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Master Bathroom Makeover- There is NUTHIN’ Master About This Bath

Writer McWriterson
Head over here to find even more inexpensive DIY projects.

 

 

So I have this bathroom.
That adjoins our bedroom.
They call it a “master” bathroom.
But there is nothing “master” about it.
Only that it is the bathroom that is assigned to the master bedroom.
So really, master by association bathroom.

For years I have wanted to shake it up but this is the thing; we still had the same paint from the previous owners (we will call them Claude and Mona for the sake of the blog) who lived here 7.5 years ago.
And we may or may not have still had the same storage cabinet in the bathroom over the toilet that may or may not have allegedly been in Claude and Mona’s master bath.

I even blogged about our pathetic little bath back in 2010 here.

Here is a picture of my bath from 2010:

 

 

 

See Claude and Mona’s white cabinet?
And my saline on the counter?
Apparently, I don’t know how to clear a counter before I take a picture.
This will make more sense to you in a few seconds.

So the bathroom was this blue color.
Which was nice and serene but also made this very soul-crushingly small room even smaller.
We also had one of those builder grade mirrors that take up most of the wall as well.
We ended up finding an amazing mirror at Lowe’s Labor Day weekend of 2010 but before you look at the picture let me offer a disclaimer about the picture you are about to see:

 

There is Monistat on the counter.
Because as well as having a really ugly bathroom in 2010, I must have also had a yeast infection.
And yes, I could have edited the photo but I decided to be real.
Because you are not gonna get this kind of honesty at the big blogs.
Nor will you get a plug for a feminine product.

 

 

Geez, it’s almost like I posed it there.
Like Monistat was paying me back then.
They weren’t.
Or I wouldn’t have had to wait two more years for a better bathroom.

Back to the mirror…it was only 12 dollars.
It was sheer luck that I found this because I have yet to find another mirror that even comes close to that price.
So the bathroom sat like this for another two years even after adding that mirror.
Whoa whoa whoa….didn’t want to go too fast you know.

So this summer I said, enough! We are making this bathroom our own after seven years!

But I wanted to do it, as I want to do everything, on a small budget.
My original budget was $150 dollars.
Which isn’t a lot when it comes to bathrooms.

Here is the before circa September 2012:

 

 

Do you see how the rugs, towels and shower curtain don’t even match or have remotely the same coloring?
I just gave up in here.
I had nothing left to give.

 

We did buy a new light fixture to replace the circa 1988 dressing room bulb light fixture.
$39 at Home Depot!
To give those who aren’t privy to pricing on these types of things some idea, these usually cost around $100 plus.
So I was really excited to find this.

 

Oh and see the new faucet?
Huge props to my husband for installing this himself.
He will be the first to admit that he isn’t the handiest of people but he is always willing to learn and try.
And he did this by himself, and I am really proud of him.

Afternote- he DID end up jacking it up. Have someone who knows what they are doing install it, please.  

The first step was to get rid of Claude and Mona’s blue bathroom and make it Mike and Kari’s bathroom.
Here it is after it was painted:

The color is Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.
But I took the swatch to Home Depot and had them mix it using Behr paint because it is more affordable that way.
I also for the first time used low VOC paint.
I couldn’t even smell the paint that night in the bedroom.
I will pay the extra and get it from now on.
And by the way, I love the color.
I think it looks more taupe than gray.
So the next thing I wanted to change was the floors.
Just your basic builder quality vinyl flooring.
I have never understood why people put light color flooring in bathrooms.
No, I can tell you why: the people who make those decisions have never cleaned a bathroom floor in their life.
White flooring shows every hair, every speck of dirt and every splotch of makeup.
The dirtiest room in the home should not have the lightest color floor.
So I had noticed on blogs and through home improvement shows that they now have peel and stick vinyl flooring that looks like hardwood floors and that you could install them on top of the existing floor.
So after price comparing at Home Depot and Lowe’s, I found what I wanted at Lowe’s.
Peel and stick plank flooring.
They have something very similar at Amazon here.
And I knew just the person to help me install it!
My best friend Rebecca.
Because my husband was out-of-town on business for a week when I decided to do this and I wanted to surprise him.
I should say that this was on day five of being alone with both of my girls day and night that “we” decided to install it.

