Decorating and Design - Rented Home Renovation

I am renting one-half of an old duplex - approximately 60-70 years old. I have a wonderful landlord that says all I need to do is pay the rent and take care of the place. Because my rent is so low, it's more economical for me to fix up the place and make a few changes (landlord won't pay for them) than to move to a newer place for more rent.

In the past, painting was done without removing any hardware (eg. hinges, door knobs, towel bars, etc.) so this is all going to have to be fixed - I'm fussy. I'm planning on painting every room, and new paint and some elbow grease will fix the past sins. However, I'm wondering if there are other cosmetic changes that I can make for little money. I would like to remove the top row of tiles in the pink bathroom - they're pink and green floral - and replace them with a more modern tile, and repaint the bathroom. Would it be worth my while to remove these old tiles and replace them, and how should I go about it? Also, the countertop in the kitchen is very old and dated, although still in good condition. Is there something I can do to update it, short of replacing it? What can I do with the vinyl floor in the kitchen (very ugly). Can I put vinyl tile over top of it, or should I just cover it with an area rug?

Any help or suggestions, in these or other areas, would be greatly appreciated.

Aside from painting be sure to get any changes you make to the unit approved by the owner in writing before you do it. Otherwise you could be liable for damages or even legal action should the owner die and his terrible son or daughter takes over the place and doesn't like what you did to the unit. Hey, it happens. Rather than taking the top row of tiles down, why not just paint them with a contrasting color. It would be somewhat of a meticulous paint job, but may look nice and save the headache of removing the tiles and chancing the replacement of wall behind it.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.
As for painting the tiles, I had thought of that but am not sure what type of paint to use, nor how long the paint job would last. Any experience there?

Hi Joanie1,

Painting tiles--> you can't just apply the paint on the tiles-->you should use a special (for tiles) primer first . Using this primer the paint will not peel
For painting / primer specs, I'd suggest our Painting Forum

Countertop--> check these solutions
http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=356583

Thanks Patricia. I'll try there.

Hi there,

The primer to use is called 'Gripper'. It will last a long time on the wall. My brother did his floor and shower because the grout was horrible and it has lasted quite awhile already on the most used areas.

I'm about to do my rental unit floors and shower as my brother did with the same stuff. It goes on just like regular primer, then use kitchen bath paint over it in whatever color you'd like.

Good luck!