You can update the look of your bathroom without having to spend a fortune (it’ll only look like you did). When it comes to bathroom remodeling, planning ahead and shopping smart can make all the difference. Let’s take a look at a few ways to dramatically improve your bathroom without throwing your money down the drain.
Vanity tops – Gone are the days when granite tops were splurge items. Now, for under $200, you can find one with an attached under mounted sink. Be sure to get a vanity with a backsplash to protect the wall from water spills; it can make the room look better too. By mounting the faucet into the vanity before setting the top, you’ll avoid having to mount the faucet from underneath.
Mirror framing – Dress up a plain mirror by adding a wood or tile frame. Tile should be applied to the wall with mastic adhesive. Be sure to tape the mirror off and use a grout that is unsanded. This will help avoid scratching your mirror. You can buy a wood mirror frame or wood molding to build your own. Paint or stain your frame before installation and place scones on either side of the mirror. This will illuminate your room better than overhead lights and eliminate shadows on your face. As an added bonus, lights reflected in the mirror tend to brighten the whole room.
Extended lights – If your light fixtures are too close to the wall, the medicine cabinet may keep them from casting adequate light. Look for a light fixture with an extended neck that casts light above and in front of the mirror.
Curtain rod – A great way to save money is by installing a curved shower curtain rod instead of glass shower doors. As an additional benefit you enjoy more elbow room as the curvature adds to a sleeker look in this area.
Top it off – For $50 to $100, you can make a big impact in your bathroom with crown molding. Crown molding adds elegance and beauty. Because wood expands and contracts with variation in humidity, try urethane. Installation of urethane is easy and less expensive than wood. If you are going to use wood, just be sure to seal the backside to reduce warping.
Fancy faucet – We tend to neglect our sink faucet even though it is the most frequently used item in the house. This is the area in which we should splurge. Heavy, solid metal faucets are best. A ceramic disc valve provides the most durability (rubber washers wear out quickly). Look for a lifetime warranty with your faucet and be sure it fits the hole pattern in your sink.
Get hooked – Instead of using towel bars which can be difficult for children to use (your towels end up on the floor), install hooks. You can place more hooks where a bar would normally hang, and, yes, your towels will dry.
See Also:
Bathroom Design Ideas & Remodeling Projects – HGTV
13 top bathroom remodel trends – MSN
Thanks for considering these ways of spicing up your own bathroom. You just need to be creative to have a beautiful bathroom area. Following these creative ways of having a great area can make your bathroom an elegant one.
A trick that Europeans use for hanging towels on hooks is to sew a cotton ribbon loop at the center of one of the edges. Some of Ikea’s bath towels come with the loop already on them.
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Hey this is great, i loved your tips, they are really cheap and not more expensive also. I m soon going to renovate my home, will use above tips in it, thanks
I installed a curved shower rail in our small bathroom, and it makes a huge difference to the comfort of showering in the tub. There’s so much more room for your torso and arms – no more banging your elbows on the wall!
I do prefer towel bars to hooks, though. When you hang a big fluffy damp towel from a hook, there’s always an area that takes a long time to dry where it’s all bunched up at the top.
One more small bathroom tip – using a vanity that’s less deep (front to back) than standard, with a sink on top that juts forward over the edge, takes up much less floor space and makes the room feel bigger. You don’t lose much storage in the vanity cabinet, considering that the back of most bath vanities is a black hole anyway!
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I really like the mirror framing idea. We have done this in our master bath. Although a small change, it really makes the vanity area look much better.
Yup i am fully agree with you. The tips are very hilarious. I Found Mirror framing is most important for refreshing.
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You dont have to spend buckets of cash to get a decent look and finish, you just need to think a little creatively and outside of the box. I visited a carboot sale last Sunday, found loads of old posters and wooden signs, ive bobbed them in the bathroom and now have a rustic olde world theme going on
– next job – kitchen
Yeah I agree with the molding part. I believe moldings are a great way to style any room and add details to it (im saying this not because I work for a molding company or maybe I’m just so exposed to it)…
Anyway, if you have a wall-mounted shelves or drawers, you can try adding some trims to it as well; either at the top and/or bottom.
And I’m also an advocate of disc valve faucets (the ones you pull up or down or from side to side to open and close) because I believe they save a ton of water compared to old turn-knob faucets. It’s easy to turn these kinds of faucets that no one has an excuse not to keep the faucet running while brushing.
