Low-cost ideas for a bathroom refresh

Are you looking for some low-cost ideas for a bathroom refresh? Sprucing up your bathroom does not necessarily need to be a project that is worth thousands of pounds. Instead, there are several easy ways to help give the room a nice facelift and make it feel more luxurious without breaking the bank!

Frame Your Mirror

Dress up the room and upgrade a plain mirror by framing it with, say, shimmery mosaic glass tile or wood. If you are a handyman, this one could be an easy DIY project for you, especially considering the various mirror-framing kits available on the market. However, you may simply use mastic adhesive, tape off the mirror, and apply the tile to the wall. Just make sure you don’t use sanded grout. It will prevent your mirror from being scratched. You can find mosaic tiles from just £5 per sheet.

Add Sconces

Light fixtures give any space, your bathroom included, a strong element of design. Mount sconces on each side of the mirror, and enjoy better illumination than an overhead light. A cost-effective way to add ambience to the space and brighten the room with slightly less than £50 for the set.

Give your Vanity a New Look

Instead of buying a brand new vanity, why not give the existing one a nice makeover? Provided that it has good bones, you could play with colours and offer a fresher look to the entire room. You won’t believe how some bold turquoise chalk paint and a few layers of wax, for example, can transform dated oak into a marvellous masterpiece. For added style and grandeur, you may give the vanity an antiquated look. Painted stencils will also deliver an impressive result. Alternatively, you may apply wallpaper on the vanity door panels. But if you want a fresh look and aesthetic without the extra work a small white vanity may be a good alternative

Besides paint, upgrading the cabinet hardware will make a huge difference too. If, for instance, your cabinet has door pulls of the same colour as the vanity and the countertop (i.e. white on white), you may achieve a more modern and warm version of what you already have with new hardware.

Add a Curved Curtain Rod

A curved curtain rod will help give the bathroom a beautiful polished look. However, besides the aesthetic appeal, there are practical aspects that could convince you to replace your old curtain rod and swap it with a curved one. For starters, it is a great way to save money since you won’t need to install a glass shower door. Secondly, curved curtain rods give you more space to move around when you are inside the shower. Plus, you get to keep the shower curtain that you so love and just buy a new rod for £30-£40 (depending on the finish, it could go higher).

Speaking of the shower, another great idea to spruce it up is to add some accent tile inside it. It will create a luxurious look. And, since you will only be buying a small number of colourful tiles, it will come much less expensive than if you had to purchase tiles for the entire room.

Add Crown Moulding

A handy way to infuse elegance and style to your bathroom without emptying your pockets. If your bathroom is small, like most bathrooms in the country, this will be an upgrade that won’t cost you more than £70-£90. Use urethane for painted crown because (1) it is lightweight and (2) humidity changes will leave it intact (no contraction or expansion-related issues like wood). Besides, urethane moulding is an easy DIY project, which only requires some nails and adhesive caulk. So, it really is an endeavour that will cost you the equivalent of 20 cups of tea give or take!

In case you prefer wood over urethane, you need to ensure that the bathroom has sufficient ventilation and that you use a primer if you are painting the wood. If you plan to stain the wood, then it is best to use a wood conditioner to seal the back side and minimise warping.

Resurface the Bathtub

Refinishing your bathtub is a money-saving way to refresh the surface of a damaged or old tub and bring it to a brand new-like condition. The process will repair any cracks or chips, while the new coating that will be sprayed, brushed, or rolled on will give it a nice finish. It is a project that could be done using DIY kits. Nevertheless, it might be best to have a professional service handle this one to ensure a superior final outcome.

Now, if you can afford to replace your bathtub and have budgeted between £100-£300 then installing a beautiful steel bathtub is a solution that will last an incredibly long period of time. Steel tubs are unbelievably strong and durable, which means that they will look like just out of the box for years and years.

The last piece of advice, bring nature inside your bathroom with a few potted plants. Bamboo, orchid, Aloe Vera, peace lily, and snake plant are all excellent choices that will help you create a dazzling, natural and diversified bathroom look. Pick your favourite or combine different species and keep your space cheery and fun!

So there you have it – some low cost ideas for a bathroom refresh. Sometimes it’s the small changes that can really make a difference to the way your bathroom looks and feels….

Are you planning on a bathroom refresh sometime soon? Have you considered any of the above? Do leave a comment and share. And if you’re looking for more ideas on updating your bathroom check out this post here.

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