Easy, Budget-Friendly DIY Bathroom Makeovers

Best Of Hometalk
by Best Of Hometalk

The bathroom may not rank high on the list of favorite rooms in the house. Many of us would love a gorgeous, spa-like room to step into first thing in the morning but instead, we are most likely greeted with retro mint green tiles, tired looking cabinets and dingy linoleum floors.

(pixabay)

But this often small grooming space can quickly become one’s favorite room with a few DIY tweaks. From upgraded flooring to fresh wall paint, there are plenty of high-end designer bathroom makeovers that anyone can take on for a low cost. There are lots of inexpensive ways to get the bathroom of your dreams that not only looks amazing but also functions better.


This article lists some fun, thrifty and easy hacks for small bathroom makeovers, from DIY flooring options to paint over old, worn tiles. A bathroom renovation doesn’t have to be messy and expensive with these easy DIY bathroom makeovers!


DIY Bathroom Renovations Anyone Can Tackle

Bathroom renovations can easily spiral out of control and break the DIY bank! These ingenious small bathroom makeover ideas can work within any budget, even the tightest. It’s always a great idea to make the bathroom look and feel fresh. Even the smallest bathroom renovation can do a lot this room feel new and updated. Our DIY bathroom renovations can be tackled by any Weekend Warrior, regardless of skill. Learn some new tricks for replacing floors without any demolition dust to re-tiling a bathtub surround that we promise won’t go over budget!


Even a larger bathroom renovation can be done within budget if you are willing to roll up your sleeves like Kati did when she needed a decent bathroom to bathe her young children. Her two-week bathroom renovation included the complete gutting of the bathroom, where she then installed new subway tiles around the bathtub. 

Bathroom Makeover Before and After (Kati Urbanek-Countryesque)

See post: Kati Urbanek-Countryesque|Bathroom Makeover Before and After


Kati’s complete bathroom renovation also included new ceramic tile floors, fresh wall paint and a new vanity cabinet from the local hardware store, all at a cost of $1000. Create your own personal spa-like retreat to enter into at the end of the day with the investment of a couple weeks of DIY work.

Bathroom Makeover Before and After (Kati Urbanek-Countryesque)

See post: Kati Urbanek-Countryesque|Bathroom Makeover Before and After


Kirsten, from the blog Paint Speckled Paw Prints, found her master bathroom lacking in ‘wow’ factor. After looking at the blank wall above her bathtub for too long, she realized this would be a great space for a tile accent wall. Her small bathroom renovation included using glass tile sheets to add color and texture to her otherwise plain bathroom. Tiling around two wood shelves, she successfully combined style with function. And the best part? She purchased these glass tile sheets on clearance, perfect for a small bathroom makeover on a tight budget!

DIY Glass Tile Accent Wall in Master Bathroom (Paint Speckled Pawprints)

See post: Paint Speckled Pawprints|DIY Glass Tile Accent Wall in Master Bathroom


If you want to channel your inner Joanna Gaines and create your own fixer-upper, then shiplap walls are the way to go. What is shiplap, you may be wondering? Well, it is a type of wooden board often used in the construction of barns, sheds and older homes. It has become quite trendy in today’s decor as wood paneling hung horizontally on a wall.


Shiplap is quite easy and inexpensive to create and is the perfect addition to any bathroom renovation. Shiplap can be purchased at your local hardware store with plywood planks being the most budget-friendly way to go.


That’s exactly how Judy was able to create her farmhouse bathroom after she totally gutted and remodeled her guest bathroom. Complete with a dresser-turned-bathroom-vanity she found at a vintage market, her bathroom went from a green-carpeted room with gaudy wallpaper to a black and white relaxing rustic spa.

Guest Bathroom Complete Remodel (Vintage Street Designs)

See post: Vintage Street Designs|Guest Bathroom Complete Remodel


Sometimes a bathroom renovation can be as simple as putting in a new floor ...Or maybe painting yourself a new floor? Yes! When Elizabeth could no longer stand her ceramic tile floors in her small bathroom, she gave those bland and boring beige bathroom ceramic tiles a coat of white concrete and garage floor paint. Once dry, she used a small stencil to apply a pattern to each individual square tile. Lots of work but nothing is as stunning as a black and white bathroom!

I Painted and Stenciled My Ceramic Tile (Creating Rustic Charm)

See post: Creating Rustic Charm|I Painted and Stenciled My Ceramic Tile


Small Bathroom Makeovers on a Budget

A bathroom renovation may sound overwhelming but it really doesn’t have to be! A bland, beige bathroom can quickly become stunning and stylish with these creative small bathroom makeovers. A great place to put those Weekend Warrior energies is in the bathroom. From giving walls a fresh coat of paint to boldly covering up a wall of old, cracked tiles, small bathroom makeovers can transform this room in the shortest amount of time.


When LeeAnn grew tired of her old small bathroom, she gave it a fresh and modern update with two cans of paint. Her bathroom’s original dark burgundy walls were given a blank canvas of crisp white paint. Because bathrooms are generally smaller rooms, it’s a great opportunity to try something daring and fun like the gorgeous accent wall LeeAnn painted off-white and black stripes. She even continued this striped pattern across the ceiling!  

Bathroom Makeover (LeeAnn M.)

See post: LeeAnn M.|Bathroom Makeover


Once the walls dried, this small bathroom makeover continued with new black paint on the vanity and white paint on the wall cabinets. 

Bathroom Makeover (LeeAnn M.)

