See a DIY Powder Room Transformation for $1,100
Determination, DIY skill and a stunning tile feature wall helped make this formerly dark and gloomy powder room feel spacious
Chrissy Torres is determined when it comes to tackling home projects. Once while stripping a fireplace wall in her Saint Paul, Minnesota, house she fell off a chair and broke her arm so badly, it had to be put back together with a plate. But before her scheduled surgery, she was up on a ladder finishing stripping the wall with her good arm. “Yes, I’m very determined,” she says. “It’s probably not my best suit.”
AFTER: They took everything out, cut open the wall and moved the pipes up for a wall-mounted faucet. Plumbing pipe connectors from SharkBite made the job of connecting pipes easy. “They just push together like a Lego,” Chrissy says. Then they put up new drywall, removed the old light fixture and added the pendant lights and recessed light in the ceiling.
They took the 6- by 12-inch Desert Quartz stone tile from Lowe’s all the way to the ceiling and painted the ceiling and walls a toasted white, drawing the eye upward. “I walk in, and it feels huge,” Chrissy says. The interlocking tiles didn’t require any grout. Chrissy, who blogs about her home projects at Mommy’s Tool Belt, had considered small square glass tiles in various colors but worried it would be too trendy. “Natural stone feels a lot more timeless,” she says.
They took the 6- by 12-inch Desert Quartz stone tile from Lowe’s all the way to the ceiling and painted the ceiling and walls a toasted white, drawing the eye upward. “I walk in, and it feels huge,” Chrissy says. The interlocking tiles didn’t require any grout. Chrissy, who blogs about her home projects at Mommy’s Tool Belt, had considered small square glass tiles in various colors but worried it would be too trendy. “Natural stone feels a lot more timeless,” she says.
Two pendants replaced the old fixture for a more modern look. Chrissy put a recessed light over the toilet, set just far enough back to downlight the upper portion of the tile wall and show off its texture.
Here’s the budget breakdown for this project:
Tile: $330, including a bag of thinset
Vanity: $187 on sale at Hayneedle
Sink: $139, from Signature Hardware
Faucet: $169, from Signature Hardware
Mirror: $107, from Overstock.com
Lights: $57 each, from ATG Stores
Plumbing pipes: $50
Total: $1,096
More:
Key Measurements to Help You Design a Powder Room
7 Tile Tips for Baths on a Budget
Here’s the budget breakdown for this project:
Tile: $330, including a bag of thinset
Vanity: $187 on sale at Hayneedle
Sink: $139, from Signature Hardware
Faucet: $169, from Signature Hardware
Mirror: $107, from Overstock.com
Lights: $57 each, from ATG Stores
Plumbing pipes: $50
Total: $1,096
More:
Key Measurements to Help You Design a Powder Room
7 Tile Tips for Baths on a Budget
The dark chocolate color seen here made the powder room feel small. Meanwhile, the sink had come loose and would move around on its pedestal. The mirror was off center, and Chrissy hated the lighting.