Rebecca was amazing.
She pieced it all out like a puzzle.
Then she wanted to know if I wanted the planks to look staggered like real hardwood.
Umm, sure?
Because if I was doing this alone?
It wouldn’t have looked this good and I wouldn’t have thought this through.
And I would still be in this bathroom with flooring stuck to my hair, shirt, and body, rocking back and forth in the fetal position.
Crying.
Softly.

Looking good already!
So we were peeling and sticking the planks away and literally cheering each time we finished a plank.

Clap! Clap! Clap!
Look at us go!
We rock!

Then we started getting really cocky.

This is so easy!
Who in the world would pay anyone to do this?
A toddler could do this!

Until we hit a stumbling block.

The toilet.

The potty, the crapper, the john, call it what you will.
It was a pain in the you know.
No pun intended.

A little pun intended.

 

 

Rebecca made a template, then traced it onto the vinyl pieces, then I would take the knife of death utility knife and score the plank and snap it.
Then we would try to fit it into place like a puzzle.

This is when it happened.
We literally lost it.
We were laughing so hard that we had tears in our eyes.
Oh wait, maybe we were crying.

And that is when we said:

OMG, this is sooo why people pay other people to do these things!!

And that is when we also said:

I get why labor costs so much!!

 

Here is a picture of me enjoying my new floors whilst Rebecca is laboring away with the templates.

 

And here is the new floor!

I absolutely love this.
You have no idea.
I never ever EVER thought I would have floors like this.

[spacer height=”20px”]Thank you so much, Rebecca, for helping me with this.
I love you so much for this.
The cost?

$50 at Lowe’s.
Right???

 

50 dollars for hardwood looking floors!
My brother mentioned it would have been easier to take the toilet out altogether to install.
I told him, that I am replacing the girls’ bath flooring as well and I should expect him at my home to help next week.
Because if we had trouble putting the vinyl around the toilet, I am going to say we are gonna have even more trouble taking said toilet out.
Isn’t that the theory of relativity anyway?
Sure it is.

 

Are you ready for the big reveal?
Here we go……

 

I just can’t stop looking at those floors.

 

We were originally thinking about installing a new vanity.
We saw one we loved at Home Depot and it was $299.00 on sale but just hated to spend so much money.
So we decided to go with the new faucet and new knobs from Hobby Lobby.
Ten dollars compared to 300.
I love this so much and am so glad we decided to keep this vanity now.

Again, here is the before:

 

And here is the after:

 

 

The biggest difference is the floors by far and I love how easy it was (for the most part) to install them! (thanks again to Rebecca)

 

Here is the cost rundown for the bath renovation:

1- flooring– I got it at Lowe’s for $46.95 a box. I only needed one box of planks. It is called Style Selections and I do not remember the exact name of this color. It is serial # 0399147.
You can also find very similar styles at Amazon here for a lot less!
2- faucet–Peerless for $64.95
3- towel bars and accessories– $23.95 for a package.
4- outlet covers– $3.95 each
5– oval mirror– $12.00 at Lowe’s 2 years ago.
6- light fixture– Home Depot for 39 dollars which is discontinued but Amazon has one I love even more.
7- paint-Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore but used Behr low VOC paint from Home Depot – $30 for a gallon. I still have enough leftover to use in the girls’ bathroom makeover.
8- shower curtain– 19 bucks at Target. Inspiration? My mama. She has the same one in her beautiful Tennessee mountain home and now I feel like I have a part of her in my home.
9- knobs on vanity– 3 bucks each on sale from Hobby Lobby so 6 bucks total.

Grand total for a total master bath re-haul?

$ 249.75

$50 dollars less than what the new vanity alone would have cost!
 I went over my budget just a little but I was told by a realtor that any improvements you make in a bath or kitchen will increase your value by double.

