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kcyarz

Mitigating hideous tile

2 years ago

We have this ginormous tub/tile situation in our primary.


I have recently removed the old burgundy wallpaper + border that matched the tile. The tile remains as we cannot afford to rip it out or blow it up as I would greatly prefer.


After the old wallpaper was removed I painted the walls BM's Linen White, which looks cream because of the temp on the LED lights.


Suggestions for how to mitigate this tile so it is less noticeable? Paint it?


Is the wall color (BM Linen White) making it worse?


Would a painted cabinet pull the eye away from the tile?


We cannot afford to rip it out at this time and just want a cosmetic update.


Thank you,



Comments (69)

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Paint or sticker the offending decorative tiles only. Why Paint whole tub

  • 2 years ago

    This blogger painted her floor tile and she explains her process. Lots if tutorials available.

    https://www.drivenbydecor.com/how-painting-bathrooms-ceramic-tile-floors-diy/

    kcyarz thanked ratherbesewing
  • PRO
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Paint the tub surround plain white, and go back and paint the walls a COLOR. What color? What's in the master bedroom? Walls, bedding, etc. Make a link to that space, add a runner rug, accent hand towels, counter top accessories etc. The mirror is as dated as the tile. Change that too.: ) Lav faucets look pretty 1988, but lets not get carried away in a bath that really needs a rip out.


    Perhaps find a framed leaner size mirror to span the entire vanity area.

  • 2 years ago

    Who all sees this room? Wait a hot minute style will circle back. Be happy it's not your kitchen.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    The style won't come back in a billion "hot minutes". .......

    Throw 2k at it in re painting walls, tub surround to white , faucets, mirror rug, accessories and call it a DAY until a rip.

  • 2 years ago

    Take it step by step, as others have suggested the white wall paint isn’t working well with the tile. Start there first. Then review. A couple of packets of the stickers may be an effective way of finding out how much you like a completely white surface, or just toning it back with whiting out the squarer tiles leaving the trim. If the all white look is a goer, start texturing with windows and accessories. If being more selective works, then that gives you a little more colour to bring in, which might be softer in tone rather than very strong.

    kcyarz thanked kazzh
  • 2 years ago

    If you do decide to do a new mirror I’d suggest posting better shots of both vanities - I’d like to see if there is a better arrangement like maybe a larger mirror that covers most of that wall because the off center nature of it could be improved upon.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    JAN MOYER the mirrors are brand new from Home Goods. They replaced the builder-grade large rectangle frameless mirrors attached to the wall. So those are staying (I like them).

  • 2 years ago

    arcy_gw you should see the kitchen!!! :) It's worse than the bathroom! Green counters, bad wallpaper, and a plastic "Tiffany" light fixture.

  • 2 years ago

    JAN MOYER thanks but where I'm from $2K is a lot of $$$$. We've just spent the past 6 weeks ripping down the wallpaper, which took down the drywall paper, then sealing the remaining drywall paper, then spackling every inch of the wall, sanding it all, respackling, sealing with two coats of Kilz, and then painting Linen White (which is the same color in the attached bedroom). We did all this work ourselves instead of spending $2K+ to pay someone to do it. I'm pretty proud of where it is after where it was, knowing the amount of work that's gone into it to get this far. My goal is to make it livable for the time being, while we take care of other more urgent projects.

  • 2 years ago

    This is what it was just 6 weeks ago:


  • 2 years ago

    Wow. You did A LOT OF hard work in there already.

    Just paint the offending tiles to match the rest of them and move on. Is new cabinet hardware installed or still on the list? Hard to see exactly what is on the vanity.

    Inexpensive window curtains on the list? Or is your house private?

    kcyarz thanked RedRyder
  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Oh my. Three different papers AND accent tiles.

    kcyarz thanked HALLETT & Co.
  • 2 years ago

    Oh my, I feel your pain. Did the same thing once with a house filled with wall paper directly on the dry wall. You definitely get a feeling of satisfaction when it's done. Good on you!

    Just paint with a glossy enamel. All will be well and thank the decorating gods the floor is nice.

    kcyarz thanked tozmo1
  • 2 years ago

    Well after that before shot, I think we all agree that the room has already been toned back quite considerably! 🫨😁

    kcyarz thanked kazzh
  • 2 years ago

    I would tear the tub out now and put down a cheap wood look LVP for now. Add some houseplants where the tub was.



    kcyarz thanked ci_lantro
  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Nobody is suggesting that 2 k is an amount of money one just flushes down a drain. But the fact is I did not suggest that money be thrown at labor. It was materials, basically. Or perhaps to include electrical, and a plumber !

    "Throw 2k at it in re painting walls, tub surround to white , faucets, mirror rug, accessories and call it a DAY until a rip."

