Upgrade your bathroom for under 100.00 !!!

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For years I’ve set my sights high on a complete bathroom remodel, only to have reality slap me in the face time after time. If you would have told me that I could upgrade my bathroom for under $100, I would have done it years ago! I really didn’t think it was possible to get such a big change from such a small investment.

Before

Like my husband says, we either have the time to do it, but no money, or no time to do it, and no money.

Before

Either way, it has been too many years, and too many hours spent drooling over pictures on pintrest of everyone else’s beautiful bathrooms than I care to admit.

We had already changed out the bathroom lights to these gold vanity lights and we’re really happy with how they turned out.

When we moved in, the bathroom already had his and her sinks, cultured marble countertops, and white cabinets. It was actually a point on the “pro” side of the home when we were considering buying it. So liking most things about our bathroom was a huge plus.

We were blessed with a bathroom that has a beautiful window overlooking the farm behind our house. Our view of the cows is something I thoroughly enjoy.

They are so peaceful, and happy. They really bring joy to my life. If we could only be as content as those cows seem to be. Ahhh, the cows. Enough about cows – we’ll save them for another post.

I was starting with a bathroom that I generally liked. It just needed some extra pop!

THEN…I remembered SUBWAY TILE!!!!!

I think I could convince my husband to spend a few hours…ok, let’s be honest with each other, a full day, to completely change the way our bathroom feels. Because they are super cheap,(like $.12 each!!) easy to install, easy to take care of, and have a timeless style, I thought it might be worth begging just a little. :0)

We already owned a tile cutter called a “snap cutter,” can be picked up for around $40. It has served us well for a number of projects over the years.

Subway tile has a polished outside that can be scored and broken really easily once you get the hang of it. Don’t be discouraged if you break a few tiles before you get the technique of cutting them down. They are only a few cents each, so make sure to buy extra.

SUBWAY TILES are normally sold by the square foot, so make sure to measure first, and add around 15% for waste. Just a quick reminder, to figure the square feet of an area, multiply the length X with. Use feet, not inches. If an area is 6 1/2 feet long, by 4 feet wide, use 6.5 X 4. Making it 26 square feet. Add 15% to that, give a little extra because I hate trips back to the big box stores; I’d get 30 square feet.

We’re not dealing with diamonds here, so don’t be afraid to over order a little bit.

When you have big obstacles, like our big mirror in your way, measure in blocks. Find rectangles in your mind, figure out the square feet for each rectangle and then add them all together.

You will also need a tile cement, grout and caulking. If you’re tiling in a bathroom, you want to use a Type 1 tile mastic here is one that is pre-mixed and ready to go, Just make sure you compare the coverage you need with the amount listed.

If you over-buy, it’s not a huge deal, just keep the lid on it, and save it for the next project.

Subway tile is an addictive hobby, it won’t last long. This is a flooring trowel, You use it to spread the mastic. The teeth give the mastic grooves that allow it to spread out under the tile and provide a lot of stick-em. Normally, you spread the mastic on the wall, then place the tile, but there are definitely times where you will have to spread the mastic on the back of the tile and put it in place. With subway tile, you press one tile against the other, you don’t use spacers. Try to figure out how to not end up with a little sliver of a tile in the corner, or ceiling, or floor, or your eye (wear safety glasses when cutting tile.) Lay it out and measure.

Think about this before you start sticking tiles to your wall!

Take your time here.

The grout will fill in the gap between the tiles. Grout color is a personal preference. I’ve use white grout to match the tile, and black or dark grey grout to give a more unique look. You can buy it pre-mixed, or mix in your own color. It’s a big decision depending on the look you are going for.

If you’ve never mixed tile grout, don’t get worried. Just follow the instructions on the package, it’s hard to mess up. After your tiles are up, just spread the grout mix across the seams, then wipe the excess off.

Easy peezy lemon squeezy!

After!!

Finally, go to all the corners and lay down a nice bead of caulk to cover up imperfections, and water seal corner seams. Also caulk the bottom edge of your tile. Keep a good stock of paper towels close by, this can get a little messy.

Boom done, that’s it. In a perfect world a project like this can be done in a handful of hours, but things always happen. Expect them, and allow for a full day. It will be well worth it!