To cap off our kitchen mini-makeover (check out how we painted the cabinets and added hardware here and here), we knew we had to do something about the floor.
Remember that ultra-boring beige vinyl tile? It was clean and in fine condition, but it was just so dated and dull. Since we are saving up our pennies for a major kitchen rehaul (probably won’t happen for at least another year or so), we knew we wanted something super cheap and easy to install. Enter peel n’ stick vinyl tile. Okay, it’s obviously not the most glamorous of flooring options, but it can add a fun pop of colour or pattern to any room. We searched around the different options — we saw tons that were earthy/gray/beige colours that were relatively nice, but I just didn’t like the idea of using something that was *trying* to look like ceramic tile and so clearly wasn’t. That stuff doesn’t fool anybody. So when I saw the crisp white and black options at our local Rona (Canadian version of Home Depot), I was sold. They were fun and the best part? The 79 cents/tile price tag.
So we grabbed about 50 tiles (25 and 25) and got to peelin’ and stickin’. You can use a primer on your floors to ensure that they are really stuck on there, but since this is a temporary solution for us, we weren’t too worried. We gave our floor a good scrub and then got to work.
First step was to figure out the layout we wanted. Originally I had been thinking of the tried and true checkered pattern, but when I put it down it felt a bit too much like a diner. If these had been high end marble tiles then it probably would look great, but they are vinyl and glossy, just adding to the diner-vibe.
So I tried laying them out in a striped pattern and was quickly won over. The stripes are something a little different and definitely make the narrow room feel wider. Sold.
These tiles are so, so easy to install. Seriously, even if you’ve never done anything handy before, you won’t have any trouble with these.
You may have to do a little cutting to fit particular spots (like around the perimeter of the room), but with a good quality utility knife, it is pretty cinchy. We cut a few that were a bit off, so we just put them aside and used them for the small bits we needed at the end.
As you can tell from my over-enthusiastic smile in the third pic, it’s actually pretty satisfying sticking these tiles down.
And here they are in all their glossy glory…
You can see the edges between tiles a bit, especially in the white ones, but it’s not crazy noticeable.
Doesn’t it look so much better?
The whole price tag for the floor was a mere $45. Crazy cheap, right?
And here is the whole before + after of the kitchen. Three little projects with a ton of impact, don’t you think?
I am so much happier in this improved space. It’s brighter, and just more fun.
So this whole “mini makeover” was super reasonable:
- painting the cabinet: $0 (already owned paint and supplies)
- adding hardware: $150 (but remember, we’ll be using that hardware in our future kitchen reno)
- re-tiling floor: $45
Grand Total: $195. Under $200! Amazing.
What about you guys? Any kitchen overhauls recently? Or maybe you’ve used the peel n’ stick tile somewhere? Do tell.
Tags: black and white kitchen floor, black and white stripe floor, kitchen floor, laying vinyl tile, peel and stick tile
What a make-over! It is a TOTALLY different place . Looks so nice. Have enjoyed your postings. You guys are having fun with your place.CARRY ON!!
Thanks Alice! It has made a really big difference to the place!
xo,
gem
Looks really great, Gem! xo
I’m blown away, I LOVE the stripes – FYI, they’re going to rock when kids come by too, hello fun games*
Thanks Farrar!! Yes — fun kitchen floor games welcome!! :)
xo,
gem
That looks so cool and funky. Definite improvement on the previous floor.
Wow! Love love love that you went with the stripe, it looks amazing! And what you have done with those cabinets is nothing short of fantastic. Well done and truly on a budget! Thanks for sharing. Happy Tuesday!
Thanks for your nice comments, Jo! And yep – truly on a budget for sure! :)
xo,
gem
Do you know if these would leave a residue, or damage the flooring to remove?
I am in a rental apartment, with existing linoleum flooring in my kitchen/bathroom, and would LOVE to do something like this, provided I could remove them without killing the existing floors, upon move-out.
Looks amazing! :)
Hi Geoff – I’m not actually sure about removing the tile without damaging what’s underneath. I have a feeling that it would be pretty tricky to peel up the tile after a few years and have the tile below still be in okay condition. Who knows – maybe your landlord would be okay with you putting down some vinyl tile. It never hurts to ask!
xo,
gem
I love your kitchen. Your vinyl tile floor is awesome! The Cabinets with their new hardware and paint look brand new! So fabulous!
Your cabinets came out great! And I love the stripes on the floor.
