The original bathroom clashed with its dark 90s style crossed with a country-cottage feel, however Alexis didn't want to gut the bathroom for a large scale makeover. Instead she opted for a low-maintenance and budget-friendly face lift which cost her only $550.
“I wanted the bathroom be a lot brighter, especially because it’s the one that guests use. It was just so dark in there, my main hope was that it would look bright and clean."
While the paint and black details brought out with the darker accessories makes all the difference, it’s the self-stick vinyl floor tiles she picked up from Bunnings that really transformed the space.
"I’d been looking at adhesive floor tiles on overseas sites and you can find the coolest patterns on sticky tiles, but the cost of shipping was so extreme that I had to scrap the idea and look locally. Once I found the big faux marble adhesive tiles at Bunnings, I started to build an idea around them."
Though she had no knowledge on how to lay vinyl tiles or use tile paint she discovered it was much easier than she'd expected. The tiles come with pre-applied flooring grade adhesive on the back which only has to be peeled back before sticking.
"I was really just having a go, and I figured if it all went horribly wrong, there would be a professional who could help me out."
Here's how she did it
- Scrub the bathroom and all the tiles using sugar soap and spraying with a mould remover and rinsing really well.
- Once dry, use painters tape on all edges and get to work painting the tiles with a roller brush. Then remove the bathroom mirror cabinet, towel rails and toilet roll holder, tidy up painting.
- Allow paint to dry well, painting three coats in total.
- Lay the vinyl tiles down, using waterproof sealer around the edges of the bathroom and in any cracks to make sure they sit flat and avoid any water getting underneath.
- Once the floor is in, set about replacing all the handles with matte black versions.
- Hang the mirror on the wall and finish off styling with plants and trinkets.
Budget breakdown
- Dulux Paint (in Snow Season) - $80
- Bunnings Winton adhesive vinyl ’tiles’ - $96 for a box of 16
- Bunnings Lane Black Hampton door handles - $28.30 for 4
- Bunnings Ikonic door knob, $15.05.
- Bunnings Mondella towel ring and toilet roll holder - $24.03 and $18.92
- Kmart arch mirror - $40
- Kmart arch shelves -$19 each
- Kmart accessories - $10
- Big W hand towels - $4
- Miscellaneous: waterproof sealer, paint roller - $40
While it took a week in total to complete with paint drying time, adjusting the tiles to fit was the most challenging part.
"Cutting the tiles to fit around all the skirting boards was quite complicated in this bathroom. The tiles themselves are easy to cut with strong scissors, but getting the right shape was difficult."
Her favourite part was watching it all come together, "Just looking at the bathroom is so much more fun now, and it feels cleaner and so much more fresh!"
