Bathroom Redo: Grouted Peel and Stick Floor Tiles
See how this couple used grouted peel and stick floor tiles in their bathroom renovation. It looks good to me, see for your self though.
Submitted By Lovely Nest
Hello! I’m Amy. I have a degree in graphic design but I love to spend free time working on DIY projects and decorating my home. My husband is Kyle and we have a cute little beagle/lab mix named Sydney. This is our first home and we’ve been here almost three years. Things are always changing as I take on new projects, but it’s always an adventure! I’m so excited to be here today to share our recent bathroom remodel. When we bought the house, the bathroom still had the original orange tile throughout. We lived with it for a couple of years and finally decided it was time to update it with grouted peel and stick floor tiles. My main goal was to create a space that felt relaxing and spa-like and I feel like we did a great job accomplishing that!
Installing the Grouted Peel and Stick Floor Tiles
Before
I figure I should probably explain our strategy with the bathroom. We have one bathroom in our house, so gutting a whole bathroom and being without a working one for weeks on end just isn’t possible for us, unless we want to go stay somewhere else, which we don’t. So, we started looking into other options and ended up going with Bath Fitter. They’re able to upgrade the bathroom in basically a day, which is great for us. They were actually out last week to do the install, but had an issue with the shower walls being damaged, so they’ll be back to finish it up this week.
In preparation for them, we removed the vanity and toilet so they were able to tackle the wainscoting. I should say now that I’m very grateful for indoor plumbing. Even one day without a toilet wasn’t very fun. I made a trip to Target pretty much to use the bathroom. I made it worthwhile and picked up some dog food at least! Anyway, back to our bathroom. After the Bath Fitter guys did everything they could do last week, we took the opportunity, with everything out of the bathroom, to install a new floor.
We checked out various options, but in the end settled on grouted peel and stick floor tiles. I did some research and read multiple blogs from people that have used it and people seemed to be pretty happy with it. Most importantly, it was within our budget and within our skill set.
You can see a preview of the wainscoting above. The patched parts in the shower are from putting new plumbing in, but since they couldn’t do the full shower yet, they sealed everything up so we can shower this week! For the tile, we decided laying them on a diagonal was the best option for our little bathroom. It would hide any imperfections with walls not being straight and aesthetically I think it looked better. Above you can see my test run without sticking any tiles down. I did this to get a feel for how it would look and to figure out the best place to start. Generally, I think you’re supposed to start in the middle of the room and work your way out, but since our bathroom is so tiny and some of it is covered with a vanity and toilet, we decided to start from the corner of the doorway, which is the most visible area.
I don’t have photos of the actual tile cutting and laying down because I was pretty focused. We used 1/8″ spacers to keep the tiles evenly spaced for the grout. The full tiles were actually kind of fun to lay down, but once I got to the edges, I had to do measuring and cutting, which wasn’t so fun. It wasn’t terrible though, it just took some patience.
Hubby did the grouting, which was super easy, according to him. I followed with a sponge to wipe up any excess grout on the tiles. If I were estimating, I would say laying the tiles took approx 4 hours and the grouting took maybe 30 minutes.
Here she is looking all pretty and new. We’re really pleased with how the floor turned out. It looks so much better than I expected and it feels just like real tile. I think the grout really helps with the tile aesthetic. I have to admit I wasn’t really a fan of laminate flooring before, but grouted peel and stick floor tiles have come a long way.
For the walls, we tried three samples, From left to right, Benjamin Moore Ozark Shadows, Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray, Valspar Hazy Stratus. Ultimately we chose Benjamin Moore Ozark Shadows.
The final bathroom images.
I’m doing a little celebration dance over here! The bathroom remodel is finished! Every good reveal needs a before and after! Here’s what we started with when we moved into the house.
We made the orange work for a while with some paint and accessories.
I think those photos speak volumes about how much paint and accessories can help a room. But we have been wanting to update the bathroom since we moved it. It was just too dated for our taste, so we finally did the big remodel and are really happy with how it turned out. It flows much better with the rest of the house now.
A new mirror was a priority on my list. I wanted to get rid of the medicine cabinet that was small and had chipped corners. Since the wainscoting sticks out from the wall, we needed to find a mirror to accommodate that. A tilting mirror turned out to be the perfect solution and we were able to get more mirror coverage that way. We also added a new towel ring to hold a pretty white towel.
After removing our medicine cabinet, we lost some vital storage, so we added two shelves above the toilet. Baskets bring in a natural element to the room, while concealing all of our bathroom necessities. The shelves also provide space for extra toilet paper and a jar with q-tips. A cute little succulent sits on the back of the toilet to add some color and plant life. This is my first one, so I’m hoping I can keep it alive!
On the opposite wall, we have hooks for towels. I also framed a print from Etsy. Thanks for your suggestions! I ended up going with the one most of you chose. I love it in here!
We went with a subway tile look in the shower area and took it to the ceiling to make everything feel taller. New plumbing and fixtures were another exciting thing. You can see in the photo at the top, we also got a curved shower rod, which is awesome! It makes everything feel so much more luxurious.