I have the same awful cabinets and just re-painted them a glossy white too!
Amazing!! Doesn’t it make such a huge difference to the room? Our place just felt instantly brighter.
xo,
gem
Wow! What kind of paint did you use? Also, did you paint the whole cabinet or just the parts that weren’t white? Did you sand and strip first?
We used a high-gloss white paint and painted just the oak strip (the rest of the cabinets are a white laminate). We did sand everything first to remove any old residue and to rough up the wood, but did not strip them.
Hope that helps!
xo,
gem
what was this paint originally meant for? Walls? Thank you!
I think it was meant for baseboards and trim — can’t remember now! Pretty much every brand of paint from your home improvement store will have a high gloss white paint (and some have special “kitchen and bathroom” paints). Good luck!
Thank you!
Gemma, what an amazing transformation- Bravo! Such an inspiration to those who rent. I’m currently hemming and hawing myself over what to use on a LIVING ROOM with VINYL FLOORING. Could you please share the brand of Peel ‘N Stick you purchased? I’d love to get my hands on it!
Best,
Gina
Thanks Gina! The tiles are a brand called ‘QuickStyle’. They were purchased from Rona (a Canadian store similar to the Home Depot). I couldn’t find a link online to the product, but if you go into any large hardware store they should carry a selection of peel and stick tiles.
Hope that helps! Good luck with your floors!!
xo,
gem
I’m so excited to try Peel & Stick floor in our bathroom! We have a super small space (in a rental) and the bathroom floor is terrible! We decided on a neutral peel and stick tile, and I can’t wait to see how it changes the room! The best part about that tile is that it is super affordable! Don’t we all wish that we came up with it first!? Great Post, Thanks!
I have the exact same cabinets. I never thought I could paint them because they are plastic. Did you do any special prep or use special paint?
Hi Lynn – we only painted the wood trim part of the cabinets (nothing plastic!). We sanded and used a high-gloss paint to ensure durability.
Hope that helps!
xo,
gem
Thanks so much!
Beautiful! How did you handle putting the flooring under appliances? Did you just go right up to the bottom of the stove, or did you actually adhere the tiles under the stove?
Yes, we did move out the fridge and stove as we got to them to get the tiles all the way underneath. We did this mostly because we didn’t want to have different heights underneath the appliances (making them potentially wobbly!). Total disclosure – we weren’t super careful with the edges that don’t show! :)
Hope that helps!
xo,
gem
this is incredible!!! I genius idea to use the stripe pattern. And I can’t believe what a big difference painting that strip of wood on the cabinets made! Great work :)
thanks jamie! the stripe pattern is definitely a lot of fun!
xo,
gem
What an amazing transformation! Love the stripes on the floor and the cabinets look fantastic!
thanks Sarah!! it was so budget-friendly for such a high impact!
xo,
gemma
Thanks for this post! How are they holding up after a few months? We’re trying to figure out whether peel ‘n’ stick or painting will hold up best in covering our atrocious bathroom linoleum. You’re making the tiles look like a really good choice!
Hi Kaitlin – the tiles are actually holding up really well! There is one spot where they have shifted a teeny bit, so I would recommend making sure that the tiles go all the way to the wall tightly (no room to move). Otherwise they are not peeling up, are super easy to clean, and generally look just the same as when we put them in!
good luck!!
xo,
gemma
Wow, what a difference those stripes make! so cool!
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Thanks for this post, you inspired us to do the same floor in our beach house!
Wow – that’s great!! I would love to see how it turned out! Feel free to send some photos my way (thesweetestdigs@gmail.com)
xo,
gemma
WOW! Just found your blog. I always go straight to the house tour on new blogs and when I saw your kitchen floor, I instantly HAD to know how you did it! I was shocked and so happy to see how easy and inexpensive it was. I CANNOT wait to try it myself! Great job!
So glad you liked it, Hanah! Yeah it has been such a room-changer for such a low cost. And the tiles are still looking great (over a year later). Go for it!! :)
xo,
gem
what a great idea! I never would have thought to lay them in that pattern, beautiful kitchen!
Yeah it’s kind of a fun alternative, eh? Thanks Bethany!
xo,
gem
Coming over from Kirsten’s and I have to tell you that I’m in love with your floor and of course the rest of your house too. Nice to meet you ;)
Thanks for popping in, and for your sweet comments, Julia! Great to have you :)
xo,
gem