A home’s bathroom is an area used by everyone, including family, friends and guests. Despite this, a bathroom’s upkeep and redecorating can be overlooked for other ‘higher impact’, more social rooms such as the lounge, or the dining room. Quite often this isn’t due to lack of care and attention, but rather is more about a restriction on redecorating budgets and a scarcity of ideas.
As the premier fitters of bespoke bathrooms in Nottingham, KNB Ltd understand just how important a great looking bathroom really is for your home. Discovering cheap bathroom renovation ideas is no easy feat. Thankfully, renovating your home doesn’t have to be a bank-breaking venture, especially when your locally fitted, friendly bathroom specialists at KNB spill their insider tips on bathroom renovation ideas.
We’ve put together our top 10 bathroom renovation ideas on a budget and we hope they give you some inspiration. Also, if you put any of our suggestions into practice don’t forget to send us some photos via our Facebook page. Being top bathroom fitters in Nottingham we always love to see real designs come to life!
1) Refresh Your Bathroom with a New Lick of Paint
We all know that a fresh lick of paint is a fantastic way to spruce up any room in the house, and this includes the bathroom. A new coat of paint can transform a bathroom from dark and dingy to light and spacious. Two tone colours work great, whether they’re both light or one’s light and one’s dark. Think coffee and cream or pastel and aqua blue.
KNB Tips
For a cheap bathroom renovation idea, use specialist bathroom paint that is designed to be moisture and mould resistant. Other types of paint may not last so well in a warm, moisture rich environment.
You could also consider installing a feature wall to improve colour variance, which will help express colour better in your bathroom. This is a particularly popular option when we install bathrooms in Nottingham.
2) Brighten Things up With Focal Point Lighting
As one of the smallest and most private rooms in the house the bathroom can sometimes also be the darkest and most dingy. A bright, attractive lighting focal point can improve this greatly. Think about a chandelier type design maybe, or something that utilises a lot of reflective glass and is similarly eye catching.
KNB Tips
You don’t have to shell out for such a lighting piece. You can find plenty at car boot sales, charity shops or even online.
For times when you want a slightly more relaxing ambience, why not install some LED faux candles. These can either be placed in holders on the wall or put on the end of your bath or counter tops. They last for ages and aren’t a fire hazard!
3) Install a Rustic Towel Rack
If your towel rail is looking a bit worse for wear and taking up more space then you have to offer, why not feature a compact, rustic version? All you need is a piece of 2×4 wood, cut into five 12-inch sections, and a mounting strip cut from the same piece.
KNB Tips
For this cheap bathroom renovation tip, you can follow these simple steps to get a rustic-looking towel rack:
- Treat the wood with a high-quality stain to protect it from warping from moisture encroachment.
- Plan how much space you need to leave for your towels before assembling the wood.
- Fasten the pieces of wood to the assembly.
- Attach the assembly to the wall non-intrusively with screws to complete the look.
- You can mount distressed metal hooks onto the wall next your rack for the towels, which will dry quickly.
4) Install a Wall Mounted Cabinet for Storage
If your floor situated cabinet is looking tired and taking up a bit too much room, why not replace it with a wall mounted one? You can pick up a second-hand piece cheaply online. When it arrives, sand down and treat the wood with a coat of varnish before placing it on your bathroom wall. You could also try attaching a mirror to the front of it to improve the feeling of spaciousness and lighting.
KNB Tips
If you share your bathroom with a significant other why not buy two smaller cabinets and mount them either side of the sink for his and hers storage areas.
Ensure the wood is thoroughly treated before installing the cabinets to prevent any warping due to high moisture levels.
5) Use a Multilevel Fruit Basket to Increase Bath and Shower Storage Space
This cheap bathroom idea is incredibly simple but also brilliantly effective. If every time you have a bath or shower you accidently cause a cascade of different shower gel and shampoo bottles you may want to consider picking up a simple stainless steel multilevel fruit basket. They can be affixed to either the wall or ceiling using a simple hook. You can then put some of those pesky bottles out of the way.
KNB Tips
Store shower poufs or sponges in the bottom level of the basket to prevent them dripping onto bottles and possibly creating mould.
Place the basket down the end of the bath where the shower is situated to ensure the bottles are in easy reach when showering.
