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There is a common misconception that you have to shell out thousands of dollars to upgrade your bathroom. But, I’m here to tell you that is not true at all! In fact, you can make it look like a totally different bathroom for just a couple hundred bucks or less.
If you’re tired of the same-looking bathroom that you’ve had since you moved in, then you’ve come to the right place.
I’ll be walking through 11 cheap ideas that will make a huge impact on your bathroom, allowing you to save that money!
- Paint your walls
- Board and batten half wall
- Add cute wallpaper
- Reflect with a new mirror
- Include a rug for maximum coziness
- Paint your builder-grade vanity
- New vanity hardware
- New bathroom hardware (toilet paper holder, towel rings, etc.)
- Replace your faucet
- Replace your light fixture
- Incorporate decor and wall art
- Peel and stick floor tiles
How to Remodel a Bathroom on a Budget
One of the best ways to keep costs down when remodeling a bathroom for cheap is to DIY! I know what you’re thinking, maybe you’ve never tackled a DIY project before.
Trust me, if I can do it, you totally can! And a lot of these ideas are very simple upgrades, which makes it even easier. Consider it a DIY bathroom remodel for beginners!
Bonus: you can save tens of thousands of dollars by doing it all yourself! And you might even fall in love with the process along the way. I even became obsessed with the process myself between my organic modern bathroom remodel, kitchen remodel, and other renovation projects I’ve tackled.
1. Paint Those Walls!
This is my favorite idea and the easiest when thinking about how to remodel a bathroom on a budget! Why? Because paint is SO cheap but can completely change the look and feel of your space for the better.
If you’ve had the same paint color in your bathroom for quite some time, it’s pretty possible that your bathroom is no longer “trendy”. Right now a big trend is to use neutrals such as warm white. But light sage greens are also very in because they create a nice spa-like vibe.
Here are some of my favorite colors when painting a bathroom:
- Toque White by Sherwin Williams
- Create by Sherwin Williams
Toque White is a beautiful creamy white that has the slightest hint of warmth to it, making it a very classic look that will never grow old.
Create is a spa-like green/grey mixture that compliments black and white accents stunningly!
Plus you’ve probably gotten so used to your bathroom color that a fresh coat of paint will make the space feel totally different. And what’s great about paint? If you don’t like it, it’s an easy and cheap fix – try another color! Don’t be afraid to buy different samples as a small test before going all in.
2. Board and Batten Half Wall
If you’re wondering what a board and batten wall is, you are reading the right post. 😉
Especially if you’re looking for ideas for a small bathroom remodel on a budget, board and batten walls can take a small space and not only make it feel BIG, but it can also add a luxurious touch to your bathroom. The best part? It’s a very cheap bathroom remodel idea with a massive impact.
For a small bathroom, I recommend doing a half wall of board and batten. This is because you can take your wall to the next level with both board and batten on the lower half AND wallpaper on the upper half. Plus it just looks really good on the lower half!
Choose a nice neutral color to paint the board and batten half wall, and then compliment it with a beautiful wallpaper up above.
- Warm Putty – Valspar
I used Warm Putty which is the perfect greige (a beautiful mix of beige & grey).
You can get MDF boards for a good price at Lowes or Home Depot. And since you won’t need that many for a small bathroom renovation, it’ll be quite inexpensive for the eye-catcher that it is! The only tool you may need that is a cheap rental from Home Depot is a nail gun. I’ll explain the whole process on how to DIY your own board and batten wall here!
This is the definition of a DIY small bathroom remodel on a budget.
RELATED POST: The Best Board And Batten Wall Spacing Calculator
3. Add Cute Wallpaper
Wallpaper adds texture and elegance, and simply just takes a boring bathroom and makes it interesting and cute! And is wallpaper dead? Absolutely not! Wallpaper has made a full-on comeback, and there are SO many ridiculously cute options to choose from out there!
Wallpaper will completely change the vibe of your bathroom, and make it feel homey!
I went with ginkgo wallpaper because the first tree we purchased when we moved in was a beautiful ginkgo tree for our backyard, so I wanted to make a nod to that element in my home! 🙂
We purchased the Ginkgo Leaves wallpaper above from Love Vs Design for this bathroom project. Unfortunately, we did not love this wallpaper. The wallpaper panels come precut which is really nice!
