Sticky Situation

Since my husband and I moved into our house over a year ago, we have planned on replacing all flooring....ourselves. I love DIY projects. In fact I have a range of emotions throughout the process.

Planning: excitement
Preparation: anxiousness/excitement
When I first start: excitement
During: frustration/contemplation/excitement
Finished: amazed that I did it/soreness/excitement

Okay....maybe my emotions are not as varied as I thought. I am pretty much excited the whole time. That being said I would like to share my latest and greatest DIY adventure: The Bathroom Floor!

Here is the before shot. Isn't that flooring lovely? No....I didn't think so either. This is, quite obviously, a very taste specific sheet vinyl that happens to specifically not be my taste. While contemplating flooring options I thought to myself "I would love to put tile in here." However, this being a DIY adventure, I had to face the fact that I didn't really know how to work a tile saw nor did I want to get too grouty and messy. The next best thing: peel and stick vinyl tile! It took me a few....er....months to decide which type and size to go with. I brought home about 15 different samples from Lowes and changed my mind a couple of times, but ultimately selected an 18 x18 Novalis tile in "Verde". Though the grout lines are, of course, fake, they actually look pretty good.

Let's talk prep. After watching several online tutorials and reading up I learned that I needed to degrease the floor, so I bought an eco-friendly degreaser (also from Lowes) that is low odor and safe to use. Some articles I read also suggested that I use an embossing leveler before I begin tiling over existing vinyl so that the old pattern doesn't telegraph through. Hmmmm....that sounded a little messy, so I decided to take my chances.

Here is a during shot. These tiles were super sticky! I cannot see them going anywhere, especially now that they are locked in place by the surrounding tiles. You can see my trusty utility knife. I did have to replace the blade once, but the tiles were very easy to cut! When it came to the tight spots around the toilet I ended up using a trick I read about on younghouselove.com: use paper templates to trace the cuts. I actually just used the paper backing that came off of some of the tiles. Super easy! Another great tip I learned from younghouselove.com was to use that handy prybar to pry up the quarter round just enough to slip the tiles beneath it. After I'm done I can just tap the molding back down. It is easier and less expensive than replacing it!


Here you see where the bathroom floor meets the hall. I intend covering up the old parquet flooring with click and lock laminate which we have already installed in the bedrooms and looks great!Here is the finished floor. I did not take up the toilet to put the tile down. I cut the tile to fit around it. There are a few small gaps between the toilet and the floor that I will cover with caulk. I will also do this around the tub.

There you have it. For about $25 and 6 hours (thanks to all the toilet cuts :) I have a new bathroom floor. Yay!!!!! Stick around to see the entire bathroom before and after and room reveal!