Yesterday you read Day Numero Uno of what I call “Operation Granny Chic,” our three-day mission to update my granny’s bathroom. With the prep work complete, Day Two focused on painting and installing new flooring—aside from one small obstacle that needed attention first.
See that large rust stain on the air duct near the floor? Paint alone would have bled through, so we treated it with a coat of Rustoleum before painting. One quick application did the trick and saved us a bigger headache later.
We chose Benjamin Moore’s “Hint of Violet” for the walls—a soft violet with gentle gray undertones. Granny loves color and often wears purple, so we wanted something cheerful but light enough to keep the small room feeling open. Bolder accents and textiles would provide more personality without overwhelming the space.
The walls and the slanted ceiling each received two coats. In a compact bathroom, painting the ceiling the same color as the walls helps the space feel less chopped up and more cohesive. By lunchtime we were ready to move on to the flooring.
The old floor was a single sheet of laminate—serviceable, neutral, and intact for its age—but Granny wanted a more textured, updated look using individual vinyl tiles. Given the limited time and budget, peel-and-stick vinyl tiles were the obvious and practical choice, especially since removing the sink or toilet could risk plumbing problems in the older house.
We considered fancier vintage-style tile, but time and cost steered us toward the vinyl tiles Granny requested. My partner and I had installed similar tiles years ago, so we were a little rusty but quickly found our rhythm. These tiles are inexpensive, simple to install, and don’t require a wet saw, thinset, or grout. We bought them for 99 cents per tile at Home Depot.
The trick is pressing each tile very snugly against the previous one to avoid visible seams. We made sure every edge was firmly butted up before sticking the next tile down.
These tiles are also incredibly easy to cut: score with a utility knife, then bend and snap. It’s fast and accurate for fitting around fixtures.
The tiny bathroom had a surprising number of tricky cuts. Since we were advised not to remove the toilet or sink, we worked around them and left Granny several spare tiles to fill any future gaps if fixtures are replaced. To make precise cuts, I created paper templates—usually cardstock, but we used a spiral notebook that was on hand—taped them in place, and cut directly along the fixture edge.
Nice fit, right?
I taped the template to the tile and carefully sliced along its edge, then bent and snapped out the interfering section. After a dry test fit with the backing still on, the tile was ready to be adhered in place.
After about four hours and roughly 23 tiles, the new floor was finished. It’s a major improvement over the old sheet vinyl. If you have the time and can remove the toilet or sink, I’d recommend installing tiles underneath those fixtures, but saving and supplying spare tiles is a practical workaround.
The texture of the new tiles gave the room a fresh, updated feel, and the color plays nicely with the soft violet walls.
With paint and floors done, we turned to small finishing touches, like refreshing Granny’s cabinet hardware. The original hardware showed wear and peeling, so we sanded the pieces smooth and sprayed them with Valspar’s Indigo Streamer in satin. In person the finish reads as a deep navy, which adds a modern pop to the space and replaces the tired brass nicely.
We had planned to replace the hardware, but the existing screw holes weren’t standard sizes. Reusing and repainting the original pieces turned out to be a blessing: they fit, looked refreshed, and introduced an unexpected color accent like on the toilet paper holder.
While the painted pieces dried outside, we finished a few other small tasks: installing a playful blue glass knob on the medicine cabinet and reusing existing holes to hang a towel ring on the duct. We worried initially about hanging anything on the duct, but Granny said it had been there for years and my dad confirmed it was alright to use the old holes.
We also replaced a couple of outlets, including the scorched one by the floor, with new white outlets to meet modern safety standards. An electrician inspected them beforehand to ensure everything was safe to touch during the makeover.
That little area by the sink already looks worlds better—a very satisfying sight at the end of Day Two. Night photos don’t do the soft violet justice, but the improvement is clear in person.
After a productive day of painting, flooring, and small updates, our to-do list looked like this:
Brainstorm colors & go shopping for accessories (Day 1)Spackle/sand/caulk everything to prep the room for paint (Day 1)Rebuild the cabinets a bit so they look more balanced (Day 1)Prime and paint the cabinets for a more updated and open look (Day 1 & 2)Paint the entire room, including the ceiling (Day 2)Fix a few issues, like a rusted duct and an old dingy corner below the sink (Day 2)Redo the floors, which were that old sheet laminate stuff (Day 2)Revive some hardware/accessories with a fresh finish (Day 2)- Make & hang curtains to add some charm (Day 3)
- Bring in some meaningful art (Day 3)
- Add some functional/personal accessories to finish things off (Day 3)
- Reveal the whole shebang for Granny (Day 3)
Tomorrow we’ll show the full before-and-after photos from Day Three, along with video of Granny’s reaction and a complete budget breakdown once we finish organizing receipts and images. In the meantime, if you’ve used peel-and-stick tiles for an affordable upgrade, did you make paper templates too or use a different method to size them?