How To Update a Bathroom on a Budget

Remodeling a bathroom can be a daunting, and expensive!, endeavor, BUT it doesn’t have to be.  We recently gave our hall bathroom a quick and inexpensive makeover.  Read on to find out all about how to update a bathroom on a budget.

You guys, I just got back to blogging last week, and in that one week (literally), the whole country has started falling apart.

I have had a hard time focusing on anything this week, and my mind is so scattered right now.  I’ve put off writing this blog post until the last minute because I just couldn’t seem to find the motivation.  I’m not going to speak much to current events here, as this is a home decor blog, and I truly want to keep this space light and fun.  I will, however, say that I do hope that we can come together as a nation and take the steps necessary to move forward, in order to bring about positive change in this country.

“We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.”
― C. JoyBell C.

Alright, on to how to update a bathroom on a budget.

In my previous post, our New House Tour, I mentioned that all of the bathrooms need major updating.  I’m talking floor to ceiling renovations…  Oof.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the budget for that right now.  But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t bring the bathroom a little closer to our own style.

We decided to start with our hall bathroom.  It gets a fair amount of traffic, and quite frankly, it was the easiest one to make some simple changes to. 

(This post contains affiliate links.  To see my full disclosure, go here.)

Here’s what it looked like “before.”

Now, my list of renovations in this bathroom is fairly long – paint the walls, paint the trim, replace the tile, replace ALL fixtures (sinks, toilet, tub), as well as the countertop, replace bathtub surround, replace faucets, possibly replace the light fixture, and possibly take out the wall between the main bathroom and the water closet.

Whoa, that’s a lot.

We don’t have the money for all of that right now.  However, we did have the budget for a few changes, and I have to say, it has made a world of difference!

This is what the bathroom looks like now.

Not bad, huh?  Let’s take a closer look.

The main thing we did in this space was paint.  Paint is literally one of my favorite DIY tools.  You get so much bang for your buck.  It can be truly transformative, and I think that holds true for this space.

On the walls, I used Rainforest by Sherwin Williams, which is my current favorite.  We painted my son’s room in this color when we first moved in, and I have plans to use it in my master bedroom, as well.  It instantly brightened up the entire space!  One thing that I particularly love about using light colors is that they can also make a space appear larger. 

We also painted all of the woodwork in this space – trim, vanity, and doors.  I was not a fan (at all) of the cream trim to begin with, and I especially hated how it clashed with the white beadboard.  So, we solved that problem by painting all of the wood with Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic, Extra White.  This aided tremendously in brightening the space, also.

Another small thing that we did that made a big difference was add hardware to the cabinets.

Adding hardware is truly an easy way to update the look of a space, but it is something that is often overlooked.

Beyond that, I simply added some decor that fit the colors, as well as suited my own taste.

This is a set of prints that I found at an estate sale months ago.  I paid $5 for the set of them (unframed).  For some reason, they just spoke to me, and they continue to be some of my favorite wall hangings.  I purchased the matching frames from Amazon.

I believe this flower print was another estate sale find (or possibly Goodwill), and the white flowers came from a 90% off end of season sale at At Home.  The towel hook is the only thing that I purchased new for this little corner.

This is the water closet.  It’s a super small space and incredibly difficult to photograph.  This is pretty much exactly what it looked like (decor-wise) prior to painting.  Most of the changes in this room are fairly involved and will have to wait until later.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t show you what this room actually looks like on a daily basis.

Haha!  The potty seat and wipes totally elevate the decor, don’t they? 😆  I have to say, though, I don’t mind them in the least because we just potty trained our youngest!  Hallelujah, we are done with diapers.

Total Cost:

• Sherwin Williams Promar 200, 1 gallon – $17
• Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic, 1 gallon – $45
• Cabinet hardware – $28
• Picture Frames – $45
• Runner Rug – $77
• Towel Hook – $14

     Grand total = $227

Not too shabby, especially considering the rug was the largest purchase for this room.

Anyway, that completes the tour of our hall bathroom.  I hope this has given you some ideas about how to update a bathroom on a budget, and shown that it doesn’t have to cost a lot to make a big difference.

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