See post: LeeAnn M.|Bathroom Makeover


So if the hardest working room in your house is looking tired and aged, don’t give up on it just yet! There are several ways to spruce up the bathroom without any major messy renovating and grabbing a gallon of paint is one of the easiest ways to get a small bathroom makeover.


And that’s what one Hometalk contributor did when she didn’t have the budget for a complete bathroom renovation. Instead, she used outdoor paint to paint the wall of subway tiles in her aged little bathroom. This updated look was complete with a contrasting black paint line along the trim for a great pop of color.

Dingy Bathroom Tile? Paint it. (PifP)

See post: PifP|Dingy Bathroom Tile? Paint It.


However, painting the walls of your bathroom isn’t the only small bathroom makeover idea out there! Consider wallpaper or fabric for this high-use room. Because the bathroom is small, it’s a great place to add a wild pattern or a pop of color to the walls without too much cost. Wallpaper or fabric can be used for an accent wall or on all four walls of the room. Wallpaper still having you seeing visions of your mother’s house from the 1980s? Buy a roll you love, frame it and hang it on the bathroom wall as a piece of art.


Budget Bathroom Makeover Ideas for Outdated Bathrooms

Do you currently have a bathroom with garish peach tiles or mint green bathtub tile surround? Are the fixtures a prior owner’s selection? Are the cabinets yelling out for a new coat of stain? There are many budget bathroom makeover ideas and tricks to bring an old bathroom into modern times, from replacing light fixtures and cabinet knobs to hanging up a new shower curtain and adding storage baskets to hide the clutter.


How does $50 sound for a thrifty budget bathroom makeover? Having had it with the light-colored vinyl floors in this room, Kari, from the blog A Grace Full Life, took on the DIY challenge of applying Peel and Stick hardwood planks in her small bathroom. And she did this over the existing vinyl tiles! No demolition and mess required in this makeover. 

Peel and Stick Hardwood Floors for Your Bath (A Grace Full Life)

See post: A Grace Full Life|Peel and Stick Hardwood Floors for Your Bath


Working with a friend, Kari was able to totally transform her bathroom within three hours. One afternoon later, she had beautiful new floors and accomplished this small bathroom makeover for $50!

Peel and Stick Hardwood Floors for Your Bath (A Grace Full Life)

See post: A Grace Full Life|Peel and Stick Hardwood Floors for Your Bath


These Peel and Stick floors are best used in small, low traffic spaces as they may not hold up as well in larger, busier rooms. Most self-adhesive floors are designed to last a few years before needing to be replaced. Fortunately, they are easy to remove and reinstall with a new product. Self-adhesive floors also make a great option when renting to make the space your own.


Don’t want to totally take on a bathroom renovation but still want an easy budget bathroom makeover win? How about painting your existing tile or vinyl floors? Take a paint roller to the bathroom floor! And with the right paint, it’s an affordable DIY option for a small bathroom.


And that’s exactly what this Hometalk contributor accomplished when she painted her cracked tile bathroom floors. She gave these vintage floors a coat of white floor paint, making the cracks in the flooring much less visible. 

Dingy Bathroom Tile? Paint it. (PifP)

See post: PifP|Dingy Bathroom Tile? Paint It.


The luxurious look of a high-end floor can also be quickly accomplished with paint for a fraction of the cost. The blogger behind The Design Bungalow desperately wanted a new bathroom floor but getting the one she wanted was not in the budget. So what did she do? She used chalk paint over her old linoleum floors to achieve the look of weathered hardwood floors.


She painted the old floors a solid coat of gray paint followed by dry brushing white and lighter gray paints. She then used the existing lines within the linoleum to paint on dark grout lines. Several coats of varnish later, her faux hardwood tile floors are holding up beautifully! And it cost nothing but the price of a few cans of paint. Now that’s an easy bathroom renovation on a budget!

Bathroom Floor Tile or Paint? (The Design Bungalow)

See post: The Design Bungalow|Bathroom Floor Tile or Paint?


If the idea of power tools and wood dust is too much for you, how about faking shiplap ...with paint? The blogger behind Livin’ the Life of Riley achieved the look of shiplap in her bathroom with $25 in paint! She gave the walls a fresh coat of white paint and proceeded to mark horizontal lines across the walls, 8” apart, with painter’s tape. She then painted the “spaces between the boards” with regular craft paint.

Faking It [Painted Shiplap Edition] (Livin’ the Life of Riley)

See post: Livin’ the Life of Riley|Faking It [Painted Shiplap Edition]


So if you want a warm and rustic touch, consider adding wooden (or painted) shiplap to your bathroom. It’s surprisingly easy to install and may just be a great newbie DIY project for any wannabe farmhouse!


Easy and Budget-Friendly DIY Bathroom Makeovers

When those 1970s pink tiles or dingy vinyl floors have you grudgingly walking into the bathroom, roll up your sleeves and transform the bathroom one of your favorite rooms in the house. Refreshing the bathroom can be as simple as giving the room a fresh coat of new paint to a more involved weekends-long remodeling project.


DIY bathroom ideas can be as big or small as you like, or as big or small as the budget dictates. Whether it’s laying Peel and Stick floors in an afternoon, painting a stunning accent wall or simply sewing a new shower curtain, there are lots of budget-friendly ways to get the bathroom of your Pinterest dreams.


Be sure to visit Hometalk for ideas and instructions for great bathroom makeovers you can tackle yourself!


Written for the Hometalk community by: Victoria| Dazzle While Frazzled

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