6) Install Faux-Wooden Blinds
If you’re lucky enough to have a window in your bathroom make the most of it by installing attractive faux-wooden blinds, which can be a cheap alternative. Not only do they look great but they can also let in a fantastic amount of natural light whilst respecting your privacy. Combined with the LED candles these blinds can create an atmospheric, relaxing environment.
KNB Tips
Ensure the blinds are constructed from a waterproof faux-wood product such as laminate to prevent moisture damage.
If you’re unsure of which colour to choose you can’t go wrong with a clean, understated white or a simple wood.
7) Renew Cabinets with a Lick of Paint and New Knobs
Just like it freshens up a whole room, a lick of paint can also completely regenerate your old cabinets. Think about matching them to your new colour scheme for a fully rounded look. You can pick up complete kits for this job or you can sand, prime and paint them. You can find a new set of knobs cheaply at any DIY shop. It’s only a small change but can have a big impact on the overall look and feel of your bathroom.
KNB Tips
Sanding the cabinets down will be easier if you disassemble the units first. Ensure you use specialist waterproof paint when repainting your cabinets to prevent moisture intrusion. Take pictures of the cabinets at each stage and keep all screws with their correlating parts as you go. This will make it far easier to put them back together again. We’d also love to see some project photos on our Facebook page…
8) Frame Your Old Mirror
As fitted bathroom specialists we don’t believe that you have to replace everything. If you’re bathroom has a wall mounted mirror that you’re slightly tired of don’t get out the dust sheet and hammer just yet because:
1. No one needs those seven years bad luck.
2. There’s a far simpler way to freshen it up.
Installing a frame can completely transform your mirror from dreary reflective glass to fantastic bathroom focal piece. Any sort of frame or molding will do. Again, if you’re unsure of colour you can’t go wrong with white.
KNB Tips
Try and acquire moulding with a rabbet fitting on the back. This will allow it to fit snug against the edge of the mirror and extend over it.
Don’t forget to paint the inside of the frame or mould. This will be reflected by the mirror so choose a subtle, neutral tone.
9) Freshen up Your Shower Curtain (or Replace it With a Glass Screen)
As bathroom features go, shower curtains are often looked at as simply functional inclusions. However, this does not need to be the case! A grimy, faded curtain can really detract from the beauty of your bathroom but doesn’t cost much to replace. A new, neutral and lightly coloured curtain can make all the difference.
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While you change your curtain, fully renovate old furniture and switch out the rail too. You can pick up a vintage metal one easily online. You can even combine this with some oversized metal hoops for a truly retro feel.
If your budget is slightly larger you could consider replacing your curtain with a glass screen. A simple, plain glass finish can be incredibly effective.
10) Reframe Your Bath with Some Wood Effect PVC
Refreshing your bath doesn’t have to involve ripping out the whole tub. Instead give it a good scrub and think about changing its wonky plastic framing for something slightly more stylish. Once again look into using faux wood PVC products to ensure it can stand up to inevitable splashing. Go for a similar colour and grain to the rest of the ‘wood’ products in the bathroom to tie in the design nicely.
KNB Tips
If you’re feeling slightly more ambitious try building doors into the panels. This creates new storage room from practically nothing and can enhance your baths look further.
To refresh your bath even more try replacing the taps, which is a small change that can have a big effect.
Don’t Forget, We’re Specialist Bathroom Fitters in Nottingham!
All these tips are inspired by bathroom renovation ideas and are highly actionable and will make a huge difference to your bathroom whether on a standalone basis or as part of a larger transformation. They’re also highly cost effective and can be carried out by anyone with a bit of DIY know-how and no fear of using elbow grease.
However, not everyone has the time to invest in home renovation projects such as these. If this article has inspired your creativity but also made you painfully aware of your lack of free time we can definitely help.
As the premier fitter of bespoke kitchens and bathrooms in Nottingham we have over 30 years experience and a plethora of happy customers. Why not give us a call on 0800 952 0052 or book a completely free, no obligation bespoke bathroom design and quotation now. We can use our advanced CAD design software to virtually create your dream bathroom, allowing us to get each element absolutely perfect before installation. Also, if you’re looking for further inspiration don’t forget you can request a free design brochure. We look forward to hearing from you soon!