Modernizing an Old Restroom

As we have been living in our house for years now, we have improved and modernized many rooms already but never really tackled our old restroom, it was functional but definitely not finished. After procrastinating for many years, it was finally time to give our tiny restroom a makeover.

If you feel inspired and want to do the same thing here are the supplies that I used :

Sand Paper

Glue (PVC to any support)

Silicone

PVC Tile

Aluminum and PVC Trim

Linoleum floor

Tiny rubber

Mallet

Jigsaw

Here is what it previously looked like before the makeover and as you can see it was quite rudimentary and old looking.

The first step was actually to plan what exactly we wanted to do, how we wanted to do it and how much we were willing to spend.

Thought process :

What we did not like :

• The look and finish of the existing tile (walls) :

We could have painted over the existing tile but we did not like the finish and shape of it and painting it would have just given it another color.

So knowing that we wanted to change the walls here were the options that we thought about:

- Tiling over the existing tile

- Removing old tiles

- Applying a resin to smooth the walls

Applying a resin to smooth the existing wall seemed like a lot of work and we were not even sure to get a smooth and well done finish.

We choose to tile over the existing tile to make it easier and also because by removing the old tiles, the walls would have been pretty messed up behind it and we were not planning on doing the walls again.

Choosing the tile material :

We decided to go with PVC tiles for three reasons :

- First of all, classical (ceramic, stone...) tiles are usually thicker and by tilling over the existing tile we were going to lose a bit of space in our already small restrooms. So the thinner we could go the better.

- PVC Tiles are extremely easy to work with, all you need is a jigsaw equipped with a plastic cutting blade and some specific glue to make it stick it to the walls.

- PVC Tiles were also cheaper

• The look and finish of the existing tile (floor) :
  

For the floor, we also had many options but we decided to go with a Linoleum floor because :

- we were not planning on removing the toilet so it was the easier option to get around it with ease.

- most practical flooring to install especially in tight spaces such as our restrooms

- cheap and still looks good

- versatility of designs available

- works great for a room prone to water splash...

• The fact that there was no actual sink :
  

Even though we did not have a sink in it, the water inlet and outlet had always been in the restroom. We never decided to add an actual sink because it seemed to tight of a space but after looking for different options we saw that very small yet still functional and modern sink existed so we were willing to add a sink to it.

All in all I know it might seem like a lot and people usually tend to skip the planning step but in the long run I can guarantee you it’s worth it and you end up gaining time and money later on.

In order to work in the best conditions as possible you first want to remove everything that could bother you during the process off the walls :

- Remove everything that is hung on the walls (paintings...)

- If you got a sink mounted it is better to remove it

- Light fixtures

...

Once everything has been removed from the surface it’s time to prepare the surface for the gluing of the PVC panels if you want it to stick correctly.

If any paint is flaking remove it because because you want your glue to be sticking to a surface that will be holding in the long term.

In addition, I would advise you to sand the whole surface with a rough grit sand paper in order for the glue to adhere better. Once you have sanded the whole surface make sure to clean it well, remove any dust and grease from it. To remove any greasy residue that could be on the walls use isopropyl alcohol, it works great and leaves a dry finish.

Concerning the tiles, we decided to go with large tiles for two reasons :

• they tend to visually expand the space

• You get fewer grout lines

Regarding the color we decided to go two tone to create both depth and contrast. We chose a white concrete finish and charcoal grey as our two main colors because it’s quite modern and we liked the way the tiles looked.

Even though you might be eager to tile the walls first, it is better to put the floor in place before tiling the walls. By doing so, when tiling the walls, the tiles can rest onto the floor and the edges of the Linoleum floor so they can be hidden and stuck under the tiles.

Laying the Linoleum floor down is very easy, you just need to cut it to size using a utility blade.

For a big surface area it is recommended to glue it to the floor but in such a tight place where they will not be a lot of traffic it is not even necessary.

Once the floor is place it is time to tile !

If like us you went for large tiles (the tile we chose were 1178cm x 394cm), try to lay them out prior to gluing them to make sure you choose a layout that flows well. You should also try to arrange it so that you would have as little cut as possible to make.
In our case we went for a brick Bond (stepped) pattern.

Once you feel ready, you can start cutting your tiles to size using a jigsaw with a blade made for plastic.Once the tiles are cut you can glue them to the wall using the specialized glue. It is recommended to start from the bottom that way the bottom tiles can rest onto the floor (the linoleum) so it puts less stress onto the glue for the rest of the wall as you go up.

Mounting the sink is very straight forward, choose the location where you want to mount it and how high you want it. Usually it is recommended to mount it at around 85 cm from the floor. Before drilling into the wall to mount it make sure you are level. Do not forget to rout the water inlet and outlet pipes through the cabinet before mounting it to the wall. Once it is in place you just got to connect water inlet and outlet as labeled onto your sink.

While it might seem excessive, the finishing touches are actually really what makes your project stand out and give it qualitative finish.

Here are the different things I did to finalize it :

• Aluminum and PVC trims in the angles and edges

The PVC trims were used for the edges at the end of the tiles on their side and where it came in contact to the door frame.

The aluminum trims were used in the corners where the link between the two tiles is rough since they don’t clip in the angles. I also used smaller ones at the top of the tiles in between the upper wall and the tile separation.

• Casing to hide the toilet pipe

There was a huge pipe coming out from the pipe and it looked out of place in this newly renovated restroom so i was able to hide it using some of the tile scraps.

• Silicone seal around the sink to make sure water does not sip in

• Finally, I even used an old box lid that had a spherical shape which I cut to make a tiny cover over the pipe that went into the wall that way it was not as noticeable.

All these steps are illustrated in the pictures.

All in all it was an amazing project and I think it turned out great. I had never worked with PVC tiles before but it made the whole process simple and fast. Hopefully you enjoyed this project and even give it a try.

Thank you for reading my article, do not hesitate if you got any questions or advice.