2. Let the boxes of tiles acclimatize for 48 hours before removing liner to position them. I tried but made it about 24 hours to be honest
3. Lay out tiles without removing the liner and play with positioning. Decide how to center the pattern where cuts are less visible.

KIDS BATHROOM FLOORING

Quite a few of my tiles had imperfections upon inspection which was disappointing. I sat any imperfect pieces aside and strategically used them for cut pieces under the sink, around the toilet etc.

The liner is still on the tile in the photo above – I played around and positioned the tiles flush to the right against the wall so I could cut the row of pieces under the cabinets which are less visible. Laying them out was a good visual for the best layout. At the same time you won’t truly know if the pattern lines up until the paper liner is gone.

I started positioning tiles from the most visible point of view. Walls, transitions and quarter round were not perfectly plumb. Did my best to make it work and used caulk along the edges.

INSTALLATION TIPS

Basically peel off the back and try to touch the adhesive as little as possible (feels like fly tape).

Rotate the tile until the pattern matches up the best possible. If it fails to match just sit it aside with the sticky side up and use it next time you need to find a match. You will find a a good match *most* of the time and sometimes it is imperfect.

This is an overall image and when viewed it will look amazing even if a tile pattern is slightly off.

I used my quilting mat, quilting ruler and a rotary blade to score pieces requiring a cut along the edges. You could use a yardstick and exacto knife for the same effect. Scissors work for curves and straight lines. Use what you have!

Once scored you can bend it forward and backwards until the tile snaps. Peel off the back and you have a custom cut piece. If you need to reposition you can pull it up and reposition it.

Almost finished in here. Finding the right pattern and cutting the corners was a bit more challenging and I didn’t want to be wasteful. You can use a discarded liner to trace and create a pattern for odd spots.

Next area to tackle was the shower and toilet. First off there was a strip of waterproofing along the tub which I scraped off with a putty knife and flat head. Made sure everything was clean as a whistle then got to peeling and stickin’.

Used a discarded liner to trace and cut the shape needed for around the toilet. I placed it over the tile I placed to use and cut the curve with regular scissors. Perfect fit!

I made a little custom sign for the bathroom too.  The shit’s about to go down! Directions over at https://wordpress.com/posts/desperatecraftwife.com.

A few finals views of the kids bathroom. It feels lighter, brighter and fresh. I LOVE the fun pattern!

Are you tempted to give peel and stick a try? I say go get some- Kristen