Okay gang, have you ever wanted to just dramatically change your bathroom, but dont know where to start, or dont have a budget really to do it!? Well, that was me the first year after we moved into The Morganston House. And I really didnt know what I wanted to do with our main upstairs bathroom. I did a quick fix when we moved in, I painted one wall a dark navy to match the dark navy tile and called it a day. But it just felt so dark and wasn’t bringing me any joy. And when youre getting for ready for work everyday, you gotta feel good in your bathroom right??

I knew I had to change up the flooring if I really wanted to make a dramatic change to the room. But, I did not have the budget to do the main bathroom with the upcoming Laundry/Mudroom & Main floor Bathroom addition. So, I tried to think of a plan B. Rip the tile up and hope theres hardwood underneath? Leave it and try to get a big runner rug to fill as much tile as possible? Or… paint it! Yes my friends, there is such a thing as paint and primer to cover tile. And boy did I do my research to find the best techniques and procedure to pull this off (it was really just a quick prayer to the DIY Gods that it was going to work!). So, after a successful weekend of giving the bathroom a huge makeover, I can now share my tips and tricks so you guys can do the same!

So let me first outline what I wanted to accomplish in the bathroom this week:

1 – Paint all walls the same colour (Alabaster by Sherwin Williams which is my whole upper floor wall colour)

2 – Paint the vanity that was leftover a custom green/teal/gray colour – yeppp. That’s a great explanation right? Ill explain more in depth later!

3 – Paint the tile floors a light gray.

4 – Add in some pine shelving on top of the toilet.

Okay.. so thats only 4 things right? Not too bad… okay I’m kidding. It’s a lot of work! So make sure your weekend is free and clear so you can really finish the job fast! Ill take you through the first stage: PREP.

STEP 1: PREP

-Take apart the vanity, remove hardware, and tape all edges that you dont want to be painted

-Tape trim, bathtub etc in bathroom to prepare for wall paint

-Tape trim where tile floor meets the trim to prepare for floor paint

STEP 2: WALLS

-Okay guys, I swear by Beauti Tone by Home Hardware. Even if you have a different code (Like Alabster which is by Sherwin Williams, you can just give Home Hardware the code – SW7008 and they will match it!) then what they have, anything is possible. My favourite is the eggshell base.

-Flex those muscles and get rollin’!

STEP 3: VANITY MAKEOVER

-You all know by now by complete obsession with Fusion Mineral Paint, so it was a no brainer that I used this product for this project. I did do the front of the vanity before I started the walls (see above) because I wanted to give these front pieces like 3 or 4 coats. I went a little against the grain though, and decided I wanted to mix my own colour. I knew I wanted it to be green, so I grabbed a Praire Sunest & Liberty Blue and made my own blend. (Make sure you really commit to painting the two coats with this blend, so you dont have to come back later and make a new batch to try to match the colour perfectly!). Lather on that blend, let dry for about an hour (I stuck a fan on it too to speed up the process) and then apply second coat.

-Let dry for 3 or more hours. Put hardware* back on a resemble your vanity in the bathroom so you can start on your floors. Do this carefully* though – the paint is still setting, but in order to get this done in a weekend, you need to start on the floors today!

*I totally forgot to mention – I transformed my hardware! The hardware that came with this vanity was a silver colour and I had a plan to replace the hardware, faucet, light fixture and towel racks. So, without going and buying a brand new hardware set, I picked up some spray paint from Home Hardware in this gorgeous rich gray/brown matte colour. It was so easy – just take the hardware outside on a piece of cardboard and spray all areas. I did 2 coats! It looks sooo great!*

STEP 4: PAINTING YOUR TILE FLOORS

-Okay guys, this is where things get intense. You are going to become a painting expert by the end of this. First things first – you need to prime. And I mean priiiiime the crap out of those floors. The more prime the better. I’ve linked the primer I used from Home Hardware here. I suggest it for sure! Give your floors a quick sweep and even a light mop (let dry) before you paint to make sure theres no dust or strays that can get caught in the paint. Once your floors are clean, make sure you have everything taped off, and then get to priming! I suggest 3 coats minimum.

-After your primer is nice and dry, you can start laying down your colour. I used Home Hardwares floor paint that is mildew and wear and tear resistant. The beauty of Home Hardwares Floor paint is you can colour it so easily, and get the base you want (again, I use Eggshell!) so have fun picking out your new floor colour :). Again make sure the primer is dry, and you can officially lay your first coat! A quick tip: use a paint brush for your grout seems, and then a small roller for the top of the tile (this will eliminate any paint brush streaks along the smooth tile)

-I like to use a standing fan when I paint, helps the drying process and keeps the smell down. So stick the fain on your floor, and head out the the garden for a couple of hours to let the first coat dry.

-Same with the primer, you can lay as many coats as you want. I suggest 2 to 3. Whatever you’re happy with! Now, after youre done your final coat – step away!!! Close that door and let that paint set for a minimum of 24 hours. Trust me, this will decrease the chances of any knicks or scuffs in the paint. Let it sit!!

STEP 5: FINAL TOUCHES

-This is totally up to you, but I left my floors bare in the sense that I didnt lay a poly or varathane to seal the paint. I would suggest you do if you are a big family or that floor is going to get a lot of wear and tear on the daily. With just Brandon and I, there really isn’t too much foot traffic happening. Also, leaving the floors bare makes it easy to touch up any knicks that may happen over time 🙂

My bathroom definitely looks crazy different because not only did I paint everything (literally) I bought new light fixtures and hardware (toilet paper holder, towel holder) from WAYFAIR, and I also replaced the faucet (it needed to be trust me!) with my favourite faucet by MOEN. These were the most expensive replacements out of the whole project! But really did make the difference in the final before and after! (Oops… still need to fix that outlet haha!) I also added those shelves that I mentioned before. You guys – they may be the easiest part of the whole project. They are 2’ in length and 9” wide (what standard Pine comes in roughly at Home Depot), stained them Golden Oak, bought 4 brackets from Home Hardware (I spray painted these the same colour as the hardware… I just have to touch up the screw heads to make it all match/blend in!) and taadaa!!! Easy shelves to display linens, towels and a few of my favourite staging items!

I just want to mention too guys, this isn’t a forever fix – I am fully aware that this paint could chip over time and you should be too, because tile isn’t naturally meant to be painted. But, it was a quick and cheap fix!! By looking after my floors, using nice sturdy floor mats, my floors should last a long time! Thank gosh that ‘Galaxy Tile’ is gone.. right?!?!?!

If you have any questions my friends please reach out! Or if ive missed a step or process, happy to help!!

**Update: 1.5 months later – no chips!! Loving this paint.

Talk soon, Sam xx

Ps- full video tutorials are saved on my Instagram Stories under ‘DIY’ – go take a peek for more details!