Help I have one of those PINK tile bathrooms and need an update

I would like to redo my small bathroom and was wondering what's the best thing to do to update the pink wall tiles. My bathtub area is one of those bathfitters so I don't have to do anything to it. Please any ideas would be great.
Would like to remove this towel bar and toilet paper holder.
would like to remove this soap dish and toothbrush holder
  19 answers
  • Kim Kim on Sep 03, 2017

    Whoa! That's a lot of pink!!!!

    I know that removing a tile or or soap dish here in there sounds like pulling a piece of the puzzle and replacing it, but more often than not, it means tearing out all of the tile.

    The pink in your bathroom could be toned down and made more vintage looking if you got rid of the floor and the wallpaper.

    I would put in a white floor with small black accents and paint the walls white.

    Do some black stencil work on your tile in a decorative way, but don't overdo it. There are tile decals that would work for that.

    I would paint your heater white with a matching black design on it. Think 1950's

    Make your accessories like shower curtain and towels a more vintage look as well.

    As far as you Soap Dish, Toothbrush holder, towel bars, and toilet paper holder goes, if you want rid of those, tear out all of the pink in that room! Be prepared to go down to the studs and start fresh.

    Its a lot of work and more money but in the end, super satisfying!!!


    : )

  • Julie M. Julie M. on Sep 03, 2017

    If you are not demolishing all the tile, I would think you will cause more damage to the remaining tile by removing these pieces. I would be inclined to changing out the countertop and sink and redo the walls. Embrace the pink!

  • Lor24490907 Lor24490907 on Sep 03, 2017

    You should make peace with the pink. Don't attempt to remove the towel bar, toilet paper, cup and toothbrush holders - you'll end up having to remove all the wall tile and starting over - a big and expensive job. What you need to do is neutralize the pink a bit and make it look intended. The floor is your problem - it doesn't go with the wall tile and makes the room look overly pink. Black and white with pink is a classic combo. A black and white floor tile in a vintage small hex pattern could be nice. Use a grey grout to keep cleaning easy. A floor is much easier to replace than wall tile. The dated wallpaper should go and the walls should be white. I'd replace the moulded vanity countertop and fixtures with something a little more retro and paint the base cabinet black. For your shower curtain - it adds to the too pink vibe. I'd use a white curtain with a small black border - PB has several versions. I'd probably use white towels, but you could do black too.

  • Suzette Suzette on Sep 03, 2017

    Hi Susan, I had the same trouble with my blue tile bathroom! If you try to take the tiles off, the wall tends to come with it, so I bought peel and stick glass tiles to go over the tiles. I left the top and bottom boarder as an accent, then wallpapered the top half with a textured wall paper. I installed new slim sink and lighting too. I did not do inside the tub. Here's how mine turned out. The peel and stick glass tiles have stood the test of time. Not one problem in 4 years!

  • Cin21825342 Cin21825342 on Sep 03, 2017

    I wouldn't remove all the pink. I'd paint the walls above the tile a pretty grey and then paint the towel bar, toilet paper holder and toothbrush/soap holders with a grey epoxy paint to match. Then get some pretty grey rugs to cover the pink floor or tile right over with new vinyl tiles. Pink and grey are so pretty together.


  • Ingrid Ingrid on Sep 03, 2017

    First of all, this is your house and nobody can tell you what to do with your bathroom BUT.....I would strongly encourage you not to rip that out. Pink bathrooms are such a wonderful and charming historical piece of Americana. If you ever intend to move from that house someone will love and appreciate the pink tile. There are many many ways to tone it down without destroying it.


    I swear if you just read up a little, gather ideas, you will grow to appreciate what you have there. See this link http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/


    Don't be hasty...see what you can do with it first. You may come to see what a treasure you have! :-)

  • Pat Pat on Sep 03, 2017

    Our bathroom was pink like yours, we took out the paper holder and took a piece of tile from under the sink vanity and patched it....then we painted all the tile white. We did this about 12 years ago and it still looks good....we got our paint at Lowes and they advised us what to get.

  • Shelley Shelley on Sep 04, 2017

    Currently updating my pink bath with black and white mosaic, gray wall paint and gray grout in floor and wall tiles has really given it a new look.

  • Katy Bowss Katy Bowss on Sep 04, 2017

    This was my bathroom, dark tan tiles up half of the wall and all around ceiling. I just could not take it anymore. The before and after of tiles and what I did. I used INSL-X STIX Bonding Primer on the tiles I kept so that I could paint them white afterwards. It was less then $100. to do. I found out about the Bonding Primer at a Benjamin Moore. Works great. Anyway here are a few pictures.


  • Beth Beth on Sep 05, 2017

    Hi Susan! I personally think that the pink tiles have a lot of charm! Since you asked for ideas for updates, what I would suggest is to start with small changes. I'd refresh the grout with a bright white, remove the wallpaper and paint the walls above the tile white, repaint the cabinet (I'd do white there as well), and replace the shower curtain- also white. I'm not sure about your floors- but I don't see the charm in them that I do your wall tile :-) I'd replace them with a peel and stick, or even better, a black and white mosaic like Shelley has. A mostly neutral background will let the pink shine and it will look very intentional, and these will be easy and inexpensive changes. Then, add more color in art and accessories if you like. If you still hate the pink, then look at more permanent options, like painting them or removing them. But I'd start with a neutral palette first and see if it grows on you :-) Good luck!

  • Pam Pam on Sep 05, 2017

    Pink does not have to mean girly. Keep it and add the black and white accents as suggested above. I would add a piece of artwork with the same colors in it to tie it all together. This would also set the tone for the room and be a focal point. Personally, I love this old tile. It's very sturdy and really will last forever. If you really want to change the color I've read on other blogs that you can paint it. Also, if you remove it some time in the future, you might try to do so carefully enough that you could sell it to someone who's trying to restore an older home. There's also Habitat for Humanity if you'd just like to donate it in order to get rid of it. The quality of this is just not being duplicated any more.


  • Kaye Kaye on Sep 05, 2017

    First off, if you are selling no one will wish to purchase pink tiles. I suggest you tear down and instead of re-tiling, patch and paint. If you don't like the look you can then re-tile. The sink isn't really too bad, faucets are up to date. Paint the cupboards if you want.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Apr 16, 2023

    I would go for Stick on Tiles. Lots of lovely colours and designs out there! Random or pattern or in a row, give it a go. If you don;t like it remove them. You could also try Transfers or Clings too.