    That amount of money on a bath that would set you back 50k on a total gut ? Two k isn't a lot.

    Nobody here knows what other "pressing" projects you're doing, or your budget. Nobody has any way of knowing you JUST purchased the mirrors. All we were seeing was some dated accent tile, and all the pictures posted from one angle. Do I think the faucets are dated? Yes. Do I think there may have been other mirrors? Yes. Does it matter? No. You do what you can do, but this is the internet and we don't read minds. : )

  • 2 years ago

    Thanks, JAN MOYER , I was just asking about the tile & paint. If I had $2K to spend I'd have more options. Have a nice day,

  • 2 years ago

    RedRyder I'll be painting the tile this weekend! Fingers crossed it turns out. I do need some simple window treatments for privacy but I think I've got that figured out. The cabinet door/drawer pulls were previously white ceramic with a (tile matching!) floral print. I had some extra brass pulls from another project and put those on instead. Don't love them but they are better. I can live with them for now. Unlike the wallpaper :)

  • 2 years ago

    BeverlyFLADeziner I'll be painting the tile this weekend! Thank you for the very helpful photo!

  • 2 years ago

    ci_lantro we do actually use the tub, so I'm not tearing it out until we can replace it. It's clean and in good condition. Just ugly.

  • 2 years ago

    ratherbesewing this was a super helpful link - love the stenciling ideas she has. Thanks!

  • 2 years ago

    If anyone is still paying attention to this little post...I painted the walls and tile. Thanks to all who gave helpful suggestions!


  • 2 years ago

    What an incredible make-over! Bravo!! Well done.

    kcyarz thanked chinacatpeekin
  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    @kcyarz the finished/updated bathroom looks great, what an amazing transformation. Well done.

    kcyarz thanked Dawn Martinez
  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Yes, under Notifications. That is amazing! So beautiful. Who knew...seriously, that a little paint could really transform the space.

    The curtains are a very nice touch to add some softness and catch the light. Good job.

    kcyarz thanked tracefloyd
  • 2 years ago

    It looks a thousand times better! Don’t we all love the magic of paint?!? A pat on the back is in order.

    kcyarz thanked RedRyder
  • 2 years ago

    It looks really nice! May I ask what kind of paint you used on the tile?

    kcyarz thanked Mrs. S
  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Fantastic!

    kcyarz thanked HALLETT & Co.
  • 2 years ago

    Wonderful!!!

    kcyarz thanked ShadyWillowFarm
  • 2 years ago

    Wow, that is beautiful, good job!

    kcyarz thanked doods
  • 2 years ago

    Looks great. Good job.

    kcyarz thanked homechef59
  • PRO
    2 years ago

    That turned out so nicely! Well worth the effort, great job :)

    kcyarz thanked beesneeds
  • 2 years ago

    For a a quick temporary fix, you can paint the tiles.

  • 2 years ago

    It looks wonderful and updated now. Well done.

    kcyarz thanked cpartist
  • 2 years ago

    Fantastic. Needs to go in a Best of Houzz DIY top ten list. Nice work on the windows too.

    kcyarz thanked Kendrah
  • 2 years ago

    Holy buckets that looks terrific! Such a terrific DIY fix -

    kcyarz thanked la_la Girl
  • 2 years ago

    Holy cow!!! You need to put up a before/after picture. This is amazing.


    kcyarz thanked Emily R.
  • 2 years ago

    Job well done!

    kcyarz thanked nelliebean
  • 2 years ago

    Wow, thanks everybody! This was a project! My spouse did most of the work repairing the walls after the wallpaper came down. Painting was the easy part. For the tile paint I used "DWIL Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit." I needed three kits worth of paint to cover the old pattern fully. If I did it again I'd use something that came in a larger size - the kit just has a small amount of paint. But application was fairly simple and it did not have a strong odor.

  • 2 years ago

    But well worth it...and good advice.

  • 2 years ago

    Great transformation! Love the wall color.

  • 2 years ago

    Very cool. Thanks for sharing! So glad you were able to do it as a diy. Love the wall color. Excellent pic.

  • 2 years ago

    Gorgeous! You did a great job! Love happy endings.


    What color/brand of blue paint did you use?

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    Charming! Love the breezy cafe curtains : )

    Makes me want a pretty little 3 x 5 on that floor....



  • 2 years ago

    This looks so wonderful! Glad you posted an update; you must be so happy with the results. Great job, stunning improvement!

  • 2 years ago

    You must be so proud to create such a different bathroom! I love to see what can be done without spending a ton of money. Bravo! Very pretty!


  • 2 years ago

    Can’t wait to see what you do with your kitchen! Start a new post on that….and keep us notified of your progress! Wonderful job on your bathroom!

  • 2 years ago

    Amazing transformation.lovely space now!