I’m not really sure what this room in our farmhouse was used for before we moved in.
It had white walls and faux brick floor.
And a deep freezer.
And an electrical panel.
And a hot water heater and some random bits of extraneous sawdust that came with the house.
Completely free of charge.
The room looked something like this.
I know what you’re thinking. I can hear you.
But in my head….it was perfection.
In my head when I first saw it….I fell in love.
Truly.
I saw white cabinets with rows of dishes and gray walls and white punch bowls and built-ins and milk glass…..
…..and a refrigerator full of sweet tea and Bok Choy.
So we added built-ins.
And painted everything white.
And moved the chandelier from the hallway.
And bought a bunch of milk glass at yard sales and filled the shelves full.
And hung a ladder.
I really wanted that ladder to roll itself around the room.
When I first saw this room….I pictured a rolling ladder with casters that I could move from shelf to shelf as I was getting down my white ware collection for all the spring garden parties I was going to have on the back lawn where I would serve punch and trays full of tiny cucumber sandwiches and tomato aspic.
A scene straight out of Steel Magnolias.
Except that around here…..no one really goes to garden parties and tomato aspic is definitely an acquired taste and the rolling ladder ran right into the refrigerator.
*sigh*
Good thing we have plenty of gas station pizza just minutes away.
When we began the renovations we covered up the faux brick floor with peel and stick tile.
Can you even believe it?
Peel and stick tile off the shelf at Lowe’s.
I always planned on going back and replacing it with something much fancier.
And now I think….why? It’s been there for three years and looks almost new.
Before we installed the tiles….we cleaned and lightly sanded the existing faux brick floor.
Then we primed the existing flooring to give a clean surface for the peel and stick tile to adhere to. I chose alternating tile colors and we started laying the tiles in a diagonal pattern in the middle of the room. Well….actually….we started against one wall and realized that the wall wasn’t straight and the tiles were crooked.
So we measured.
And measured again.
And then snapped chalk lines to find the center of the room.
The hardest part was the first row of tiles. Once they were straight…..the rest was just like a puzzle.
We joined the existing flooring with a stained threshold and trimmed the rest of the tile to fit.
When we were done….we rolled the floor with a roller to make sure that the floor was level and none of the individual tiles were sticking up.
Then we covered the jagged edges of the tile with quarter round to match the built-ins.
At less than $1.00 for each piece of tile….we covered the entire floor for under $100.00.
The tiles are an easy, inexpensive option for flooring for a small space.
And the perfect disguise for a ground in cheerio or two. 🙂
who would have thought that was peel and stick. It looks like it was painted. Love it!
kari...this is fabulous...i love it...it looks simply amazing!!!! thanks for the inspiration : ) hugs...
I'm not sure if I want to sit in your pantry all day long or in the office under your stairs. Either one would work for me! The floor looks amazing and what a bargain! :-)
I love your pantry with a passion I reserve for houses! Nice looking floor....and you managed to work in Bok Choy too....which I fear is sitting in your fridge in that "what do I do with THAT ?" wrapper....poor little BokChoy.
I have peel and stick tile all over my house on top of the old hardwood that I'm painstakingly ripping up and restoring. I just wish it looked this good! Maybe I would leave it. :)
I could have sworn this was painted, Kari -- clever solution!! xo Heidi
Yup, peel & stick...when I was at Lowe's the other day, I came home with some samples to test out in the kitchen. (Every hardware store I go to, I come home with samples of flooring, our kitchen looks more like a flooring store than kitchen!) One sample I love is the slate, but I worry it will chip with how clumsy we can be. Strangely, out of all the samples, my favourite is the large peel & stick! I love it! And I agree...if it works, who cares? Cheap, easy, and looks great...what more do you need? Debbie :)
The entire butler's pantry is inspired by your gift of seeing the diamond in the rough! You reminded me that I have a couple of boxes of peel and stick meant for my laundry room that I have put off for a couple of years now!
Love this! No pantry here (almost no kitchen!), but I am going to have to do something interesting with the laundry/small appliance room, and this floor would be great. *sigh* If I could just stay home for two weeks.....
Every time I've seen a picture of your "to die for" Butler's Pantry I've thought the floor was painted. Cannot believe its peel and stick tiles.
I also thought it was painted! Well all I can say is Bok Choy it looks awesome :) You always make me smile, thank you!
Love it Kari...I thought it was your painted sub-floors!...Why change something that is pretty and still looks like new.. Have a beautiful day!
I love your butler's pantry!
I would never have thought "peel and stick" when I looked at your pantry floor. I am in love with your pantry! Now, since you mentioned bok choy...sounds like I am not the only one who wonders what happened to it...have you cooked it? Or maybe used it as part of one of your flower arrangements :)
Wow! What a beautiful space! I've always had a weakness for a walkin butler's pantry! Love the floor!
Why oh why didn't U bring the cabinets out or recess the fridge?????? Otherwise U did a brilliant job!!!!!!!
Perfection! Love seeing your vision come true. Well, with the exception of that rolling ladder. Which would've been cool ... :) Linda
I thought it was painted too! It looks fabulous - you did a great job with the installation, very professional.