Great tips and underway in my master as we speak- thought of granite, faucets and framing the mirror, but lights and crown easy too. I also blog at Charlotte Real Estate Homes and Condos Thanks
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These are great tips for people to make their bathroom suites look great without spending a fortune, something which also helps to make your bathroom look a lot better.
What is the name of the paint color on the wall?
I made my own shower curtains once from velvet. I folded the end and sewed it for greater strength then I actually used a paper hole puncher for the ring holes and some gold rings from Home Depot. I wish I had pictures cuase it turned out quite nice.
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Well, I must admit this information is very useful for the readers, you seems focus on bathroom ideas, I really like the mirror framing idea. We have done this in our master bath. Thanks for sharing it.
Inflatable Hot Tub
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Shopping for bathroom mirrors isn’t easy as it seems. There are several things to consider when these fixtures are chosen. The size of the bath, the shape of the mirror, plus the design has to be perfectly matched so you wouldn’t spoil the beauty and tranquility of your bathrooms.
The extended lights tip is extremely helpful! I kept inserting stronger bulbs that really didn’t solve the problem. So, thanks very much!
My sister had remodeled her bathroom last summer, but she spent a fortune on it. I bet she would get angry if i show this post to her! I am planing to make a change to my bathroom in few months so i think i will go for some of these tips. Using a curtain row instead of a shower cabin would work great for me, it would make my bathroom look larger.
Everything is a little better with some spices. Including Bathrooms!
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Vanity tops for $200? Those are pretty good prices.
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In reference to the “top it off” section, you mention for a extra $50-$100 dollars you can add crown molding. Is that per square inch?
Great article. A nice mirror can do wonders for overall look of the bathroom.
I like the tip about the curved shower curtain rod. My wife has been bugging me to replace our sliding shower door. Would definitely be looking for this shower curtain rod the next time I go to the store. Thanks!
Many people don’t realize that putting money into their bathroom greatly increases the value of the house.
I like the idea of extending lighting fixtures – it could be very efficient way of saving energy usage. Maybe we can also ad a ventilation option. Depending on the demographic of the house, it could significantly increase usability of the bathroom.
This is a really great post! I really like the vanity top an mirror tips (I think tile can add so much)! I recently renovated my own bathroom and one way I saved money was by finding a really cool antique bathroom vanity unit and refinishing it. It turned out really well and cost a fraction of what I would have paid for a base model at Lowes!
I like the bathroom mirror tips more, i renovate my old bathroom to new, their this tips helps me.
Well, a nice post indeed. I loved all your ideas in remodeling. Even I wish to bring a splurge look to my bathroom as I am going to remodel it soon as per your tips. First of all I should make my mirror free from scratches. I should buy a wooden mirror frame and paint the frame with shiny colours. I am also planning to light scones on either side of the mirror to bring the shimmering and romantic light effect to my bathroom. I need to replace my old medical cabinet with a new one which have double doors and enough shelters to place the shampoos, shaving creams, lotions, soaps and other accessories as well. Even I feel that my bathroom will look better if I stick some wall stickers and hang some romantic paintings. Getting hold of extended lights is also a nice idea. Thanks for your suggestion!
I don’t know why people still think they have to have a medicine cabinet. There are nice cabinets available now, where you can store all that stuff, and then some. In my bathroom, I have recycled a white Ikea bookcase unit with doors on the bottom part. It looks fabulous with the towels on the open shelves and the less attractive stuff is stowed away behind the doors. This item had cost just a little over $100 when I bought it 7 years ago, but it looks like a million bucks against the chocolate brown walls of my new bathroom.
Thanks for the tips you have provided. These are good ways of spicing up our own bathroom. I also like the idea of installing a curved shower curtain rod instead of glass shower doors. Great tips!
I do agree that we can save money by installing a curved shower curtain rod instead of glass shower doors. I like the idea of installing a curved shower curtain rod to our bathroom. This is really an affordable bathroom remodeling. Thanks for the tips!
Your tips are exceptionally good. These tips are really cheap and can give smart look to the bathroom. I’m going to try the mirror tip and I’m going to use the wooden frame.
A fancy faucet gets my vote for sure. They’re relatively inexpensive, and add quite a bit to the bathroom’s overall look and design.
Thanks for these tips.But I would like to add that you can use an illuminated mirror also instead of framing your mirror.Illuminated mirrors are easily available now at most of the places.