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Back in 2020 I put up shiplap on the back wall and ceiling of the bathroom and painted my bathtub tile with Tough as Tile paint because I wasn’t a fan of the tile the builder installed. You can read more about those projects here and here.
The bathroom makeover I did in 2020 I always intended to be temporary. I didn’t think the paint on the floor or the bath/shower tiles would last forever but it was a fun update and I learned a lot from it. The bath tile and floor tile lasted perfectly for the last 3+ years, but the shower tile is a little worn. So it was time to do a more permanent remodel. I started by removing the tiles around the bathtub, I tried hitting them with a hammer and prying them off to see if I could save the drywall.
But I quickly realized that wasn’t going to work. Instead of making a big mess I decided to use my multitool to cut around the edges of the tile and pry the tile off with the drywall attached.
This method worked really well and each wall of tile came off in a big chunk! Drywall is cheap and easy to replace, especially if you’re going to be covering it up with tile and don’t have to worry about mudding and texturing it.
It was somewhat heavy but the mess was minimal.
Last wall!
Then I needed to remove the shiplap because I planned to bring the tile all the way up above the window.
I went ahead and removed the shiplap from all of the ceiling too. I have different plans for it.
Side note: this retractable ladder is amazing and can be stored in small spaces! I use it all the time!
When I put the shiplap up I used wood glue and brad nails. I could have probably skipped the glue, it damaged the ceiling quite a bit. Instead what I do now is shoot the brad nails in at opposite angles so they hold it on better.
I chose this gorgeous Zellige tile from Riad Tile and I’m so happy with it! It took me a few days, but I got the tile up. I did have to prime the back wall because I used a satin paint and the mortar doesn’t stick to that well. I didn’t want to risk the tiles just falling off the wall! This is how far I got after the first day.
The sides of the window actually took a while. I could have cut them all the same and just had whole pieces going along the edges but then the pattern would have been off, so I had to run to and from the garage a million times to make these small cuts.
The top edges of the side walls were the hardest. The edges of the tiles aren’t finished with glaze as you can see below.
So I had to make 45 degree cuts on them to make them look finished.
Then when I install it I put mortar between the 2 pieces so they stick together and they look like a whole tile. I planned on grouting the edges where they go together because I’ll be using light colored grout and it will make them look whole.
It’s also important to soak these types of tile in water before installing them. Kind of like when I sprayed my concrete slab with water before putting the mortar down. If the tiles are dry they can suck the moisture out of the mortar too quickly, not allowing it to cure properly and it will be weak and could fall off easily. You only need to soak them for 2-3 minutes.
I finished installing the sides and the right side of the window.
You can see above I was having trouble reaching, even with a stool. So I got Tyler’s help putting the last row of tile up. He’s 6’4 and I’m 4’11, so he comes in really handy!
I love this tile because it’s meant to look raw and natural, not perfect, so it’s hard to mess it up! You don’t have to worry about your grout lines being perfect so this is a great tile for beginners!
Once that was installed and the mortar had a few days to dry it was time to choose a grout color. I had a bunch of the light almond grout left over from when I was going to use that for the floor tile but decided not to, so I glued some scrap tile to a box and grouted it to see how it would look.
I let it dry just to be sure it wasn’t going to look yellow like it did on the floor and it was perfect! It didn’t look yellow at all next to this tile!
I got to work grouting. I started from the top because I figured that would be most difficult so I wanted to get it out of the way while I was fresh and not tired. I just spread it on with a grout float making sure to get it in all the crevices.
Then I wiped it away with a microfiber sponge. I’ve said it before, but this sponge is amazing! If you are planning a tile job I highly recommend a microfiber sponge! It makes such a huge difference and is easier to wipe the excess grout away because it grabs onto it unlike a regular grout sponge.
Here’s an up close view. This took me maybe 4 hours to do this whole area. Lot’s of running in and out to get a clean bucket of water to rinse the sponge off in.
Here’s where we were after the tile was done.
I always get questions about my skinny dippin sign, I actually made it myself out of a canvas and made my own frame. But here is one similar I found on Amazon!
And here is the link to the woodworking plans to build your own bath tray. I made this one and put the plans up on my Etsy shop. It’s a pretty simple build and beginner friendly.
Master bathroom links can be found here.
Up next, makeover for the front of the bathtub.
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