Rental-Friendly Primary Bathroom Remodel

 
Major interior design transformations don't have to me complicated or expensive. When I moved temporarily into a rental home last year to be closer to my son's high school, making it our own was a top priority. But there were obvious limitations to what I could do in terms of design because unlike our last place, I don't own this home.

The primary bathroom was a blank slate, to put it nicely (see the before below). Drawing inspiration from my primary home where I installed authentic wood slats in the living room (bottom left image), and added a modern domino tile floor to my primary bathroom reno, I adapted the concept to my new abode. The best part? It is all rental-friendly and/or super-easy!
 
 
 
Thanks to several uncanny products, bringing the vision home was seamless. The wallpaper is a removable peel-and-stick wallpaper that mimics wood slats, and even the light fixtures can be updated (and removed) if you know your way around basic electricity and wiring.
 
The Checkerboard-style peel-and-stick tile flooring is the latest upgrade in the bathroom, and was the crowned jewel that brought it all together. This was my second time installing a peel-and-stick floor tile, the first time being my former kitchen floor upgrade, which went viral on TikTok. While these tiles are not technically removable because of the adhesive on the back, they are extremely easy to install yourself. I completed this project on a slower weekday/workday between calls, and it took maybe two hours. I made sure to ask my landlord for permission (this time), because as I mentioned, it's not technically removable like everything else I've done. I sent him a digital rendering that I created in Photoshop (which truly already looked like the real thing) and assured him that I knew what I was doing, referencing my kitchen from before. I also said I would cover all associated costs, which came to a little over $100 for this amazing transformation. It definitely looks like a 4-figure job to me!
 
 
All I needed for this project was a pair of semi-heavy duty scissors, a pen, and a straightedge. A rotary blade also came in handy for creating clean scores when I needed half of a tile. The tiles then snap easily. I made a note of some useful tips along the way for anyone who wants to tackle this project on their own, and for my future client projects: 
 
  • Definitely lay it all out first, or at least all of the pieces that can lay flat.
  • Set a corner of a tile against a prominent edge in the space at a 45-degree angle (if you're going for the diamond look, like I did). In my case, that was the bathtub edge. In my case, it resulted in less odd-shaped pieces, and I could use more later down the road. I barely had any scraps/ wasted pieces left over!
  • You can also set from the centerpiece outwards. All other pieces will automatically line up. Try out this method, or the one before it, and see what looks and works best for your space.

 


  • Use the peel-off backing of a tile to trace out odd areas, like around door frames or toilets. Then place that on top of a tile and trace the outline. Use scissors to cut on the outline, and you'll have your odd-shaped tile.
  • You can use scissors, especially for odd, rounded and finer cuts. I was skeptical when I read in an Amazon review that scissors could work but I tried it out about halfway through, and it's true! I couldn't have made odd cuts without using scissors.
  • Save every odd cutting! It will come in handy on those awkward gaps, corners and edges that are bound to pop up.

I'll try this out next in my son's much smaller bathroom, and with a different style. And if you try this out, let me know how it works out! Drop a comment and share with your fellow DIYers :) Visit my Amazon storefront to see all of the products I used to transform this space. Don't miss out on the wall baskets on xN Studio here.

And contact us for customized interior design services, whether you need design renderings or the full package. xN Studio is your go-to! Find out more here: https://xnstudio.com/pages/interior-design-services.

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