Apartment DIY progress: tiling the bathroom floor (before & after)

Apartment Bathroom Floor – before and after 

how to tile a bathroom floor

We’re renovating a tiny apartment on a small budget. We decided that the bathroom floor was a ‘must do’. The Atmospheres Tile Collection by Daltile offers a variety of style, color and size options, so you can create your own unique designs with tile. The possibilities are endless! Read more about

our tile shopping experience at The Home Depot

Daltile Sandy Beach porcelain tile

helpful tips and tricks from The Home Depot Tile Specialist

Roeshel from DIY Show Off with Mike, the Home Depot tile specialist

The old bathroom floor (updated by previous owners) wasn’t an ideal choice… bathroom floor before

And a leaky valve created a HUGE mess (more about that in another post). The joys of DIY…a major freak out moment with a full out tantrum but no choice but to fix the damage and move forward. Unfortunately it happens and DIY doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes there are setbacks! 

We shut off the water, capped the supply lines, removed the toilet and vanity, removed the flexible rubber/plastic(?) baseboards

bathroom makeover

{I know…so gross!}

and got to work on removing that old floor…

bathroom floor before

We prepared the floor for tiling by screwing down Hardibacker. Russ made the cuts. We used  newspaper to create a template around the shape of the bathtub. and for the hold for the toilet, using a circular saw for straight cuts and a double sided knife blade (I don’t remember the brand of the one he uses) for rounded cuts.

cutting Hardiebacker

Using Locktite and screws, we secured the Hardibacker to the old floor to create a smooth, level surface for tiling. Make sure that screws are flush (or even countersink them a little).

screwing Hardiback to existing floor

We made the decision of where the tile would end in the door way. I believe the center is the perfect spot. But, we extended it a small bit after shutting the door to see the ideal spot (where wood floors from hallway would not be seen in the bathroom and tile floors would not be seen from the closed bathroom door in the hallway.

Mr. DIY used a saw called a “Fat Max” to under cut the door jamb so that tile would fit neatly underneath…

tiling at door frame

We used a masonry/tile saw (also called a wet saw) to cut tiles. For this project, we cut and laid out all of the tiles in advance, using spacers during the process to get the best fit.

We laid out our tile, deciding on the best design for the space. We do love creative patterns but given our time frame, the shape of the tub, un-square walls and the fact that not much floor space actually shows when the toilet and vanity are in place, we decided on a basic grid design. We used the same newspaper templates we created for the Hardibacker for cutting tiles to fit the shape of the bathtub and the hole for the toilet plumbing.

spacing ceramic tiles

The Home Depot Tile Specialist suggested we center the pattern in the door way and work from there but for us, when working with odd cuts near the tub and not wanting cut tile framing one whole tile in the door way, we worked from right to left, starting in front of the tub so that smaller cut tile pieces would be behind the vanity and toilet.  I liked the look of one cut tile on the left corner of the room hidden by the vanity/hinged door area better. There is no wrong way…just do what feels right for your space.

doorway tile

We chose a ceramic tile called “Carrara” from the Daltile Atmosphere Collection at the Home Depot. Affordable, stylish and easy to install, Daltile was the perfect choice when selecting tile. I loved the colors, white with a gray veining, the flow and movement it’d bring to the super tiny space and the durability of ceramic tile for a rental bathroom.

I labeled cut tiles using FrogTape so it didn’t feel like we were putting together a jig saw puzzle when moving on to the next step.

labeling cut tiles

Now we won’t be confused when putting it back together…

labeled ceramic tiles

For this tiling project, we used Omni-Grip as our mortar to secure tiles to the Hardiebacker and 3/16 spacers.

tiling a bathroom floor

We used a trowel to spread the Omni-Grip and placed the tiles, working our way out of the room. We did our best to get straight lines.

process of tiling a bathroom floor

We let this dry for 48 hours while we worked on other things.

We chose a sanded pre-mixed urethane grout called Quartz Lock for it’s features:

  • Superior stain resistance
  • Color consistency
  • Crack resistant flexibility
  • Mold/mildew protection
Color is “silver gray”.

Materials for grouting:

grouting materials

Apply grout to the float with a putty knife and smooth into the spaces between the tile. “Smoosh” it into the spaces.

Be sure to clean the tiles to remove excess grout with a clean wet sponge along the way.

We did not grout along the tub – we used caulking there. In the event something needs changed in the future, we didn’t want the mess of trying to remove grout from the cast iron tub. 

grouting ceramic tile

I would have preferred that we created a more uniform grid. But we did our best. If I don’t look right at it, it doesn’t bother me. lol And in the big scheme of this apartment rental, an old building full of imperfections, this looks pretty darn good!

Daltile Atmospheres Carrara ceramic tile

An amazing difference!

gross bathroom floor before…

bathroom makeover - before

bathroom floor (and a little sneak peek of the renovated apartment bathroom) now…

Daltile Carrara ceramic tile

The Home Depot is the one-stop-shop for all tiling needs, whether you are an experienced DIYer or a first-time tiler. I’m so happy with our selection. Love the Daltile Carrara and meeting with the Home Depot tile specialist and getting some tips saved us some time and headaches! See the entire Daltile Atmospheres Collection at the Home Depot.