However, when it comes to installing, the wallpaper is really hard to work with and is extremely sticky which made it difficult to line up the intricate pattern.
Plus, each panel slightly overlaps onto the next one, not making for a very cohesive look. I had high hopes but most likely won’t purchase from there again which is sad because I absolutely LOVE the patterns & customizations on their site.
FYI, this complaint isn’t unique to just this brand and is more of a complaint about peel and stick in general.
Other places to find peel-and-stick wallpaper:
- Target
- Amazon
- Etsy
For traditional wallpaper (non-peel and stick) I’ve used in my house, I have purchased through both McGee and Co, and Serena & Lily, and have been extremely happy and impressed with both.
Pair this idea with the board and batten half wall and you will have a completely different bathroom!
RELATED POST: Peel And Stick vs Traditional Wallpaper – Best Type of Wallpaper For Your Home
4. Reflect With a New Mirror
If you have an older bathroom, chances are your bathroom mirror may be a tad outdated. Bathroom mirrors have a HUGE impact on the rest of the space. It can really make or break the look of your bathroom.
Big mirrors make a small bathroom feel even bigger than they are!
This is my go-to mirror that I tell everyone about. I’m absolutely in LOVE with the Tehome brand and always recommend this mirror. The quality is amazing and it adds such a modern and refreshed look to your bathroom.
This specific mirror comes an inch or two off the wall and is able to pivot up and down which is a really unique feature. Not that I really utilize the tilting component, but the fact that it’s a little bit off the wall creates depth and dimension to my bathroom!
Want more mirror ideas? These are the best of the best, and the cutest of all that I could find on Amazon! Check out the related post below.
RELATED POST: 17 Amazon Bathroom Vanity Mirrors You Will Obsess Over!
Another thing to think about when purchasing a new bathroom mirror for your small bathroom remodel is the placement of the mirror over the vanity.
These are really good guidelines to remember when determining the right sizing and spacing of your potential new mirror in relation to your vanity and surrounding space!
RELATED POST: Should Bathroom Mirror Be Same Width as Vanity? (Complete Size Guide)
5. Include a Rug for Maximum Coziness
I went wayyy too long without a rug in my bathrooms after moving into my house. The instant that I threw a cozy-looking rug into my bathroom – Game. Changer.
Not only is a rug super comfy to stand on while at your vanity, but it acts as a nice piece of decor that takes a bare floor to a warm and homey space. And yes, we are still talking about your bathroom LOL! Bathrooms can be homey too!
RELATED POST: The Best Rug Size Guide for a Pinterest Perfect Home (Room By Room)
6. Paint Your Builder Grade Vanity
For ideas on how to remodel a bathroom on a budget, depending on your space, this one could make a massive impact.
If your bathroom has an oak builder-grade vanity, this one is especially for you!
If all you did was paint your vanity a neutral color, a dark blue, or even a soft green, that might be all you need to do. This is possibly the cheapest way to remodel your bathroom, all while getting the best bang for your buck!
7. New Vanity Hardware
New vanity hardware is a must if you paint your vanity! But, even if you’re not painting your vanity, new and modern vanity hardware will be a great refresh for your room.
Let’s say you only have a knob pull, but want the bar look. Replacing cabinet hardware is an easy DIY project that a little bit of measuring and wood putty can accomplish.
Vanity hardware is something where there are a TON of options out there, but I’ll share my favorite new pulls that I recently found.
These cabinet pulls are STUNNING! And would be an instant upgrade to any bathroom remodel project! I purchased the brass color for my IKEA dining room built-in project that’s currently in the works, and I’ve gotta say, I’m obsessed.
RELATED POST: 28 Best Cabinet Knobs and Handles on Amazon That Will Immediately Elevate Your Cabinets
8. Get Your Toilet Paper Situation Right (+ Other Bathroom Accessories)
Bathroom toilet paper hardware is hardly ever changed unless you are doing a big remodel project, but updating it is something that we all should start doing. There are a lot better toilet paper holders available now than there were 20, 30, or even 40 years ago!