I also did not shell all this money out at one time.

I love this look so much and I love that I didn’t have to break the bank to do it.
I wonder what Claude and Mona would think?
Go here to see how we re-did our girls’ bathroom with the same flooring!
Please follow me on Pinterest!
Plus I pin lots of yummy desserts and inappropriate quotes.

Visit Kari @ A Grace Full Life’s profile on Pinterest.

 

 

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. 

58 thoughts on “Master Bathroom Makeover- There is NUTHIN’ Master About This Bath”

  1. OHMYWORD I AM IN LOOOOVE!!! I have to redo our bathroom floor, the tiles are totally peeling up, i want to be a creeper and copy yours! You are awesome for putting in exactly what you used!!!

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  2. HOLY CRAP!!!! hahaha no pun intended? or maybe pun intended.hahaha it looks AH-mazing. i LOVE it so much. the floors are awesome. love it so much better with out the shlf over the tolete.and the meaning behind your shower curtain is SO cute…great job!!

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  3. @ My Blog BFF- Thank you friend! I can come over and help you with it. In exchange for wine. 😉 @ Antonia- It doesnt come up anonymous anymore!! Yay! Thanks friend, I love it so much. Probably more than what is normal. 🙂

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  4. It looks like you had an amazing weekend! Apple cider mini donuts sound delightful! And the bathroom!?!? Amazing! I love the before pictures… I'm notorious for leaving crap on the counter in pictures! The floor looks amazing, but I think the best part is that you have a bit of your mom in there. A girl always needs her mama!!

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  6. Wow, I'm so impressed! My master bath is smaller…only a shower! I blogged about it November 18, 2010 if you want to look. You guys did an awesome job…it's beautiful!

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  7. Wow, that is such an Awesome Makeover!! Great job. I love the new faucet and those hard woods, or is it vinyl…look great! Can't believe you spent so little.JaneFF

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  8. That floor made all the difference! When we moved into our house, the bathrooms were carpeted. Wall to wall. Yeah, it was gross. I wish that peel and stick fake wood had been available back then. Such a quick fix!

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  9. I stumbled onto the site, i heart nap time and came across a link to your site and really enjoyed your bathroom remodel. my husband is in construction ergo, nothing gets done here that I don't. truly the biggest impact was the flooring and it looks AMAZING! I love your writing and the humor behind it because you sound like a friend and made me laugh. Thanks!

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  11. great job! I did not take the toilet out when installing ours…and yes, I did the template on paper and it looks great!

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  13. Love this! I too have a small bathroom and the flooring is horrid. Love the peel and stick you did. My question is, are you're fixtures: mirror,knobs etc. black or oil rubbed bronze?

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  14. Patty- you didnt leave an email to respond so I hope you come back and read this! It is oil rubbed bronze. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

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  15. Beautiful! I want to do this in my bathroom like NOW!!! Did you take your baseboards and little trim by the door off or just stick the planks down next to them?

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  17. ha ha I still have carpet in my guest bathroom ick. we don't have a lowes up here only homedepot. i have been trying to decide what kind of flooring to get for 14 yrs and by golly this is it thx 😉

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  19. Help! I absolutely love that shower curtain, but cannot find it at Target 😦 would you happen to have any more info on it? Beth

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  20. the floor looks awesome!!! I may have to look into this…I love it! I thought the same thing about removing the toilet. I sppose if I was doing it myself I'd probably convince myself to work around it but my husband's a plumber so I got the right guy to remove it for me! 🙂

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  22. Anonymous- You won't be able to find it on Target.com. Did you look in store?If you can't find it, I will look it up and post the exact name.

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  23. Having a wooden bathroom floor is pretty unique. Not only does it look good, but it also promotes cleanliness more because people will have the discipline not to spill water on the floor because it has the tendency to warp if it’s always wet.

