13 Tips for Budget Friendly Bathroom Makeover

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We all love to save money, don’t we? Here are 13 tips for budget friendly bathroom makeover.

Recently I completed a guest bathroom makeover in just 5 weeks time as part of the One Room Challenge. The question that I get asked most often about this project is “how can I save money on a bathroom makeover”?  Today I am sharing my best 13 tips for budget friendly bathroom makeover.

Welcome to another week of Room by Room Summer Series! So far we have covered living spaces and bedrooms. Isn’t it fun to see other designer’s tips and ideas? We think so too. Let’s get started!

Tip #1 Do It Yourself

This seems like the most obvious tip. By doing as many projects yourself as you possibly can will save you loads of money. Each time you hire a professional trades person is costly. Not only do you pay for the time that they are in your home, there are added costs for trip fees, taxes, materials and more.

If you aren’t sure where to begin with a particular project, garner as much knowledge as possible. My favorite tutorials are YouTube videos. As a visual learner, these videos are a Godsend. You would not believe the things I learned to do for this guest bathroom makeover. I taught myself how to install a new faucet set, remove the vanity mirror and hang wallpaper just to name a couple of things.

Tip #2 Re-New the room with Paint

Nothing rejuvenates a room more than a fresh coat of paint. A gallon of paint in a light, bright color makes all of the difference. Don’t forget to paint the 5th wall, which is the ceiling.

Tip #3 Paint your Vanity – Don’t replace It

Replacing a vanity is extremely costly. I discovered this when I started to shop around for a new one.

Not to be deterred, I opted to paint the vanity base in a beautiful bright blue. This project took less than a quart of paint for three coats.

 

Tip #4 Paint The Countertop – It Works!

Yes, you are reading this correctly. I painted the countertops with a specialty paint Homax made specifically for refinishing. My countertop was beige and dated. I dreamt of a new bright white countertop. Again, to my surprise I learned that replacing the countertop was going cost be over $1,200! You see my vanity was an odd size which to professionals translates to “custom”.

For just $20 I transformed the vanity countertop to the one in my bright white dreams!

Tip #5 Don’t Replace the Floor Tile or Shower Tile – Paint It!

Okay – I did go paint crazy with this makeover. The power of paint is a wonderful thing and it saves you a lot of money. As much as I wanted to rip out all of this dark tile and replace it with marble – I knew that this would be a definite budget-buster.

Before starting this painted tile project I again did lots and lots of research and interviewed professionals. I was desperate to banish the beige tiles. The bathroom was dark with zero windows or natural light. I’m very proud of how this turned out. I need to make a tutorial 🙂

I painted the tile to look like marble. Visitors are amazed by how great it looks!

Tip #6 Change Out The dated Mirror

Practically every bathroom vanity in America has this full-wall mirror above it. Don’t get me wrong, these mirrors are practical and serve their purpose. I was craving the look of something more customized to my taste.

This mirror was collecting dust in a closet.

I gave it a couple of coats of chalk paint and it looks great. You can read the full tutorial in this post Repurposed Mirror for Bathroom Makeover.

Tip #7 Wallpaper an accent Wall instead of the entire bathroom

Wallpaper has made a serious resurgence in the home decor front. As someone who had to remove wallpaper in a former home from practically every.single.room I swore that I would NEVER have wallpaper in any future rooms EVER! Well fast forward to now. This particular wallpaper is removable. that’s right – Just peel off the backing and position it on the wall.

Wallpaper can be another high-price item. By adding it to just one feature wall you don’t need nearly as much paper as you would for doing the whole room. By the way, if you are interested in this uniQstiQ wallpaper or others in this Etsy store you can receive a discount by using this code from us: 2BEESINAPOD.

Tip #8 Make Your Own Artwork

Nowadays you can find and print all kinds of artwork online. I created this printable and framed it with a thrift store frame. The jury is still out on this one – but I personally think it is hysterical! What do you think?

Tip #9 Use Sheets as a Shower Curtain

The ceiling is high in the guest bathroom and I wanted to further emphasize this with long shower curtain panels. Well, you guessed it – super expensive! So I found a full-sized flat sheet on clearance at HomeGoods for just $5.99. Simply cut up the middle it became two shower curtain panels. Also, I only needed to sew one edge on each panel to finish them off.

Tip #10 Update Lighting

Updating lighting in any room is a major improvement. What in the world was I doing keeping this fixture for so long? And I have two more just like in the master bathroom – EEK. My best advice is to decide exactly what you love and want for a new fixture. For example I decided on the style, finish and size for my fixture. Then I started looking online for model comparisons and price.

Because I was patient, flexible and knew exactly what I wanted – my light fixture went on sale and the company offered free shipping. What typically would have been a $300 light ended costing me $110.00!

Tip #11 Change Out Vanity Hardware

Pulls and knobs are the jewelry for your cabinets. If you don’t want to paint your vanity, you can change the look by changing out the hardware. There are SO many varieties in the marketplace. Again, do your homework online first.

Tip #12 Use Robe Hooks Instead of Towel Bars

Since moving to this townhouse full time I have come to despise towel bars. Yes, I know that this is irrational. Two bath towels never fit on the bar at one time and you have to be careful taking the towel off of the bar.

My solution for this makeover was robe hooks. They look stylish, sleek, beautiful and are way more efficient. Oh and robe hooks are usually way less expensive. In my case they were half of the price of the towel bar.

Tip #13 Shop Thrift Stores

Thrift shopping is my jam – my happy place. This is a great way to find accessories, trays, bottles, baskets and decorative items for your next makeover. You can even find shelves or small tables to repurpose.

Did you find 13 tips for budget friendly bathroom makeover helpful? It is my sincerest wish that you are inspired and empowered to tackle a guest bathroom makeover of your own. You’ve got this!

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