Half Bath - Whole New Look

A
by A
6 Materials
$600
8 Days
Medium

The 1/2 bath on the first floor of my home has been a point of contention for me since moving in a few years ago. Tiny and sparse, it did nothing to inspire me...until it did.

There were a number of issues with this project, not the least of them, a flaking ceiling, corners that weren't square, and baby blue fixtures!

Believe it or not, my muse was a set of Maurice Sendak prints that I had in my prior home. Once I had a focus, it all just fell together- of course with a lot of sweat and tears.

This is where I began. Once I stopped trying to work around the blue fixtures, I was able to go to town!

First things first - those fixtures had to go. With COVID, I vowed to do as much myself as possible. I didn't want workers in and out of my house unless absolutely necessary. I had never done anything like this before but with YouTube, all you need is some courage.

My next step was to hang this amazing, paintable wallpaper that looks like bead board. It is thick and hides a multitude of sins. I took it to just over halfway up the wall. Because of the vertical lines in the paper, using a plumb line was imperative.

I then freshened up the gray paint and applied a glossy white to the paper and trim.

Now for my boldest move...I painted the floor!!! Now before the wood purists out there pitch a fit, the floor was a cheap-grade laminate, and it was obvious in-person. My intention was to hand stencil it, but (here's where the tears came in)...evidently, that's not my forte.

I went with inexpensive self adhesive tiles instead. It wound up being the highlight of the room.

Then to tackle my peeling ceiling. I used embossed wallpaper that looked like old metal ceiling tiles. I painted it gloss white to really bring out the pattern. I love this ceiling now.

By far the most difficult aspect of this project was installing the cornice molding. The room was really off square so I didn't even want to attempt coping the corners. I used the corner pieces which allowed me to make straight cuts. The chair railing was not nearly so difficult but it came with its own challenges. There were some tears shed here too, but after several attempts and lots of caulk, SUCCESS! Two coats of gloss white covered all of the trim.

I did call my plumber in to install the new fixtures. I didn't want to go through all of that work to have it ruined by a leaky toilet or sink.

Getting a photo that could show everything was impossible. When I say the room is small, it's 4' x 6'. This is the best I could do. Still working on a shelf for behind the toilet and a few other accessories, but for the most part, it's done.

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  • Dpbeee2 Dpbeee2 on Jan 25, 2021

    I so admire that sink. Where can you find it?

  • Rita Adams Rita Adams on Feb 22, 2021

    What did you use as the trim on the wall above the wallpaper?

  • Karen Karen on Jan 23, 2022

    It appears that the tiles do not cover the whole floor. What was your reason for choosing not to do that?

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  • Tam Tam on Jan 24, 2022

    Awwwh....thank you for the considerate reply...and I'm sure I speak for all of us in that 'WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT!" HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  • Cheryl Kengott Wypyski Cheryl Kengott Wypyski on Jan 24, 2022

    Fantastic! The molding at the ceiling makes the wallpaper look like authentic ceiling tiles. Great job on it all and I love the floor

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