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  25. I love this, this is great, did I mention that I love this? I have been mulling over using Ben Pewter in my family room. I picked Baby Fawn but now after seeing your bath in 2nd guessing myself. This is a big one for me because it is not only the color for the family room, but also the 2 1/2 story entrance foyer, upstairs hall and stairwell, and part of our kitchen … gotta love open floor plans! – Jacque @theDIYvillage

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  28. That looks awesome! Better idea to go with the vinyl hardwood look than real hardwood. We have real hardwood in two of our bathrooms, stupidest thing I ever saw- clearly they were not the thought of a mother who bathes her children 🙂

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  29. Thank you for sharing this beautiful post. I am actually very envious of you for having that wonderful autumn drive. I really love to have seen those beautiful mums with my own eyes. These are just very uplifting. Anyway, your bathroom has indeed transformed. You certainly did an absolutely amazing job, which I am certain that others as well as home builders Missouri will also appreciate. Thanks for sharing this post.

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  30. Great idea! I'm thinking of using this in our master bath as well! One question~how did you work around the baseboards and the flush that separates the bath floor from the next room's floor?Thank you for sharing this with us viewers;)

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  31. Great idea! I'm thinking of using this in our master bath as well! One question~how did you work around the baseboards and the flush that separates the bath floor from the next room's floor?Thank you for sharing this with us viewers;)

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  35. I LOVE it! That flooring is exactly what I want for my whole house. How has it held up and would us use it again? Great makeover and is Rebecca still your Bestie after the event, lol? Y'all did a great job.

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    1. Beautifully!But I would keep any extra strips of flooring in case you need to replace them.I haven't had to for my bathroom but just in case.Thanks for visiting!

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    1. Funny you should ask….I was going to take pictures to add to this post but the lighting sucked.
      They are holding up surprisingly well. A few pieces came off of the area beside the toilet but we had so much left over that we just replaced it.
      But other than that, they are worth every penny.

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      2. The name is Style Selections at Lowe’s. They have many name brands to choose from but these were much less expensive.
        They are called Peel and Stick Vinyl planks. They have many colors to choose from but I don’t remember the name of mine because I don’t have the box any longer just the planks. I hope this helps.

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  40. Kari, not only do I love, love, love your “newest” bathroom redo, but I love your blog. You totally made me smile while reading your experience. Job well done!

    I am moving into an apartment and will take this on in my “new” bathroom!

    Thank you for being such a great writer!

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  41. What an amazing makeover! One year after your updates in the comments, I’m wondering if it comes off if you’re intentionally trying to take it off? I have a gross dirty beige tile in my bathroom and would like to put something like this on top; the problem is, the house isn’t mine (rental) and I’d probably have to leave it the way it was if the landlord doesn’t like it. Thank you!

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    1. Thank you! So I have had this on my floor for almost five years now and it is still there! But it is starting to come up in places. So you could definitely peel this off. I would say this is a perfect idea for renters since you aren’t able to change the floors but I would ask your landlord to be safe. Maybe show her/him the after on this post and see if they like it. Maybe they will decide to keep it! Good luck!

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      1. I really like this ! Problem is I have light hardwood downstairs and old school light brown laminate upstairs. I would love to do this for my whole upstairs but I know it’ll be weird having different floors upstairs and down. Would you recommend this flooring for like a whole house? Because this looks fairly simple like I could do it myself and less expensive 🙂

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      2. Actually, I have light hardwood downstairs too and dark hardwood upstairs so I can relate! I wouldn’t recommend it for large well-traveled spaces because it is peel and stick at the end of the day. But maybe try it on a smaller room like a kitchen or entryway and see how it holds up. Take pictures and share them if you go ahead and do it!

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  42. Did you remove the baseboards to install the planks? If not can you see the planks against the baseboards? It looks great and I would love to do this to our laundry room

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    1. I didn’t have to remove them, just placed them right against the baseboards. You can’t even see a gap. I suppose it depends on the type of baseboard you have, but I think it will be fine no matter what. Good luck!

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  44. This looks great, I just bought some and excited to do this project! But did you cut the template from around your toilet with the utility knife and from which side? The top or bottom of the tile?

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