Paint is Power! Bathroom Before & After

5 Materials
$1500
2 Weeks
Medium

When you have a limited budget, a perfectly fine (yet hideously ugly!) bathroom, and a slightly bizarre penchant for paint, this is what can happen.


Note: This makeover has been summarised slightly for HomeTalk. Find my full project, including all of the photos, here on my blog.

This is the master bathroom at my parent's house. A few months back they decided the sea of mushroom beige (circa 1992) needed to go.

I must admit, with soooo much to change, it was hard to know where to start. Though it wasn't hard to know that paint would be a major player!

Taking my parent's fondness for blue and white as our cue, we decided to begin by transforming the old vinyl floor.


We used a tile stencil from Etsy and chalk paint which we sealed with several coats of non-yellowing floor-grade poly.

Thankfully it turned out great and became a perfect platform to build the 'new' room around.

The tiles, vanity, trim and ceiling were all freshly finished in white to brighten the room, whilst the walls were dressed in warm grey for a soft contrast. The tub surround was painted navy to echo the floor.

In stark contrast to the liberal application of paint, the wall cabinet doors were stripped back and left natural to help add warmth and interest.

To compliment the navy and reference the warm wood, we added new gold tapware and sconces.


There's just something so lovely about navy and gold!

And touches of black in the wall hooks, cabinet handles and mirror help ground the space and carry your eye around the room.

There's also a shower (tucked behind the entry door) which we transformed too. Find photos of the whole room over on my blog here.


This was such a rewarding makeover. Although it's often tempting to rip everything out and start from scratch, there's just something so satisfying about making the most of what you already have.


And there's no denying the AMAZING power of paint!

I hope you like this transformation and that it helps inspire!


Visit my blog post (link below) for further information and to see all of the before and after photos.

Resources for this project:
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Kristine | The Painted Hive
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Pat Shavet Pat Shavet on Apr 07, 2019

    Can you tell me the gray color please? Thank you,

  • Gretchen Gretchen on Apr 07, 2019

    Did you replace the vanity countertop or did you paint it? It looks like cultured marble instead of laminate now. Looks great!

  • Diane Diane on Jan 09, 2020

    Can I paint tile floor as well as walls. Mine is so dark and ugly

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  • Suezanne Wenel Suezanne Wenel on May 29, 2019

    well done, looks great

  • Janis Lentz Janis Lentz on Jun 27, 2019

    Great transform! One thing—the picture of family member just seems out of place—maybe move to family room?

    • Thanks. I wanted something unexpected and personally love portrait art in bathrooms. Many of the bathrooms I have pinned on Pinterest have portrait art in them so I guess it's just something I'm drawn to. I'm well aware it's not for everyone.

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