DIY Bathroom Mini-Makeover

Don’t you love a two-day project that doesn’t cost crazy $$$ and still makes a big impact?  I do!  It was a busy weekend, but I’m so happy with the results!

This was my son’s bathroom/guest bathroom:


It wasn’t terrible or anything and I still love the gas-station themed décor, but there was one big issue…..
When we moved in several years ago, I replaced the disgusting flooring with new vinyl flooring. It was much better than what was there, but I’ve never been perfectly happy with it.  Then, this past December, I had a new commode installed.  The new footprint was different than the previous one leaving gaps around the front of the commode base:
Many of you are wondering how I’ve lived with those gaps since December, right?  Truth:  I just haven’t had the time or energy to take on the project of replacing it and I did not want to go to the expense of having it professionally tiled at this time.  A fluffy rug kept it under wraps….that’s reality, folks! 

With a full house coming for Thanksgiving (Yay!!  LOVE cooking for the whole gang!), the fire was lit under me to get this fixed.  While I was at it, I decided to check off a couple other items I’ve been wanting to do….framing the mirror and a wainscoting/board & batten wall treatment.

One of the reasons I haven’t done the wall treatment over the years is because of having to cut around the cabinetry and the plumbing….some people find this easy, I do not.   Then, I saw this awesome idea on Pinterest from Remodelaholic for “installing board and batten on the cheap”!  The look of board and batten but without having to cut paneling around fixtures or having to replace all of my existing floor boards….awesome and inexpensive…SOLD!!

I started the mini makeover with a trip to Home Depot after work on Friday evening. My son and I were able to purchase everything we needed and the total came in right around $100! 

I purchased a couple of things that you might already have on hand, so here’s the breakdown:

Box of nails (way more than needed for this project):	$3.47
Semi-gloss paint, 1 qt.:	$10.47
White Caulk x 2:	$6.24
Liquid Nails (4oz tube):	$2.78
Moulding (5/8” x 2 1/4” pine, primed baseboard):	$22.40
Lattice strips (1/4” x 1 1/2” primed):	$12.41
Floor primer (only used 1/4 of the bottle):	$6.27
Utility knife (I highly recommend a fresh blade for the flooring.):	$1.98
12” x 12” Vinyl Peel & Stick Tile (1 box=30):	$29.70
4” Paint roller and tray set:	$4.97
Total (pre-tax):	$100.69

Friday night, I spent about 1.5 hours prepping the room for the next day….removing the door, taking down decorations, pulling up the existing vinyl flooring, and cleaning up the baseboards (removing old caulk, etc.).
Saturday morning (after dropping T off at basketball practice), I started with the mirror frame because I wanted to give the Liquid Nails the full 24 hours to set.  I could have borrowed my parents’ good miter saw, but for the sake of convenience, I opted to use a simple miter box.  It’s easy to use….and you’ll get a good upper arm workout cutting the moulding by hand! 

Following the time (and heartache) saving rule “measure twice, cut once”, I re-measured the mirror and then made the 45 degree cuts in the moulding.  Then, took a quick break to pick up my son from practice…just in time for him to give me a hand holding the pieces up to check for fit!



















Check out any of these tutorials for the how-to on the mirror frame:
http://www.craftsmandrive.com/2014/03/31/bathroom-mirror-upgrade
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2011/02/framing-out-bathroom-mirrors.html
http://alittleofthis---alittleofthat.blogspot.com/2011/11/20-diy-mirror-frame-tutorial.html

Easy and it makes such a difference in the little room. Even with the blue tape, I already loved the newly framed mirror!

Next I took on the peel & stick tile flooring!  After rolling the floor with the bond enhancer, I let it dry while we took a lunch break.

The tiles were super easy to cut with a sharp blade and scissors for the curves around the commode base.  I found it easiest to make a pattern using 12x12 scrapbook paper (same size as the tiles)! 




It was surprisingly easy to lay all of the flooring and the look is so much better!! 

Next it was time to get the board & batten started!

 I got my son to help me hold our long level and mark a straight line for the chair rail.  After re-measuring, I cut the moulding….easy straight cuts this time but the miter box holds it nicely even when just doing 90 degree cuts.  I double-checked for fit and then put a coat of paint on all of the moulding.  After it dried, my son helped me hold it up and secure it to the wall with nails, using the level to ensure that we kept it straight.

Once the chair rail was up, I could mark and measure for the vertical lattice strips.  Hint:  Be sure not to skip this step!  If your house is anything like mine, it is not perfectly level.  There were small discrepancies in the length of each slat.  It is important for overall appearance that the chair rail IS level regardless of the house. 

I secured the lattice strips to the wall with nails every 16 inches.  According to the reading I did, 12-16 inches (usually the same as stud placement) is the recommended spacing.  You can fudge on this a little bit if you have fixtures or plumbing that gets in the way…one of the benefits of this wall treatment.



A little paintable white caulk along all the seams and several coats of white paint on the walls and trim work…..and it was done!




I love it!  It looks so clean and neat and adds a little something special to the room!



I know this was a long post, but it really was a quick project overall.  Enjoy your weekend!









This post is linked to:
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2014/11/link-party-palooza-international-arrivals-giveaway.html
http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2014/11/catch-as-catch-can-189.html
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2014/11/show-tell-saturday-111514.html