Photo Credit: Archomemaster.com
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.
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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
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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!
Kevin@bathroom ideas´s last blog ..Bathroom Decorations
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.