before & after – bathroom tile wall project

Happy Monday friends!  I’m pleased to tell you that the bathroom tile wall is officially done.  The entire bathroom may not be finished yet, but at least the tile project, the one I dove into with very little previous experience, is done……………and I lived to blog about it……….so that’s something right?  It was a long process, and I’m not going to lie there were a few moments of “good gracious what was I thinking” but I persevered.  So today I’m going to show you the before with lots of afters, and tomorrow I’ll be back with more of the details and a few things I learned through my first big tiling experience. 
It really is amazing what paint and tile can do for a bathroom!
before and after tile wall
Here’s the original before with the old vanity.  The new vanity as well as the light fixture deets can be found here
bathroom renovation - before
I really love the new vanity, but the tile wall is without a doubt my favorite thing in this bathroom!  And  it makes me feel so good knowing I actually did this – me – of all people – which means anyone can!
hexagon tile from The Tile Shop
I mentioned in Friday’s post that I figured out a way to keep from having to use a tile saw.   Well, what I did was use moulding to frame the wall.  I’ll show you more of the details in regards to framing the wall in tomorrow’s post. 
bathroom tile wall above the vanity
bathroom tile wall, beadboard wall paper and hooks
bathroom tile wall
vanity to ceiling bathroom tile wall
I really love the grey grout lines!  I wavered back and forth on what color grout to use, and I’m so glad I chose to use this grey.  It compliments the countertop so perfectly and it really makes these little hexagon tiles shine. 
hexagon tile
bathroom hexagon tile wall
It’s really hard to truly capture this tile.  It bounces light around the room and really made this smallish space feel so much larger. 
diy bathroom tile wall
After looking at all these photos the only thing I’m kind of pondering is whether using the grey caulk was the right move.  I love the grey grout lines, but the grey caulk used where the tile meets the countertop is a bit darker than the grout.  At least it looks darker in all of these pictures.  So what do you think?   Should I have used white caulk instead as I did on the sides where the countertop meets up against the beadboard wallpaper?  It would be easy to change, but I’m not sure it’s the right call.  Thoughts?
What I do know with certainty is this:  
1.  When you think you can’t…….you probably, most definitely can.  
2.  Perfection is overrated.  Even professionals don’t get it perfect! 
 3. Being afraid that you’ll mess up is crippling you from doing great things (at least it was for me).  
4. Messing up doesn’t mean you failed; it means you learned something new.  
5. Learning something new is never a bad thing.  
I’ll be back tomorrow with more about the process and a few little tips from a first timer’s experience. 
Big thanks to The Tile Shop for providing me with this tile!   

Share this

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

you might also love

  • You go girl! This looks awesome. How brilliant to use molding to avoid the tile saw. I'm always impressed with your DIY skills. You've outdone yourself this time.

  • Carmel! I love how this turned out!! Such a great, timeless look, it's fantastic!! You're so right about being afraid keeping you from doing great things – glad you overcame your fear, as this is truly GREAT! You could always add another piece of moulding along the bottom if you're not digging the caulk. Either way, it's totally fab. 🙂

  • I'm so impressed! I'm completely intimidated by tile and this looks amazing!! I love how the grey grout highlights the hexagon shape. I think the grey vs. white caulk is probably a good vs. good thing. Both would look great but I'll cast a vote for white 🙂

  • It looks fantastic Carmel! I am with Jenny, I would finish out the bottom with trim. Especially if you used it at the top. Truly framing the wall out.

  • What about adding a piece of the trim that is around the other 2 sides of the tile wall to the bottom to cover the grout line? The tile wall looks fabulous, but the dark line at the counter top does grab my attention.

  • To my eye, grout along the bottom edge (regardless of whether the grout is dark or light, gray or white) makes the wall look unfinished.

    To look finished, I think you need to either cut tiles to fill in the space currently occupied by the darker gray grout, or else put some trim to match the top edge of the wall.

    Isn't it great to have that "it's finally finished" feeling?

  • Looks great!
    RE: white vs. gray The gray will definitely be easier to clean. I think you are noticing it more because you don't have anything on the counter. Live with it for a while since you can always change it down the road.

  • Looks great! I agree with a few people above – add some white trim along the bottom, where the tile meets the counter top – it looks a bit unfinished without trim on the bottom because it's along the other sides!

  • It looks amazing Carmel!! Great job lady. Tiling can be super overwhelming, but you rocked it. I like what other's have suggested about trimming out the bottom as you did the sides. Maybe eve using a bit of shoe molding if you don't want to go as thick as the other trim? Honestly though, it looks awesome. You should be so proud of yourself. Everything in life is about learning and discovering. Way to cast your fears aside on this one. You'll be a tiling pro before you know it.:)

  • It looks great & I admire you for doing it all by yourself! I have never done a tiling project without my husband guiding me so kudos to you! If it were me, I'd just use a lighter color caulk at the bottom. Wood trim atop a marble countertop will get wet a lot & you'll have to be replacing it before you know it. Use a lighter caulk & after you put some accessories on the countertop I bet you won't notice it as much!

  • First of all, congratulations to you for facing your fears and completing this awesome job. Since you did ask us, I have to agree with the two "Kelly's" who commented above. My eye was immediately drawn to that dark line above the countertop, and I wondered why you did not finish it. : D I agree with Kelly T. above that a piece of wood trim in this location will end up being a nuisance. Since you already have great pictures of this space, may I suggest you visit a tile showroom, or even one of the big box do-it-yourself stores, show them your pics, and see what their suggestions are. I know you can solve this minor problem with all you have accomplished. Please let us know what you decide.

  • Carmel, what an amazing transformation! I love love love everything you chose for your bathroom makeover! Kudos to you for tiling you wall. And you did an amazing job! Thanks for the great tip about using molding on the sides of tile wall! Brilliant.
    I am copying your "what I do know with certainty is this"… great advice! What a wonderful and inspiring post!

  • I absolutely LOVE this tile! It's gorgeous! You did a fabulous job!

    I think white caulk may make things look a little more finished against the counter top, just because the gray caulk looks like grout to me. Either way, still beautiful!

  • I think you did a fantastic job Carmel! I am scared to death to try that, so kudo's to you. Since you asked for opinions, I will say that I think it would look better with white caulk. That dark caulk line was one of the first things my eye was drawn to when I looked at the pictures. And my eye should have been drawn to the beautiful tile job you did! I agree with what Ashley above wrote, I thoguht it was grout too, until you said it was caulk. Have a great week!

  • Thanks for all your sweet words friends and also for all your advice/thoughts about the grey caulk line. It's definitely more noticeable with nothing on the countertop. I'm leaning toward adding a very small piece of trim to completely frame it out, but I'll be sure to let you all know what I do when I finally decide and get that done.

  • Good Lord girl….this diy thing is just out of hand. Next you will be building houses:) Love the tile wall…why can't you just paint the caulk line? Either way I think you are right….once you accessorize it won't be noticeable.

  • After thinking about this some more, I think you'd be better off with a piece of TILE trim (rather than wood). Water and wood don't mix. They have lots of great tile trim these days (in some of the stores, it's called bullnose trim) that would give you a finished look, yet would not place wood in direct contact with an area that will be wet.

  • I think that would have been a great option if I had used bullnose on the sides as well. At this point I think with the corner strip molding on the sides that a bullnose at the bottom would like an afterthought. Lots to be learned from this first big experience as I think this wouldn't have been a noticeable thing at all if I had used white grout – definitely things to think about whenever I get ready to take on another tilling project!

  • Want to be a Fifth House Insider?

    Get the latest updates, exclusive content and behind the scenes photos delivered to your inbox weekly!