You know I wouldn’t lead you astray, I have an entire post dedicated just to, yup you guessed it, toilet paper placement in the bathroom! This will give you plenty of ideas on how to modernize your toilet paper holder and storage within a small bathroom.
Aside from toilet paper holders, you may have old towel rings, towel bars, and other bathroom hardware accessories that are simply outdated. Or in my experience, poorly placed! Really think about what makes sense – do you use that towel bar? Or could you replace it with big, impactful wall decor? Take this as your sign to get your bathroom hardware situation RIGHT!
RELATED POST: Where To Put Toilet Paper Holder In Small Bathroom
9. Replace Your Faucet
Start to think about the metal colors in your bathroom and what the end result of your bathroom remodel looks like in your head. A lot of bathrooms have nickel finishes, which was great in the early 2000s, but lately, black and brass finishes have been stealing the spotlight.
If you can’t quite bring yourself around to taking a chance on brass, even though this is my fav – but I totally get it 😉, black is a safe and classic color that will live on forever.
The high arc, or gooseneck, faucets look SO good in bathrooms and will add a lot of personality to your space. We just installed this one in my MIL’s house, and it turned out amazing in her bathroom!
RELATED POST: Mixing Metals In Bathroom: All You Need To Know to Pull It Off
10. Replace Your Light Fixture
It’s like one of my favorite books growing up…if you give a mouse a cookie LOL. If you give a girl a new faucet, she’s going to want a new light fixture too!
If you want to really feel like a designer when thinking about how to remodel a small bathroom on a budget, you can mix metals. What I mean by this is having a brass light fixture, and a black faucet – or vice-versa.
I used this technique for my organic modern bathroom, and the result is jaw-dropping!
I think the light fixtures from Lowe’s are really great for renovating a bathroom on a budget.
RELATED POST: 23 Inexpensive Vanity Lights That Make a Serious Statement
11. Decor and Wall Art Are Your Best Friends
Put that decorator side of your brain to work and think about how to incorporate beautiful decor and wall art!
One of my go-to’s is to get a proportionally sized piece of wall art to hang over your toilet – you’ll want the picture/art to be taller than it is wide. If you’re working with a small wall, I typically aim for roughly the width of the back of your toilet – this will keep your art proportionate to the toilet and adjacent walls.
Another great option I’ve done is a shelf unit over the toilet with cute decor such as candles, towels, small sprays, or even a small pic of your dog!
If your vanity countertop allows for the space, you can also use this as a space for decor, such as small plants, candles, etc.
12. Peel and Stick Floor Tiles
This is a great option for a small bathroom remodel on a budget because you can DIY this idea, it seems relatively easy, and it’s very cheap!
I would only recommend this idea to those who have one big piece or sheet of laminate/vinyl as their flooring. I would not recommend this idea if you have wooden or even LVT flooring.
Floorpops is a brand that I have seen time and time again, and they appear to rack up reviews on Amazon!
Personally, I have not worked with peel-and-stick floor tile before so I’m not entirely sure of the process of installation or the longevity of the product. But if you have a small bathroom renovation project ahead of you, for the price, this is definitely going to improve your space with a big change!
LVT Floor Tiles
If you are a little bit more savvy with tools and want more of a quality solution, I just installed LVT Smartcore tiles in my MIL’s bathroom. It was relatively easy, and there really isn’t any prep involved, but you do need a few additional tools for making cuts and locking the tiles together.
This was a really great product to work with, and if I were to do it again, I’d definitely go with the same brand! I went with Cascade Marble if you were wondering.
Her small bathroom only needed two boxes of flooring which at the time of writing this post was only $160 total for brand new, waterproof flooring. Definitely worth checking out!
Can You Remodel a Bathroom for Under $1,000?
100% yes! In fact, you could probably incorporate most of these ideas, if not all, for under $1,000. So if your budget for your bathroom remodel is under $1,000, you can basically have a brand-new bathroom! Of course, this is dependent on how much you DIY, and if you have to pay for any work to be done.
What is the cheapest way to remodel a bathroom? Painting! You can paint your wall, your vanity, or both! If you’re looking for the absolutely most affordable way, paint is your answer. And that puts your bathroom remodel under $100 (and closer to $50).
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