Do you find yourself uninspired and slightly deflated when you walk into your bathroom? Maybe the design is outdated, or it’s just not doing it for you anymore. Bathrooms often suffer the most degradation of any room in your house. The high humidity levels due to water can damage fixtures and design elements quickly. Cracked grout, bubbling wallpaper, calcium damage on fixtures and water staining are all common issues you may see in your bathroom over time.
You don’t need to do an entire remodel to bring your bathroom back to life. There are many ways you can make it look fresh and new without tearing out plumbing, ripping out floors or retiling the whole space. If you’re looking to revamp your bathroom on a budget, here are some tips that can help you.
Tile Re-Grouting
One of the most unsightly things you can see in your bathroom is discolored, cracked grout. Not to mention grout is one of the first places you’ll see mildew. Your tiles might be in perfect shape, but the damaged grout will make your shower, walls, or backsplash look like a wreck. Re-tiling is not cheap. It’s messy, time-consuming and a wasteful procedure. Instead, consider re-grouting. Re-grouting will completely revitalize the look of your bathroom, and best of all it won’t break the bank. On top of that, tile re-grouting doesn’t take long, and by using bathroom surgeon for tile re-grouting, it will be done in one day.
Update Your Fixtures
The second most visible sign of water damage and deterioration is your fixtures. Taps, faucets, and showerheads face direct exposure to water daily. Depending on where you live, the minerals in your water can wreak havoc on your fixtures. High calcium in your water can leave a white residue, where iron will leave a brownish, orange color. These minerals can also plug up small holes on your showerhead. Updating your fixtures is a quick and easy way to make your bathroom sparkle again. They don’t have to cost a lot either, or you can inject a bit of your personality into the design. If you want a significant change, maybe consider switching your fixtures from silver to gold to give the room a different look.
Paint
The cheapest way to completely change the look of your bathroom is with paint. There’s no shortage of color options, so you can give it a classy look with a neutral, or go bold with bright colors. It can be time-consuming to paint the bathroom since there are more nooks and crannies to get around than in any other room in your house. That said if you’re willing to put in the time you can save yourself a lot of money. Don’t forget painters’ tape or risk getting paint on your bathtub, floor or sink.
You are not restricted to only painting the walls either. Consider painting your bathroom cupboards or shelves to inject some personality without the time and effort of painting all the walls. Regardless of what you choose to paint in your bathroom, make sure that you use a high-quality product. The bathroom gets exceptionally humid, and that humidity can cause damage to many types of paint. Choose paint that has a satin finish and look for specialized bathroom paint which is resistant to mold.
New lighting
Bathrooms are often small, and there is not much space for impactful art pieces or décor. Your light fixtures are an opportunity to enhance the design, create visual focal points, and change the look of the space. A mistake that many people make is over-lighting the bathroom with harsh, bright lights. While you want your mirror to be adequately lit for doing your makeup or plucking your eyebrows, a high-energy bulb is not required. The space is small, so low energy LEDs will do just fine.
There are so many unique and creative light fixtures available that can add a ton of personality to your bathroom. A great option is an illuminated mirror that has a separate switch from your main lighting. You can then choose wall sconces and hanging fixtures that emit a softer light for general use. An opaque glass shade can help diffuse light as well, which eliminates the harshness of the direct bulb.
Refinish and repair
Instead of buying something new, first, consider if you can repair or refinish it. Installing a new bathtub or shower is extremely expensive. If it has stains or chips, you can refinish it with a coating made from polyurethane which will harden to give it a fresh, glossy surface. Beyond that, you can hire a company to create a customized acrylic liner which can fit perfectly over your current bathtub or shower surface.
When it comes to your fixtures, it is usually cheaper just to replace them unless you’re really attached to them. The only time you can refinish a fixture cheaply is if it is fiberglass, porcelain or cast iron. Otherwise, you might want to try the next option.
Buy Used
A great way to save money buying items for your bathroom is to purchase second hand. You can find some fantastic mirrors, bathtubs, sinks and even used toilets. You will want to do your research before buying and find options that are high-quality with no visible signs of wear and tear. Often you can find items that are like new but at a fraction of the cost of a new model. Some items may have never been used at all. Vintage fixtures are also a great way to give your bathroom some character if you like that kind of look. That said, you can also find more modern and industrial fixtures second hand that someone may have purchased on a whim and never used.
There are so many ways you can bring new life to your bathroom without spending a ton of money. Look at what you already have and how it can be freshened up instead of starting entirely from scratch.