Pepper Design Blog

A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

pepper_header_flower

Building a Bathroom: Tiling & the Best $70 Bathroom Upgrade… Ever

January 11, 2012 by Morgan

**Quick Update: I’ve recently been contacted by someone who has installed the same recycled ‘moonlight’ mosaic tile as us (the tile that’s in our shower nook) and is just TWO sheets short of finishing her backsplash! The tile is now discontinued, so if you happen to know of someone with extra – it’s a long shot – but it would be awesome to help her out ;). Email me at: morgan at pepperdesignblog dot com.**

We’re on to flooring over here in the new bathroom. Most of the floors throughout the house are the original wood floors, one room is carpeted (read why here) and the kitchen is tiled because it was previously a bedroom and closet (before it was a den) making for some unusual wood flour patterns. Man I love the look of original wood floors! But since that’s generally a no-no for a bathroom, we checked out plenty of different tiling options.

But that $70 bathroom update that is the BEST EVER? It’s this little guy:

Such a great price for a tootsie toaster that is under the tile in the entire bathroom. This radiant floor mat is installed under the tile and our layer of subfloor and when turned on heats up your toes after getting out of the shower or in the cold early mornings. I’ve seen this in newer construction and have always oooed and ahhhed at the feature while secretly thinking it must have cost a fortune, but really it’s totally attainable for anyone who’s remodeling their bathroom. I cannot wait to test it out. Who knows, during the winter I might move my office and make myself comfortable on the floor of the bathroom.

But back to the tile.

It’s important to us that this 1930s home isn’t crazily remade into a modern should-have-been-built-in-the-year-2012 home. We love the original architecture found throughout the space and we’ve always had the goal in mind of paying homage to the year it was built while updating it to meet modern needs. We tried to do the same for the kitchen by using warm woods, oil rubbed bronze details and subway tiles (albeit modern glass ones). So when it came to tiling the bath my first choice was a beautiful older hexagon floor tile like this. How stunning! and that look and feel has and will survive the decades. Option two for me was to bring some continuity to our flooring situation (by not adding a fourth style of flooring into the house) by using the same dark slate tile as the kitchen.

Kevin loved the kitchen floor tiles and the dark grey grout (talk about easy to clean – white grout on the floor is a wee bit trickier) so we went with it. To break it up a bit though, and to create a newly defined space, we ordered tiles in 12×12″ squares rather than the 12×24″ panels that are in the kitchen.

You can see the break here (despite some of the missing grout and a tile that’s waiting for its cut):

The grey tiles below represent that dark slate that we were debating on with our initial color plan for the whole bath:

We were still debating option 1 & 2 at that point, but liked that the kitchen tiles worked well with the color palette. Now that the flooring is more modern, I’ll really have to work hard at finding other ways to incorporate those older, original-to-the-home accents.

The first step in tiling the new floor was establishing a pattern.

You can tell from one of the previous pictures above that we chose the second option or the square pattern (the real name is Jack on Jack pattern – who remembers that?). That diamond or ‘point’ pattern would have been great, you couldn’t have gone wrong, but I was leaning towards the latter. (Side note: we also tried the square version in the brick pattern (Running Bond pattern) we used in the kitchen but that was the first option to go). I wanted to keep it simple, simple, simple.

And so the tiling began (here are a few tips from the pros over at Lowe’s to reference too).

On top of the original wood floors a layer of hardibacker subflooring was drilled in (if you’re remodeling a bathroom it’s essential that you remove all original tile and really take care to focus on the subfloor – a tiled bathroom is only as good as your original floor and could create for later issues or an unlevel surface). Next our amazing electrical toe warmer was unrolled and installed. (Very sad I don’t have pictures of this but that’s how quickly it took Kev and his two buddies to install. Minutes.) The one picture I do have is of the electrical to the new radiant heating mats, our electrician tied it into the circuit when he installed all wiring.

On top of that went the tile.

The tiles were installed from the center out in this fashion: adhesive, notch end of trowel to create divets, add tile. Using the first tile as a guide, the rest of the tiles were lined up directly off of it.

Spacers can really help to create perfectly even grout lines.

If you’re working on a tile project at home and use spacers, be sure to remove those puppies before the adhesive you’re using (check tile directions) sets, usually between 20-30 minutes. That’s your time period for cleaning up adhesive that has smooshed it’s way out between or on top of the tiles too. Remember that this is just the adhesive step and not the grout.

It’s a bit repetitive but soon you’re well on your way to having installed all full tile pieces.

For those trickier edge pieces, we used a wet saw (a tile saw that helps to smoothly cut tiles by keeping a steady stream of water pouring over the tile while it’s under the blade). Kev and a friend went in on the cost of a tile saw years back and this puppy has seen plenty of use.

Definitely a smart investment for us.

I’m seriously breaking the blogging cardinal rule on this one for not having a proper ‘after’ photo but my after pictures of the newly tiled bathroom are too dark (I blame it on the midnight tiling and me forgetting to take photos in the morning :() but you’ll be able to see that finished floor soon after our tiled subway walls are complete!

