Decorating Around Ugly Bathroom Tiles on a Shoestring Budget

Are the tiles in your bathroom a coming-at-you-pink? Was the last homeowner colorblind, on drugs when he chose the colors, or perhaps both? If so, you are probably trying to look for ways of decorating around garish bathroom tiles without spending a mint. After all, with the cost of housing being what it is, sinking a lot of money into a bathroom remodel is not always a viable option and home equity lines of credit have all but dried up. If you have a shoestring budget to work with, then these little decorating tips will keep your sanity going and your visitors from breaking into uncontrolled bursts of hilarity as they use the loo.

Paint covers a multitude of sin, design flaws, and decorating faux pas – No matter what color the previous homeowner chose for garish bathroom tiles, offsetting it with a strong white (satin finish bathroom rated paint of course) will bring out the lighter tones in the scheme. The temptation is to darken the walls and thus supposedly dampen the effect of the tiles, but in so doing you are causing a washed out visual sensation that most likely will not help your cause.

If you can’t beat it, join it – Candy cane striped tiles are hard to counteract, even if you slap the most brilliant white onto the walls. If you can’t beat it, join it! Accentuate the color scheme by choosing a window curtain that incorporates one of the colors. Find towels that match. Even though the tiles were not your first choice, accessorizing them with single color, bright add-ons is bound to make the experience livable. As you are in effect minimizing the shocking design, you are offering some tranquility in the overall aspects of the room.

Oh look, a window – No, you don’t have to break a hole in the wall to create a window. If you are facing a solid wall of tile from floor to ceiling and paint is not an option, a tastefully hung bamboo shade can give the illusion of a window. Follow me on this one: if you have the funds, invest in a used window sill and fix it to the wall, place a matte piece of darker mounting board over the sill, and top it off with a thick bamboo shade (or any other natural material) which you will leave in the permanent down position. The sill makes a perfect spot for some plants, and since the shade will cover the majority of the disastrous wall, you will no longer have to deal with the eyesore.

I don’t know… – If none of these ideas sound good but you have kids, you have all the makings of a great garish tile cover-up! Get out the fabric paint and pick out certain spots on the offending tiles. Mark them off with blue painter’s tape to be the approximate size of some old picture frames you own. Have your children create some artwork in these spaces. For smaller ones their handprints and footprints will do great! Finish it with some clear coat, glue the frames in place and voila! – Instant artwork framed and everything.

Kilroy was here – For those who have absolutely not even two pennies to rub together, decorating around garish bathroom tiles on a shoestring budget might feels like going back to grade school. Use a sharpie and write your favorite witticism onto the tiles. Frame the area with some duct tape. Leave sharpies out for friends and visitors to add theirs. If you want to get fancy, specify that only famous quotes, Latin proverbs, Biblical passages, or personal words of wisdom may be added to your walls.