If you live in an older home, you may well be grinding your teeth over your bathroom. Considering how much time we spend in our bathrooms, there's good reason to want yours to be a pleasant place to be. Ancient cupboards, peeling linoleum floors, murky mirrors, and funky stained fixtures aren't really what you envision when you think of relaxing -- or showing your guests your lovely home.
Bathroom remodels are often pitched as both expensive and time consuming, but they don't have to be. Kirsten S and her husband managed to totally renovate her father's bathroom in 24 hours. That is not a typo! Here's a before and after:
Let's take a closer look at what they did. After gutting and repainting, they replaced the sink and toilet with updated, streamlined models (including a water efficient toilet for energy savings). They also replaced the dull lighting over the mirror with something a little more elegant, and framed the mirror to give it depth and texture, a trick that can be used with builder grade mirrors of all sizes to give them more personality.
They tore out the linoleum and replaced it with tile, added a vanity for storage, and replaced the toilet paper holder, towel rack, and other hardware. The shower was left in its original state, but the paint choices and towels blend much better, making it a streamlined part of the bathroom instead of an eyesore.
The couple spent approximtely $1,000 on the remodel, most of which was on the new fixtures and supplies. Doing the work themselves saved a substantial amount of money, and allowed them to perform the job on their schedule -- which turned out to be a tight one!
Want more quick bathroom remodeling inspiration from Hometalk?
Here's a project focused on those ugly builder grade mirrors:
Robert A's project totally changed the look of his bathroom, and all he did was fix the mirror! The addition of trim and shelving creates a much more customized, friendly look, and the new lighting above the mirror is much better than the boring standard bathroom lighting the builders installed.
Kristin painted her builder grade cabinets and replaced the hardware to give them a custom look, but she also added a backsplash and framed out the mirror. The result of these quick cosmetic changes was a dramatically different bathroom, without spending a lot of money or hiring a nearby San Diego contractor!
If you're tiling your bathroom, Christine has this tip: lay the tiles in sideways. This little visual trick makes the bathroom seem more spacious, and it adds an unusual note to a bathroom that might otherwise be a bit bland.