Almost time for the full apartment reveal! Just finishing up the hardwood floors this week then time to decorate and get her moved!  I’m trying to hold off on other tutorials and info until after the big reveal…it’s so hard! I want to show you every step as I complete it! 

Sharing here:Home Stories A2Z

The Home Depot partnered with bloggers (like me!) to participate in its Daltile program. As a part of the program, I received compensation in the form of a Home Depot gift card to participate in promoting the new Atmospheres Tile Collection by Daltile. Opinion and experiences are my own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social medial engagement recommendations. I am a DIY blogger and I approved this message.

This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience. 

FrogTape Blog Squad

Sharing here: shabby creek cottage

Choosing tile for the apartment bathroom

We were recently asked if we’d like to participate in the Daltile Atmospheres Tile Collection campaign by The Home Depot. With an apartment renovation in progress, timing was perfect. We quickly replied with our acceptance and couldn’t wait to get started. Literally. We do have a tiling project in our plans at this very moment. The super tiny bathroom in the super tiny apartment we’re renovating is in desperate need of a new floor.

apartment bathroom before

Actually it’s in desperate need of a lot more! There’s a need to gut the entire bathroom and start from scratch but due to a very small budget and time constraints, we’ve narrowed the projects down to

  • tiling the floor and installing baseboard trim
  • painting
  • re-caulking
  • new lighting
  • new medicine cabinet or mirror
  • new vanity, sink and faucets
  • and of course, budget friendly decorating

The current flooring is a Pergo-type flooring which is not ideal for a bathroom. {duh} There are a few warped planks. Time to remove it and install something much more bathroom-friendly.

bathroom makeover before

{previous owner forgot their shampoo!}

We headed to The Home Depot: a one stop shop for all tiling needs, whether you’re an experienced DIYer (like Mr. DIY) or first time tiler (like me) to see what would work for this space. Here are a few options that we looked at…

Daltile Atmospheres Tile Collection

Daltile Atmospheres Tile Collection

We headed to aisle 13 and “ooh’d and ahhh’d like kids in a toy store” at the awesome displays. We jumped right in and laid out designs right out on the floor. I promise we personally didn’t open any boxes – other people must need to touch and see tile in real life too. The Atmospheres Tile Collection by Daltile offers a variety of styles, colors and sizes to create unique designs…perfect! Endless possibilities!

Sandy Beach – porcelain tile that has a slate look

Daltile Sandy Beach porcelain tile

Pacific Sand and Briton Bone – glazed ceramic tiles with a natural stone look. I really enjoyed using both of these to create designs. I love the pattern on the left!

Daltile Briton Bone and Pacific Sand

Daltile Designer White – a  glazed ceramic tile inspired by the look of marble

Daltile Designer White

A large pretty collection of accent tiles…

Daltile Atmospheres Tile Accents Collection

Stay tuned to see which tile in the Daltile Atmospheres Collection we choose, my meeting with a Home Depot tile specialist, how to tile a floor tutorial and {keeping my fingers crossed} an awesome bathroom transformation. Which one was your favorite? {I’ve chosen 2. One for the apartment bathroom and possibly one for my future laundry room makeover!} Affordable, stylish and easy to install, Daltile is my kind of product!

The Home Depot

 

Tips for Tiling: https://diyshowoff.com/2012/08/21/tips-for-tiling-a-floor/

How to Tile: https://diyshowoff.com/2012/09/17/how-to-tile-a-bathroom-floor/

The Home Depot partnered with bloggers {like me!} to participate in its Daltile program. As part of the program, I received compensation from The Home Depot in the form of a gift card to participate in this campaign promoting the new Atmospheres Tile Collection by Daltile. They did not twist my arm to participate nor did they tell me what to say about the products used for the Daltile Program. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. 

A Bathroom Reveal

Meet: Gemma from

The Sweetest Digs

She shares our love of thrift shop hunting, interior design and DIY. The Sweetest Digs is a blog about Gemma’s adventures in transforming her first house from boring to beautiful on a shoestring budget.

Gemma’s bathroom before was pretty non-descript, totally storage-deprived with a danky old tub.

Goodbye boring beige bathroom. Hello classic, bright, and fresh. She’s a whole new woman.

Love the white with beautiful shower curtain and spa blue glass tile accent.

Gorgeous floating vanity/sink…

Let’s throw in a little side-by-side comparison for good measure. She’s come a long way!

Budget breakdown {goal was under $5k}…

  • tile (marble, subway tile, accent glass tile): $601.23 (originally $900, but we returned some unused tile)
  • bathtub and fan: $364.45
  • accessories (shower rod, towel bar, shower curtain, toilet paper holder, etc): $155.46
  • drywall: $115.98
  • mirror: $30
  • vanity (wood, track system, legs, handles): $176.50
  • vanity sink: $100
  • paint: $64.85
  • supplies (tiling supplies, plumbing, trim, tools, etc): $900.26
  • gift card purchased for friend who helped out with plumbing: $100

Grand total: $2608.73!!!

And after using some wedding gift cards, actual out of our pocket expense was only $1527.67. Not bad for a complete bathroom renovation!

Want to see more awesome DIY from Gemma? Pop over to The Sweetest Digs and introduce yourself!
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