I never would have guessed that was peel and stick! Perfect for that area and you're right... why change it. You're also right about tomato aspic. It was one of my grandmother's favorite dishes. Acquired taste is putting it nicely! -Holly
I want to live with you ... GOSH!!! you have done a fabulous job on this home. TTFN ~ Marydon
Love the flooring, heck love the whole pantry. What did you use to prime the old floor with? Would love to do this in my laundry room. Have a great day! Sheila
I love your butlers pantry. You did an awesome job of translating what was in your head to the real thing!
Ugh, I have peel and stick in my kitchen and it began to curl up and unstick very soon after I bought my home. Hate it and am pulling it up, using pliers to increase my grip. Yours looks great and if mine looked as good, it would stay, but I am wary of using it again. Perhaps the brand and the prep before placing would have made a difference. I feel like mine was installed to make the sow's ear look like a silk purse...
Oh how I wish that rolling ladder had worked out! I can just picture you on that ladder whizzing around the butler's pantry! You always make me smile and most days LOL first thing in the morning!!!
Looks so beautiful and fresh. The collection of white dishes is very impressive. Love the floor and hanging ladder too. Thanks for sharing. Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures
My love of white knows no end - and vintage milk glass has a special place in my heart so I love your pantry. Job well done for sure. I have been away from the blog world for a while now but your title in my inbox lured me back in this morning because I just opened my 3rd Etsy shop and it's called......"My Butler's Pantry". Couldn't resist.
Such a fabulous room! I've often thought about using peel and stick tiles but was unsure how they would look. After seeing yours, I'm convinced!~~Angela
Love this room and love your checkerboard floor Karianne!! I have similar colors in the checkerboard pattern in my bathroom tile floor too~ it's a favorite!! xo
Who would know and the floor looks sooooo good that I wouldn't change it either!
This Butler's Pantry is such a great space to have and is so beautiful. Love it. Cynthia
I LOVE your vision and expressions full of joy, KariAnne. Your pantry is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!!!!
Beautifully done :-) I actually have a pantry space where I could do something like this in the new house (lucky enough to be getting both a pantry and a butlers pantry actually), but every time I think about it I remember I live in earthquake country and I sigh and think, "no", just can't bring myself to risk it knowing how many things fell on the floor the last time! :-)
Lovely floor at a LOVELY price! Absolutely wonderful!
Okay, you're scaring me. The house we have an offer on is all hardwood floors except the existing kitchen (which we will turn into the mud/laundry room and the existing laundry room will be the new kitchen) which is vinyl and needs replacing. I soo want to do a checkered pattern and have been considering black and white (which I LOVE) but thought maybe I'd tire of it. You, my friend, just gave me a parting of the clouds moment. We will find out tomorrow if that old house wants us to live in it. Today is going to be a loooong day. I'll keep ya posted!
This flooring is what brought me to your blog ;) I heart checkerboard flooring and want to do it in my basement of the cabin ;) I debated concrete stain but this maybe just the answer for soft, clean and not having to worry about any cracks or so. Love!
Hey Kari, I have to admit I love your peel and stick flooring! In fact I love your butler's pantry!! and the bok choy... its one of my favorite veggies! Next to new green beans, asparagus, sun ripened tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob, etc... Can you tell i like veggies? Especially fresh ones. :) Have a wonderful day, my friend! (sorry for being negligent.... just one of those crazy times in life where silence reigns. not bad stuff, just stuff... i'll explain later. it was so wonderful meeting you a few weeks ago... i really wish we could have had more time. you are a dear, sweet lady!)
Peel and stick tiles?! Wow!! I never would have known. They look amazing Karianne :) --Elena
You realize of course that we are all GREEN WITH ENVY! What a fab room!
I think peel and stick floor tiles are a great invention...and they work to boot! Actually thought you painted that floor! Looks great, right price, and limited skill required...my kind of project! ;)
I could have sworn we threw away the number for the gas station pizza :) I love your pantry. I could throw down a mattress and move right in. After all, there is plenty of food and pretty dishes. Hugs, Laura P.S. can I borrow the bathroom occasionally :)
It looks amazing! I need to do this in my laundry tub area, except that the floor in there is solid oak. Maybe a floating vinyl floor would be better cause then it won't make a mess of the wood underneath... Welcome to my money pit!
I am so jealous of this room! I told someone the other day I could just take my purse and move into your house without changing a thing! :) My husband had this "great" idea the other day...of taking up the flooring in our dining room and painting it. I looked at him like he had three heads. "Uh, do you not remember me telling you about this blog I read every day...the painted floor in her bedroom, etc. etc.?!" His answer, "No." I swear to goodness. If it gets done, I'll let him think it was his idea!!
