Entryway Tile Makeover with The Home Depot 2021 Marazzi #EpicClean Tile Campaign

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. All opinions are my own. Thank you for your continued support.

This home is loved. It’s a family home that housed memories and watched grandchildren grow into adults and welcomed great grandchildren through its front door. For over 35 years its walls were used as canvases for young children to practice their penmanship, while the entryway floor served as the first point of contact for loved ones to walk, crawl, run, hop, and skip on.

This home belongs to my sister-in-law, Xena and brother-in-law Glen, who recently inherited this 1985 two-story when Xena’s grandmother sadly passed away last year. Xena has been wanting to make updates to her family home, and together we decided that we should start with the entryway since it was the home’s “first impression”. The old entryway tile had charm, but due to an improper install, could no longer handle the constant traffic. That, coupled with a lot of trapped dirt and grime gave the foyer area a damp feeling. A pungent scent filled the air as soon as you entered the home, and didn’t give guests that warm welcome feeling that Xena and Glen wanted to create.

Our mission was to give their entryway a breath of fresh air so to speak. With every tile feeling like a booby- trapped step from the Indiana Jones films, we knew that the floor was going to be our main focus. Their home is situated near a creek and a good sized wooded area., which is optimal for Xena’s nieces and nephews to play, but unfortunate for the floor as it was the main entry/exit for everyone to utilize. The amount of wear and tear on and under the tile, stairs and walls were obvious, and it was clear that we would need to create a fresh new palette to begin with. Xena and I worked together to finalize a design plan for the room that included the use of a deep moody blue (her favorite color) and soft grays. She wanted to go bold and bring the color blue throughout the space, so together we decided we would paint the original trim, baseboards, stair risers and spindles, as well as paint a half wall to bring the color up.

The walls were covered in years of dirt and grime, so after wiping them down with warm water and dish detergent, we first repainted the entire entryway with a fresh coat of white paint to get the feeling of a fresh clean slate. The entryway already receives a ton of amazing natural light, but a few coats of white paint helped to brighten the space even further. We next removed the old carpet on the staircase, which in my opinion, should’ve been removed a long time ago. With every section we pulled up, clouds of dirt, dust and whatever other debris from the last however many years billowed up and into our faces (Thank goodness for protective gear!) Josh made a comment about there being years of skin cells nestled in the carpet (among other things) and I almost shut the whole project down haha. I will say that removing the carpet and painting the walls, helped eliminate the damp smell in the home. But there was still one more area to address, and that was to remove the old tile.

In all honesty, taking up the old tile SHOULD have been a lot harder than what it was. We (okay Josh) were prepared to utilize our fairly new hammer drill to chisel and make minced meat of the old floral flooring. But to our surprise (and to his dissatisfaction) the tile came right up with zero resistance. We literally lifted each piece up with our fingers. Seriously, I’ve had baby teeth come out and give me more trouble. There just wasn’t enough thinset used in the original install, plus the tile was applied directly to plywood subfloor (which btw is a no-no. It’s not recommended to apply your tile directly to your plywood subfloor. Why? Because wood expands and contracts and with all that movement happening, your tile and/or grout is bound to crack overtime). The recommendation is that tile should be installed to a solid surface aka cement backer board. Luckily for us, the floor was level enough for us to install cement boards directly to the subfloor, without having to scrape up and remove any of the old mortar. We did however sweep and vacuum up the trapped dirt that had been living rent free in their home for years, before laying cement backerboard right over their existing subfloor.

(Don’t be alarmed, the light blue paint that you see is just the tinted primer. I always use tinted primer vs. white primer when using a dark paint color)

Okay now it’s time for my favorite part…FLOOR TILE! We partnered with The Home Depot as part of their Marazzi #EpicClean Tile Campaign and chose the Marazzi Antibacterial floor tile - a beautiful porcelain tile with dramatic grey veining and a soft matte finish. It perfectly complements the paint color we chose for the room (Nocturne Blue by Behr), and completely elevates their entryway giving them a more sophisticated and dramatic design. I’m in love!

Just look at how the light bounces off of the tile! LOOOVE

This was our first time working with a large format tile, but the tile was so easy to work with. That and our new wet saw made making cuts a breeze.

The Marazzi antibacterial tile provides 99% antimicrobial protection and helps to prevent bacteria, mold, and mildew from growing and surviving on your tile and essentially in your home. Cleanliness seems to be the theme of this project and I was excited to know that even after we finish the entryway makeover, the tile will continue working as a defense against bacteria for the lifetime of the tile.

See how the room is coming together with the blues and grays that Xena requested? In full transparency we ordered a new front door that was going to be gray as well, but it’s on backorder until October.

So, I’m sure you’re asking yourself why we chose an antibacterial tile for an entryway right? Well, preventing the spread of germs is a plus especially in today’s pandemic crisis, as cleanliness is at the forefront of more and more people’s minds. And, since this is a family home with people coming in and out on a daily basis (including children), we wanted to use materials that work around the clock to help keep them healthy. Stop bacteria right at the front door sort of speak. And if you’re still questioning our decision because you’re concerned about the durability, I’m happy to report that the Marazzi tile is extremely durable and even scratch and wear resistant.

Are you ready for the after? Of course I have to share just one more before shot before we jump directly into it.

And now for the after!

With the addition of color and a fresh new floor to walk in to, Xena and Glen have a bold new entryway that’s germ free and packed with personality! And considering that this house has been passed down from family member to family member, updating the tile with one that promises lifetime guarantee protection will help to ensure that this home can continue to serve Xena and her family for years to come.