I made the shower curtain myself. I was hoping to share a tutorial for you, but I had some setbacks and the process took way too long, so step-by-step photos didn’t happen. Here are my quick thoughts on DIY’ing a shower curtain. I only recommend it if you cannot find one you like in stores. I absolutely love the way ours turned out, but I have no plans to make one again, ever. Since most fabric doesn’t come in a standard shower curtain width, I had to sew two panels together. It was a tedious task to make sure the pattern lined up. I also had some issues with my sewing machine deciding it didn’t want to work during this process. After getting everything sewn, I decided grommets would be the best option for the shower curtain rings. The grommet pliers broke half way through this part and I had to make do with broken pliers. I got it finished and it looks really good, but I think the entire curtain making process took me about 6.5 hours. In the end, I spent just as much, if not more, than just buying one from somewhere like West Elm. Again, I love it and I think it makes the room, but it was a blood, sweat and tears project!
Another new feature is our corner storage. I love that we don’t have to use a caddy over the shower head anymore and that everything is in one spot. I should also mention the new bath rug. After striking out on two options, I was able to find one that coordinated well with my towels but didn’t conflict with the pattern in the shower curtain. I think that sums it up! It feels so relaxing in there now and I think I captured the spa-like feel that I was hoping for!
What do you think of the grouted peel and stick floor tiles option?
Sources:
paint: Benjamin Moore Ozark Shadows matched to Olympic
shower curtain: DIY by me, Premier Prints, Chipper Twill Storm fabric
mirror: Lowe’s
light fixture: Lowe’s
clock: Target
soap dispenser: Target
toothbrush holder: Home Goods
towel ring: Home Goods
white towel: Home Goods
shelves & brackets: Ikea
baskets: Michael’s
q-tip jar: Ikea
succulent: Home Depot
white pot: Ikea
chevron towels: Kohl’s
towel hook: Hobby Lobby
art print: Mae Chevrette
white frame: Ikea
bath rug: Bed, Bath & Beyond
You can also find other great bathroom tile remodels with these image links.
I am the husband of the amazing Cassity of Remodelaholic. I love to problem solve and to design and build things inside and outside the house to make life better. I am a professional Landscape Architect by trade and love the outdoors.
I love your new bathroom! We are almost done refinishing our only bathroom as well and have left the floors to last since we don’t really know what to do since we have to take the toilet and sink out. I was thinking of engineered hardwood which is moisture safe but now I know this is another alternative! Thanks for sharing! I was also just curious, how long did you have to wait for the grout to dry before you could put the toilet back in and walk on it?
I believe it suggested waiting approx 24 hours for the grout to dry, but we put the toilet and vanity back at the 16-18 hour mark and it seemed to be fine. We just made sure to check that the grout seemed dry before putting anything heavy on it!
The transformation is just stunning! Thanks for sharing this. Keep the good stuff coming.
this is amazing. I have no intentions of remodeling in the near future, but I bookmarked this for reference if I ever do. I absolutely love everything you did with this, and the floor looks great. How has it held up? I too would be skeptical of tile laminate in a place that gets so much moisture.
Kacey,
Everything has held up great, the floor included! Laminate really has come a long way and it feels pretty close to tile underfoot. As for the moisture, we haven’t had any issues. We have an overhead fan/light combo that we always run, but we haven’t done anything special with this and it still looks great!
Can I ask you what you used to cover the walls. I don’t think you mentioned that at all. Did you remove the old tiles or did you put it on top of them both in the shower as well as the walls. Is it wood?
Wow, that is one huge transformation! I love your color scheme,and the tile is great! You can’t tell at all that it is peel and stick. I’m pinning your project to my bathroom inspiration board- this may be the way I go too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for featuring my bathroom!
We bought similar peel and stick and grout tiles, but haven’t installed yet. I was going to pull up the old vinyl….but perhaps I don’t have to? That would be an amazing time saver!
Thanks for sharing…great transformation!
Jessica,
It probably depends on how solid your current floor is. Ours was tile, so we knew it was going to provide a durable base. I did plenty of research before doing ours and found people who did do the peel and stick right over old laminate, so it might be an option!
From my past experience and talking with professionals, applying vinyl tiles on top of other vinyl is NOT a good idea. The tiles eventually will start shifting and sliding.
I feel like I have so many questions! We too only have one bathroom and I was starting to get to the point that it would be the one room we just never get to, because really, how do you not have a working toilet or shower/tub? I’m assuming you did the tile work yourself? That looks awesome btw! Totally inspiring and I’m bookmarking this…this may kick our butts in gear to do a mini bathroom makeover of our own.
Michelle, yes, the floor tiling we did ourselves, but we hired out the shower surround and wainscoting.
I love your bathroom. I have a question..Can you put the tile directly to plywood floors? I have ceramic tile in my kitchen and the grout is all coming out and the tile is cracking. I don’t think it was put down right and the plywood it is causing the tile to crack. Do you think this would work? Years ago it had kitchen carpet and boy was that a mess. I would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks for the post.
Shirley, if I remember correctly, you can apply the peel and stick to the plywood subfloor as long as it’s level and clean of debris. Of course you want to check the instructions first just to make sure it will adhere properly.