Gorgeous. We looked at a house that had a "mud room" that was about as appealing as your "before." Seriously. It was like the ONLY room in the house that hadn't had ANYTHING done to it. But it had WINDOWS. That looked out over the back yard and into the cornfield behind it. And I could just SEE what a great room it could be. Sigh. You are my inspiration. :)
Kari, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way this turned out? We also have a room off our kitchen that was originally listed as an "office," but we've turned it into our pantry. If you don't mind me asking, what is the room size of your pantry? We have hard wood floors everywhere. As much as I really like them, I would like to "break them up" in a few places. I love your floor idea and also love the way you built the cabinets & shelves. Thank you so much for sharing. Great inspiration! Hugs & Blessings ... Lani Simply Fresh Vintage
Your's is the pantry of dreams! Perhaps if I click my heels 3x, I could have a space to display my 1940-50's delphite collection, cake carriers and bone china, sigh. A girl can dream can't she : ) Love this pantry and how you made it shine!
Gah! That is my kitchen floor. This summer it is going to be gone (raise hands in the air with plaintive wail). Love the pantry. We've got one downstairs and wouldn't be without it.
Kari, I just recently discovered your blog (thanks to Pinterest) and I LOVE it! I love your humor and that you are obviously a 'real' person with a real home that you enjoy. Thanks for sharing with us and making me smile - daily :)
BEAUTIFUL! You know what this reminds me of? Do you remember how grand the mansion was on the Beverly Hillbillies? Their home looked so fancy and so white and so clean and I always loved Granny's kitchen. There is something about this wonderful room that reminds me of that. I love the rug too. What a joy it must be to need something from the fridge. I think that I would sigh every time I entered. Sigh once for me please. ;) k.
Beautiful! I love it - never would have guessed they were peel and stick. I want to ask you, though, did you use a sander to sand down the floors? Did you use a special floor-ish primer or just regular ol' primer? I would love to do this in our laundry room (icky floor currently) and want to get the deets right. Thanks! You rock!
You've got it girl! The golden touch that is. ;) I love that you took what was already there and added in the built-ins rather than ripping everything out. It really does give it that 'better with time' look. After all the patience that was required to lay the floor...I'm glad it still looks great. I love the warmth of the color. Just wondering....is there another fridge too? Or is this one reserved for tea and bok choy alone? teehee. Inquiring minds want to know...have you sunk your pearly whites into any of that bok choy yet?
It is a pantry to love. And I do love it all.
Gorgeous floor, I never would have guessed peel and stick! Smart move left you extra money to splurge on the touches that really do make the room, like the chandelier! I would love a chandelier in my pantry! ~Diane
The floor looks great - definitely no need to change it. I'm wondering what you did with the hot water heater and the electrical panel. Are they hidden in the room somewhere, or did you have them moved elsewhere?
That butler's pantry is TO DIE FOR, KA! LOVE it, you two did an amazing job. Wow. It is so clean, bright and cheerful!
Dropped cheerios and aspic - if that floor can handle that, it's a keeper! Kelly
I have Loved, Loved, Loved your pantry from the first time you shared it, and I too thought you had painted your gorgeous floor.
So pretty! The floor tiles look like expensive cork tiles. I just assumed that's what they were.
I cannot believe how great they look, who would have thought they would be that durable? Good choice and they look so fancy!
we had to throw down a quick and inexpensive floor after a kitchen flood. We got the peel and stick tiles too, with the floor primer that you put down before applying the tiles to the floor (just use a hair dryer to heat the tile and it will release without damaging or leaving residue) it is super easy to pull one up if they get damaged. (you did not mention using it but the flooring guy at our local Lowes highly recommended it to make it easier when we wanted to remove the tiles) Even though it was supposed to be a quick, temporary fix, I am loving them in my kitchen and dining room so much I am not in a hurry to replace them at all. And after 3 years I have not had to replace any because of damage, very easy to keep clean as well. I love the way you did a pattern with them.
I have noticed that floor before in other photos of yours and have thought how pretty it was. I had no idea it was peel and stick tile, they are really beautiful, I think. Hugs Cindy
We used the Lowes peel and stick tiles where I used to work and I was i AWE at how fabulous they looked. YOURS look amazing, love the 2 colors and the pattern on the diagonal. Gorgeous. XO, pinky
What color gray is that?
I LOVE it!
I love the flooring! I would have never guessed that it was the peel and stick! Also, where did you get your threshold from? That is a great size for my kitchen entryway.
Your floors look beautiful! My laundry is black and white and my dog pulled a few when he was a puppy... I wanted to replace with real tiles but decided that just bringing me sticky ones would do the job! And waaaay less expensive!!! Thanks for reassuring me! Your pantry is amazing, I love what you dud with the cabinets and the way you display your collection of dishes! Have a great weekend!
Looking good girl! :)
You do have vision! I don't know that I would have seen this beautiful space in my head when I saw that space. It's perfection now! I'd love to have a pantry like this in our home.
I love this look. It reminds me of the tile floors I saw in France....really!
Great floor idea and so great looking. Your colors and pattern really make such a huge difference between your peel and sticks and my peel and sticks. I'm so happy I follow your blog and learn these things, and now I'm going to pry up my ugly peel and sticks and redo them like your beautiful peel and sticks. Thanks, Kari Anne!
Oh I LOVE your farmhouse Karianne! Your floors look amazing even for peel an stick! Gorgeous open shelves too! xx Anne
What brand and colors are your peel and stick tiles from Lowes?