Not gonna lie, I was skeptical about this project. I’ve seen peel and stick tile floors before but wasn’t sure if they actually looked great in person or just the pictures.

To catch you up I went from a new-build home in Texas to two homes built in the 1800s here in New Jersey. I’m living in one and renovating the other with my best friend.

I fell in love instantly with the idea that I could fix these houses up in a way that honors the history but gives everything a fresh and modern twist. And if there’s one thing I’m realizing it’s expensive to do things right in this environment — sourcing quality materials and refinishing things is going to take a while so I am looking for temporary solutions that look amazing for a few years while I take the time to fix this place up for real.

And that brings us to this bathroom and considering peel and stick flooring. The bathroom was in pretty good shape – renovated recently – but it wasn’t entirely my style and could use a few cosmetic updates.

Check out the full bathroom makeover post here to see everything I did to the space — but for now let’s focus on this floor project.

The existing floors are wood pattern vinyl. They’re not especially high-quality and the color clashes pretty hard with the real wood floors throughout the rest of the house.

Eventually I’ll renovate this whole space: rip these floors up and install real tile but for now I wanted to give the space a facelift so things are livable since the timeline for a bigger renovation might be a couple years.

— project materials —

how to add peel & stick tiles to bathroom floor ▽

Check pattern floors are definitely trending now and I’m loving the marble version instead of the classic solid black — its such a great texture that uplevels the look and gives it more interest. I also did a different check pattern in this bedroom, with beige and white tiles vs black and white.

I decided to re-create this look using peel and stick tiles. It’s a great temporary solution and also an amazing way for me to try out a bold pattern in this space without having to commit.

Here’s an up close of one of the tiles you can see the marble pattern — it’s also textured so it feels a little bit like real tile.

step 01 — measure the floor

Measure your floor if you want to measure and find the center of your room which is the best starting point to make sure your tile is installed evenly. I measured and marked a large ax in the center of my floor to give myself a guide to start installing the tile with.

I also clean my floor really well to remove any dust or dirt to ensure my tile would stick well. Be sure to let your floor fully dry before sticking down any of the tiles.

step 02 — stick down your first tile

Starting in the middle you wanna stick down your first piece for the space I stuck my tile down at an angle to create a diamond diagonal checkerboard pattern.

I stuck down the first piece using the X that I had marked on my floor and pressed it to make sure it was adhered well.

step 03 — stick down the peel & stick tiles

Then I started working out word from this first piece lining up each tile with the edges first and then pressing an hour do you wanna make sure the edges are tight so there’s no lifting or gaps and that everything is lined up before pressing it down.

Stick each piece down working outward from the center, and keep going until you reach the edge/a wall or something that you need to cut around such as the toilet.

3 hacks for peel & stick flooring ▶︎

step 04 — cut around the toilet, vanity or walls

 My best tip for cutting around objects is to use a dry erase marker to mark the line that you need to cut — tracing around the object right onto your tile is easiest but you could also measure or use paper templates if preferred. 

Once you have the outline traced cut on the line with a box knife use a sharp blade and change it often for crisp lines.

Next you’ll be able to wipe off the remaining dry erase line easily using your finger or a paper towel this will ensure that there’s no lines left on any exposed areas and give your tile a polished finished look.

With your shape cut, position the tile and stick it down for a perfect fit.

pro tip: how to cut peel and stick tile around toilet ▽

the reveal ▽

Here’s what the before and after of the space looks like —you can tell the rustic vinyl flooring before was a bit of a gray tone and the after with the black and white marble check looks a lot more polished and gives the space a bold print for interest. 

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