DIY: VINYL FLOORING FOR BATHROOM WALLS

When we purchased the "Thunderbird", it only had one "head" (bathroom) and it was pretty rough.  It was roomy and conveniently located and had a really nice vanity & mirror.  But, beyond that, the toilet was very old and didn't work well.  It had no holding tanks and the whole interior ( walls and floor) were just plain plywood.  Early on, Dan addressed the toilet and tank issues, then I started to think about what to do with the finishes . 

Over the years, Dan and I have done many, many home renovations and in one of them we had used vinyl flooring as a tub surround.  It worked perfectly.  It was waterproof, flexible to work with, and hid all the rough  spots on the old walls and it lasted beautifully. With this experience in mind I decided to cover the walls of the head with vinyl flooring. 

Although it would have been the first choice, as it was in the tub surround, I could not use anything that looked like tiles.  There are always curves in boat walls, so I knew that a tile pattern would emphasize those curves and make it look like the tiles were installed crooked. 

I was able to find a good flooring with a random stone pattern in brown tones and a nice matte finish that looked like real stone. 

Finding the right material was only half the battle, now I wanted it installed with as few seams as possible.  No easy task, but we got it done.  That flooring in the main head, starts at the ceiling goes down the starboard wall and across the floor and up the other side with no seam at all.  The only seams are in the two upright corners.  By making templates and pre-fitting, I got it installed in one large piece. 

At times it looked like a crazy  " I Love Lucy"  skit as I wrestled with that glue covered flooring in that little bathroom.  I ended up covered with glue, I even had it in my hair.  But, with Dan's help,  I got the job done.  I was quite pleased with the results. 

So, when we created the second head in the Captain's quarters I did not hesitate to use vinyl flooring on the walls again.  The Captain's quarters are in Navy, Grey, Blue, Beige and White, so I had to find a grey or ,beige tone with another random stone pattern. 

This one has smaller stones in the pattern and is a little on the shiny side but it matches the small head very well.  The pieces not being so large, and the head not being so closed in, it was a lot easier to install.  So I am very please with the results in this head as well.

 

VINYL FLOORING IS GREAT FOR BATHROOM WALLS.