- you are the river

January 05, 2017

Bathroom Makeover Part 1: BEFORE

When we first moved into our little bungalow it was in need of some serious love. The walls were all mushroom brown, the laminate floors were so cheap they were basically made of paper, the kitchen had mismatched brown-on-brown cabinets and counters, and the exterior, well it was what it was. That being said the charm of the place was undeniable, its light filled rooms, tons of windows, location just steps away from hiking trails. The place just had good vibes.

Anywho, I've taken on a lot of projects to make this little place feel like home and one of my favorites has been the bathroom makeover. Just a little warning this is not intended as a tutorial, it was my first time tiling anything and it's well known that tiling over tile is not a good idea...I did it anyway.

The old rental grade sink/vanity combo, awful beige tile floors and tub surround made of who knows what. Oh and don't forget the black mold.

I chose penny tile because of its clean simplicity and because I thought it would be easier to install over the uneven floor below. The sink and toilet were already installed so I decided to tile around them vs taking them up, if I could have done it the other way around I would have but hey, I needed instant gratification. Countless penny tile chips later I can safely say I learned my lesson. I used the mortar right over the cleaned old tile and set the penny tile sheets making sure to line them up so as not to have visible seams.

Yes those are steps for my teacup yorkie in the background, it was a joke but they are incredibly useful.

Once the penny tile was set I moved onto the mortar for the marble tile tub side. Surprisingly this was the easiest part of the whole remodel. Finn was there to cheer me on or was he wanting to be picked up, I can never really tell.