Ugly Bathroom Or Kitchen Tile? Get A Quick, Appealing and Effective Fix With Velcro!

Renovate on a budget with affordable, beautiful decorative tiles.

With housing prices on the recession roller coaster, many American families have decided to put off selling and keep the home fires burning in their existing house until the market sees better days. If this is your situation, you may be feeling a little bit of a letdown that escape from the things you like least about your current house isn't going to happen anytime soon. Realtors know that kitchens and bathrooms make a or break a home's appeal and value, and if you're dissatisfied with something in your house, chances are it's one of these two most functional rooms. We all like good news, and our family has a good tip for you today that can make an exceptional, yet affordable, improvement in your home's appearance and charm.

Does Your Kitchen or Bathroom Tile Look Like this?

Cracks, chips, discolorations, rust or mildew stains and loose or missing tiles can make you feel glum every time you walk into your bathroom or kitchen. If you've gotten to the point where you feel ashamed of having guests see these rooms and you can hardly stand to look at the mess yourself, yet you're not ready to tear out backsplashes or shower stalls, it's time for you to get stuck on velcro!

Step 1 - Elbow Grease Time

Get the area as clean as you possibly can. There are special cleaners for rust stains and apple cider vinegar + a good scrubber works wonders on mildew. Get the grout as spotless as possible and you'll begin to see an immediate improvement in the room.

Step 2 - What Era Is Your Bathroom or Kitchen Tile?

Take a good long look at the color of your existing tile, and the color of the walls in the room. Bathrooms can be especially challenging. Try to determine which era your bathroom comes from:

• 1960s - You may have that shell pink or startling aqua going on, giving the bathroom a dated, but fairly bright, appearance. You may be seeing heavy cracking and lots of loose tiles all this time later.
• 1970s - 70's tiles in natural, rusts and olives can be a little easier to work with as modern home decor styles have been taking a nod from earth tones. Still if the tiles are 30 years old, chances are, they've seen better days.
• 1980s - If you've got those heavy maroons and cobalt blues going on, chances are you've got an 80's bathroom. It may have been in style then, but it looks dark and depressing to us now.
• 1990s - Your fairly new home may be as uninviting and sterile-look as a hospital hallway. Modern housing often has all the charm of a big white box, and your bathroom or kitchen can be seen as your blank slate, ready for personalization!

Once you've taken note of the colors in either your bathroom or kitchen, you'll know whether you need to brighten a dark room, bring color to an unimaginative room or have fun with an already-colorful room.

Step 3 - Create The Desired Effect With The Right Companion Tiles

Now comes the fun part! Choose the tiles that will create the effect you desire. Supposing you've got one of those 60's bright color schemes going on. Why not play with it, choosing tiles that will bring a beachfront or cabana feeling to the room.

If you've got 70's naturals or 80's darks going on in the bathroom or kitchen, turn the colors into an asset while brightening and freshening them with an interesting companion pattern. The vegetable tile shown at left will bring a little relief to a monotone color scheme with it's creamy background, and will add tremendous interest with its unusual motif.

If you've got the blank slate of the 90's, your options are almost limitless with the right decorative tiles. You can go for elegance with food and wine tiles, shine a spotlight on your favorite wildlife or pets or create a nautical design with ships and lighthouses bringing new life to the room.

Identify the worst tiles in the wall or backsplash, measure them and purchase replacement tiles that you'll be using to cover up these unsightly spaces.

Step 4 - Apply Your New Tiles And See The Magic Makeover Happen!

Place velcro adhesive tape or tabs on the tiles you are going to cover up, and on the backs of the replacement tiles you've purchased. Then, simply stick the beautiful new tiles over the ugly old ones and step back for a look at your transformed room!

In our before and after example, we've changed an uninspiring grey shower wall into a scenic, moonlit work of art. The 3-D effect of the replacement tiles on the shower wall or backsplash provides added textural interest. You may choose to pick a single ceramic tile design to replace all of the problem tiles, or, you can mix and match. It's up to you. One of the benefits of using velcro to improve the kitchen or bathroom is that it's doesn't require a major commitment on your part. If you'd like to create new look a few years down the road, all you have to do is change the tiles!

Necessity isn't just the mother of invention - it's actually an opportunity for fun!

Sure, we all dream of those easy-livin' times when we can make big investments in major home improvements, hire an interior decorator and see our wishes realized without a hitch. Or, maybe your idea of perfection is a brand new home with no improvements needed. The future holds all kinds of pleasant possibilities for everyone, but learning to live in the now and live within your budget can have its own rewards. There can be real satisfaction in learning to make the very most with what you can afford to do, and you'll find that a creative mind possesses riches no money can replace.

If there are spaces in your home that aren't making you happy, study them like a puzzle, determine your maximum budget for improvement and find solutions that are as affordable as this Velcro + Tile bright idea. Put up your tiles, study the new effect they've created and accessorize when sales and bargains come up. A new shower curtain in a well-matched color, a set of matching bathroom accessories or a beautiful new fruit bowl on the kitchen counter can bring the breath of fresh air into a stale situation. Take pleasure in solving home decor deficiencies with creative solutions.

In addition to decorative ceramic tiles being a great home improvement choice for bathrooms and kitchens, they can work wonders for fireplaces or for decorating hallways, dining rooms or children's bedrooms. The tiles we carry can be used as works of art, and we have hundreds to choose from!

We hope you've enjoyed this home improvement tip from our family at Cape Cod Treasure Chest. And, remember, if you don't see a tile you're looking for, all you've got to do is contact us and ask. Chances are, we can find a tile in any style you need.

Have you redone a space in your home with tiles purchased from Cape Cod Treasure Chest? Send us photos of your project, share your pride in your creative home improvements with us. We're really interested.