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I recently, for the second time around, did a makeover of my husbands small bathroom. In total I spent, amazingly, under $200 to get it all done! The first time was no more than rushed false hope. And it didn’t turn out how I wanted. It made the room feel smaller than it already is, and dark all the time. I wanted to go more nautical, yet keep a coastal beach feel. It’s a common theme throughout our entire house. And it isn’t very easy to do with such a small space. The bathroom is literally a 35 square foot space!

Since the bathroom is relatively small, it is recommended to stray away from dark colors. As you can see I clearly didn’t do that in the first makeover. This time I went with a soft pale blue for the walls, and  ultra white for the ceiling. It originally was painted that god-awful teal like the rest of the walls. I even added in a white accent wall separated by molding.

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DIY Small Bathroom Makeover

Under $200

Peel – And – Stick Vinyl:  THE TRUTH

On the wall with the mirror, I used the peel-and-stick wood vinyl. Since tile runs half way up that side, I only had to use vinyl for a 4x5ft area, and it adds for great texture and dimension.

HOWEVER, if you are planning to do this in your house or bathroom, know this: the peel and stick vinyl are not just simply “peel and stick”.

Tried that – a complete failure. In just hours we were hearing bangs and clashes coming from the bathroom as the vinyl pieces were just falling off the wall. And this was without even using the shower and creating steam.

So slapping them on as is just wasn’t enough – never will be – no matter how sticky they feel. Instead, we glued them to the wall with adhesive (which comes in a spray can form). If you’re doing an entire wall, you’ll need at least 2 bottles. And go ham on the adhesive – don’t be afraid to lather it on. But be sure to read the instructions before starting the process.

[Update October 2017: The adhesive “works”, but over time (over a year later), the vinyl has started to “bubble” in the center, causing the vinyl pieces to curve outward and only stick to the wall by the edges. Which, in turn, looks tacky. So, I had to go back and use “cement nails” glue on the vinyl, which will prevent that “bubbling”. The bubbling probably occurred from steam and humidity created over time and causing the adhesive to be less sticky.]

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We bought our wood vinyl from Home Depot at around $65 for a box. One box was definitely enough to do an entire bathroom wall if needed, with a couple extra scrap or mess up pieces for other projects. Here are some of the basic necessities required to get started with the makeover.

I used a softer pale blue for the walls – far less harsh in a small space (it now looks light and bright without lights on). I also split the wall parallel to the sink using the white from the ceiling for half the wall and bought a section of molding to separate.

The colors I also purchased from Home Depot, and they were, Valspar Ultra White and Valspar Pale Flowers. I also used the Ultra White for painting the cabinets.

For last touches, I added a new shower curtain and did a revamp of a nautical rope mirror. Find out how easy it is to make in less than $30!

In total everything came out to under $200! The vinyl, 2 paint gallons, molding, rope and shower curtain all together. The most expensive was the wood vinyl, but I had so much left over that I am going to feature it somewhere else. It was so worth the money in comparison to that horrendous before picture.

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