The Bathroom Tile Mistake Everyone Should Be Making

When renovating a home, miscalculations, accidents, and disasters will inevitably occur. Sometimes, these things happen for the better. You usually can't see it right away — in fact, it may have taken days or weeks for you to stop hyperventilating — but in retrospect, you realize it was the best thing that could have happened. For instance, your spouse "doesn't see the point in redoing a perfectly functional kitchen," but a kitchen fire means you get to take it down to the studs and start over — on the insurance man's dime (try to contain your excitement or the adjuster may have some questions). Other happy accidents could include getting sent the wrong color paint that looks much better than what you picked out, or your child placing the throw pillows from your bed onto the couch, adding the perfect pop of color.

One such happy accident happened to Laura Hall (thehexagonalhouse) on Instagram. A tile miscalculation had her scrambling to fill a line of empty wall space between the wall tile and the bathroom floor tile. She had ordered too little of the former, and too much of the latter. The result was to bring the floor tile onto the wall, creating an unexpected, yet lovely border on her bathroom wall. 

Your first thought upon finding you've run out of tile mid-bathroom renovation is probably to "order more tile." However, you may have run out of budget, the tile could be out of stock, discontinued, or it could have been custom-made in batches. Or, it could simply take too long to arrive, and you are tired of living in a construction site. Whatever the reason, there are bathroom remodeling ideas that will make your tile mishap look intentional instead of accidental. 

For instance, you can try tiling only halfway up the wall. Paint the remaining wall a complimentary shade and hang some art. It will look like a cool architectural choice, and provide a similar look to wainscoting. If you only have a border of tile missing around the bottom or top of the wall, fill it with molding. If the room lacks crown molding, it's the perfect occasion to get some. You can also fill the gap with a decorative border made with paint, wallpaper, or, like in the video, a different type of tile. 

Of course, miscalculations don't always work themselves out, and it is best to order right the first time. To order tile, add together the square footage (length X width) of each wall. Divide by your chosen tile's square footage to see how many tiles you'll need. Order 10% more tiles to cover the "waste factor." The waste factor just labels what we all know to be true: something is probably going to go wrong, so prepare for it.