This is a fabulous update. I have never heard about laminated flooring being grouted. But I sure think it looks good. In fact your whole bathroom looks wonderful. I love the beadboard with your original tub. Thanks for sharing.
Traci
What tiles did you use? I really like the look and color.
Kris, we got the tiles from Home Depot. They were the Trafficmaster Ceramica line. The color we purchased was called concrete but it was on clearance (originally a special order tile) so I’m not sure if that exact style is available anymore but there were quite a few options to choose from and a few others that were similar to our style.
Yes, what Kris said! 🙂 Am I crazy, I see sources for everything else, but no info on what kind of tile or where you got it! This would be such a great option for me, so I’d love to choose something that I know worked well for someone. Thanks for the awesome photos and info!
WoW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m adding a Masterbath (former Storage Room) and I’m going to renovate my main bath … tinsy tiny 5 x 6 … Great Idea!!
LOve it. Maybe I missed it, but did you demolish the tiles on the walls or just cover them?
Nice job and thanks for sharing. I especially like that the original tile was still in good shape so you left it intact. Someday someone will replace the vinyl tile and go “WOW! Look at this cool tile floor!”
A suggestion to keep your little plant happy… move the shower curtain to the right-hand side so that a bit more light reaches the plant. Or get a second one that is placed in an ideal location and then rotate the two plants (from bath to ideal) each week when you water.
This is amazing! We have basically the same size and arrangement of bathroom, right down to the window in the shower, and would love to do something like this. One question: do you have any sort of covering over the window in the shower? Is it holding up to the water OK? Are you still happy with bathfitters?
Shannon, this was a guest post, so i ‘can’t tell ya how it is holding up, but if you click on the link at the top of the post it will take you to the authors blog and I am sure they would love to help you out!
Afar as the window sill goes, I would definitely go with a solid surface single piece sill, like marble or a cheap knock off of marble… just my opinion!
My husband and I are considerong the peel and stick groutable tiles for our kitchen and foyer in our new home we just puchased. The guy at Menards had us pretty much convinced but my husband read an article on line by Mike Homes (HGTV-“Holmes on Homes”) and Mike declared them to be “crap on crap on top of more crap”. I personally think that the tiles are absolutely beautiful but the hubby is having doubts. (He is a glass “half-full” kind of guy and I am a glass is always ” half-full” kind of gal!) So….what do you think? They supposedly come with a “limited lifetime warranty”….Advice? Recommendations?
Sheila! This was a guest post, so I can’t tell you personally. I have done peel and stick tiles, they were great (but they weren’t groutable, so I am not sure how much of a difference that would make other than I would have like the look better). You can click over to the author’s blog at the top of the post and ask them, I am sure they would love to help you out!
Hi!! Your floor looks amazing! Just one question- and I think I already know the answer…You only grouted around the tiles, and not underneath correct? I was under the assumption that grouted, even peel and stick tiles, would have to have the grout on the bottom of the tiles too. If not, that would make things much easier. Thanks!!
You have to peel and then stick the tiles in place to a clean surface. If you grout underneath they will not stick. What you are thinking of is regular tile, but what goes under regular tile is mortar, not grout. Hope that helps.
Hi! thanks for featuring this post. I know you mention in your post that you have used peel and stick tiles. Do you remember a crackling sound when walking on the tiles when you first put them down? My husband and I did our bathroom floors last night and when we walk in certain places there is a popping and crackling noise. Thanks!!
Hi,
It looks like you put down the peel and stick tile over existing tile. I would like to do the same thing in our bathroom to cover our “lovely blue and mauve” tiles! Everything that im reading online says not to do this. I was wondering if you had used any additional adhesive? Also how is it holding up? Thanks in advance for you help!
Lyndsay
Lyndsay,
This was a guest post so i can’t say how it is holding up for them, but having installed peel and stick tiles in the past, I feel like it would adhere better to tile, than most other surfaces, as long as the tile is very clean. The link to the author is at the top of the page, you can visit their site and ask them, i am sure they would love to help!
great thanks!!
I hope this post is still watched by the original writer! I have a question about the remodel. Our bathrooms (before, anyway) are very similar, and I am considering a nearly identical solution. My questions are:
1) What prep did you have to have on the existing floor tiles to do the peel n’s tick over them, other than cleaning of course?
2) How long did the floor take? How long did the overall remodel take?
3) Your shower surround, did you hire people to come in and do that plastic overlay business? I was considering that, but wasn’t sure if they can just go over existing tile and tub and all.
Thanks!
I am TOTALLY doing this exact DIY right now, and can’t believe I just happened upon your blog, via Pinterest! I’d love to know if you had to use a deglosser or self-leveling agent on your tile floor prior to putting down the floor tiles. The dude at Lowe’s told me I should. Also, did you remove the tiles from your wall before hanging the wainscoting, or did you just put it over top? And if so, how did you attach it to the tile?
Eek! You got me very excited!! 🙂 Thanks!
Rachel, this is a guest post, so I can’t tell you what they did, but I would use a degreaser on your tile to make sure it is perfectly clean. You can just attach the bead board to the tile walls with a construction adhesive. Good Luck!