Sometimes home staging is simple: De-clutter the bookshelves, rearrange the furniture, and maybe put a fresh coat of paint in the master bedroom.

Other times, though, the process is complicated by dated interiors; they’re tough to stage around because they’re pretty hard for buyers to see past. Never fear! When you’re in the hands of master stagers like the team at Creative Home Stagers, you can stage around just about anything, including dated tile.

Here are a few staging tips for toning down the visual impact of dated, unattractive tile.

Dated Tile in the Kitchen

Kitchens are one of the most likely places to have dated tile, particularly on the floor, the backsplash, or even the countertops. We’ve seen it all, ranging from pea-green paisley to 80s-era tie die patterns. The first thing we do when encountering dated tile is update everything around it as much as possible. Sometimes this means painting kitchen cabinets a modern, fresh white. It could also mean updating kitchen hardware and/or fixtures, and in some cases even removing hoods or switching out island barstools. Next, we try to create a different focal point in the room to draw the focus away from the tile. Maybe that’s a beautiful floor rug, an eye-catching light fixture, or just some well-placed art in front of the backsplash.

Dated Tile in the Bathroom(s)

Bathrooms are probably the most common place to find dated tile. The first step in minimizing its impact is to make sure the whole room is spotless. Grout should be cleaned (or repainted) until it looks like new. Next, everything else in the room should be made as neutral as possible to modernize the look of the space. We generally go with white shower curtains and white towels where possible to create a fresh, bright feeling. If all else fails, there are actually some relatively inexpensive options available for refinishing ceramic tiles in bathrooms.

Dated Tile in the Living Areas

Sometimes we encounter tile in main living spaces like foyers or living rooms. This is a little trickier, because outside of Florida, buyers generally aren’t really looking for tile as a flooring component in most rooms. The same tricks that work in the kitchen work well in other rooms, too: Placement of a beautiful area rug (or three), modern furniture pieces arranged carefully throughout, hanging eye-level art or a contemporary chandelier in an entryway. The goal is to take the focus away from the tile and put it on some other feature of the home.

Need help figuring out how to position your home to sell?
Creative Home Stagers are your staging experts in Charlotte. We know how to work around dated tile, funky layouts, and much, much more.
Give our team a call.