Temporary Insanity

If you read my post from the other day, you saw that the boys got a lot done in the yard. While they worked and toiled in the sun, though, Beth and I decided to tackle the pink bathroom. Realizing that we are not yet ready to make any major changes (such as tearing out walls and replacing the tile altogether), we decided to take a Pinterest Challenge and attempt a temporary fix. This Pin sent us to the blog So Much Jane and Eugene, where they had a similarly outdated tile situation.

We followed the instructions and grabbed a quart of Zinsser Oil Based Primer and some paint thinner (for the brushes) and headed into the cramped quarters.

First, Beth edged and I used a mini roller to paint the primer directly to the tile. Because they are walls and they're in a bathroom that the shower isn't frequently used in, we felt pretty safe. The primer went on really well and dried pretty quickly. While we worked (though they didn't make it in the pictures) were two fans and the vent fan for the bathroom going on full speed. Oil based paints are full of fumes and in such a small area, they can be really strong, so if you decide to try this, be careful!

Beth and I waited the hour that the can suggested for drying time, then headed back in with paint. We used the same can of Behr Falling Snow Semi Gloss that I used on the kitchen cabinets. It went on smooth and covered really well. One good coat around the room left it feeling like a breath of fresh air.

Unfortunately, the tile looked so nice that my scraped and patched walls couldn't put up the fight for fanciness, so I headed back to Home Depot and grabbed a quart of Classic Silver. It seemed like a nice go-to color with the white in a room this size. It really classed up the place.

See how clean it looks? A large part of that is reflected light. If you have yellow-y walls, your light is going to make the space look really dingy. The last thing you want in a guest bathroom is for it to look gross and unkempt. I also replaced the toilet seat because the old one had seen better days. It makes the toilet look brand new and only cost $6!

Once the walls had been painted, though, something still seemed off. There was still some pink that hadn't been slain, but where was it? We are waiting to do the bathtub and bath surround until we can replace the tile (due to all the direct water contact), but they were being hidden behind a nice white shower curtain. Oh wait, there it is. There's the pink.

These couple little hex tiles were hanging out on the ground, ruining my thang, so I figured what the heck? I'll paint them too. The worst that happens is that the paint comes off, and the best thing would be for it to stay till they get taken out. Either way, it didn't hurt anything, so I grabbed a small craft brush, but on a coat of primer, then of the same gray paint as I used on the walls. Bam!

Nice, eh? So yeah, it's a temporary fix, but at least it doesn't feel like you're literally walking into the belly of the beast anymore. With a couple of accessories, it almost looks like it was on purpose!

Kinda swanky, if I do say so myself. It even had Scott saying it didn't look too shabby, which is an awesome thing as well. One more time, just for reference.

(Hi Mary!)

Not bad for two days, $25 worth of paint, a $6 toilet seat and a little elbow grease (which should clean off that semi-gloss pretty well, lol)!

Would you use this bathroom? I know I would!


TEASER: We are putting on the door handles in the kitchen! Keep checking out the blog to see them soon!