More building a bathroom posts: a quick catch-up on our work on the bathroom in 2011, tiling with recycled glass, choosing and installing a bathtub, demo time!, a peak at the layout, initial inspiration, partnering with Lowe’s  

We partnered with Lowe’s on our bathroom remodel and received some product at no cost and some product at a discount. The ideas and stories shared in this post are entirely our own.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

- posted on January 11, 2012 Filed Under: Construction, DIY, Home, Our Bathroom, Renovating Adventures, Sponsored Post Tagged With: Blue, Construction, demo, DIY, Home, Our Bathroom, Turquoise

« Happy 1st Birthday, Olivia!
Favorite Baby Products: First 12 Months »

Comments

  1. Katie says

    March 25, 2015 at

    What kind of wood are your kitchen cabinets? They look really sharp with the 12×24 grey tile. I’m trying to get a similar look.

    • Morgan says

      March 30, 2015 at

      Thank you, Katie! The cabinets are made out of maple.

  2. Jessica saenz says

    November 6, 2014 at

    I wanted to know where you got the bathroom tile and the name of it. I love the way it looks and I am looking to redo my bathroom.

    • Morgan says

      November 6, 2014 at

      Hi Jessica, the white subway or the moonstone in the shower? Both are from Lowe’s but I believe the moonstone is discontinued :(. The white subway tile is something that they keep in stock all of the time!

  3. Kevin says

    December 15, 2012 at

    what color grout did you use in the kitchen

    • Morgan says

      January 7, 2013 at

      Oooh I have to double triple check but it’s a dark putty – almost grey. I will see if I can find an original bag…

  4. Jenna at Homeslice says

    January 13, 2012 at

    the start of it looks great- beautiful tile!

  5. Perry Roberts says

    January 12, 2012 at

    Great job on your post.Pictures are excellent and
    very informative.I am a retired tile setter.I am happy to see you have a wet saw.A must for a good tile job.Keep up the good work

  6. SheilaG says

    January 12, 2012 at

    Shoot- wish I had known how easy the heated floor mat was before we retiled our bath! Looks great, can’t wait to see the “after.” :)

  7. Sandi says

    January 11, 2012 at

    so jealous of the heated floor! that will be so nice!

  8. Sara @ Russet Street Reno says

    January 11, 2012 at

    Mmm, heated floor in the bathroom is the ultimate luxury! That is awesome.

  9. Anna@MyDesignEthos says

    January 11, 2012 at

    A tile saw is one thing I definately wished I had had during the major tiling project downstairs at my place. Maybe it will be a good investment for when we get to the bathroom. Can’t wait to see the after!

Posted on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Welcome to my little slice of the web where I practice finding family, career, homemade & inspired balance on a daily basis. This is where I capture my happy moments, and I'm honored that you're here to join us. Home + creativity + good eats + journaling + life as a working mom. Read more...

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter

Search

Categories

Craft Projects CategoryCrafty Projects Good Eats & Recipes CategoryGood Eats Entertaining Ideas CategoryEntertaining Ideas Decorating Projects CategoryDecorating Style Boards CategoryStyle Boards Everything Holiday CategoryHolidays

Daily Dose

Favorite Posts

Dog Days of Summer: Craft Kits for Kids

Summer Craft Kits for Kids

August is a slower month for our family. Preschool summer school is out, dance lessons are taking a brief break for the month, our family vacation is

Our Double Stroller: Mountain Buggy +One Review

A Mountain Buggy +One Double Stroller Review

I'll preface by saying that this is not a sponsored review - we've found an awesome double stroller and we love it! Our Mountain Buggy + One has served

Wardrobe Style Board: A Work-From-Home Uniform

Wardrobe Style Board: A Stay-At-Home Mom Uniform | Cropped Light Jeans, Tan Sven Clogs, White Madewell V-Neck T-Shirt, Colorful Necklace, Gold Earrings | PepperDesignBlog.com

tan clogs | pocket tee | light jeans | gold disc earrings | colorful necklace It's not uncommon for people to come and go from our house all day long,

Happy 2nd Birthday, Taylor Rose!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Taylor Rose! An Infographic for My Girl | PepperDesignBlog.com

This weekend Taylor turned two. Taylor is such a bright, wonderful light in our lives. She is our funny, spunky little daughter that will do just about

How to Listen to Audiobooks on OverDrive

Intro to Audiobooks on OverDrive Public Library | PepperDesignBlog.com

Liv has developed a big interest in audiobooks as of late. One of my favorite ways for her to spend her 'quiet time' while Taylor and Marley nap is for her

Pistachio, Caramel & Sea Salt Chocolate Bars

Pistachio, Caramel & Sea Salt | Father's Day | PepperDesignBlog.com

Father's Day is not so far away, so here's an easy gift idea that can be made in advance or (literally) the night before. Homemade chocolate bars can be

Liv & Taylor-isms

Liv & Taylor-isms | Funny Things Kids Do & Say | PepperDesignBlog.com

Sometimes I capture something so funny/adorable/sweet that I can’t help but make note of it. Because Taylor is now expressing herself in full sentences, I

30 Things That I’ve Learned By 30

30 Things I've Learned by the Age of 30 | PepperDesignBlog.com

Today is my 30th birthday. I don't feel much older, but hearing that number roll out of my mouth feels as though I'm closing on a big chapter in my

Featured

Featured
VRBO San Diego Flying Bridge Vacation Rental cool toys for kids

Favorite Topics

Welcome to my little slice of the web where I practice finding family, career, homemade & inspired balance on a daily basis. This is where I capture my happy moments, and I'm honored that you're here to join us. Home + creativity + good eats + journaling. Read More…

  • Email
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
January 2012
MTWTFSS
« Dec Feb »
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031 

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress