If you don’t want to spend a fortune on your bathroom these budget bathroom decor may be the thing for you. In today’s economic situation, most of us have a very tight budget. It is sometimes very difficult to decorate your bathroom when you only have a little to go on. You don’t need R100 000 or more to decorate a bathroom. If you did it right, you might only spend R10 000.
Updating or simply adding to your bathroom will save you a lot of money. It also boosts the value of your property. This means that you might get everything back you spent on upgrading your bathroom.
Determine how much you can afford to spend on the remodel to determine the extent of changes you can make. If your budget is at the low end (R10 000 or less), you might need to stick to the smaller things such as new fixtures, a six and new paint. If you have more to spend, you can focus or larger changes such as a bigger shower, better tiles or a window. It all depends on your budget.
Cheap bathroom remodeling ideas
1. Limit your tiling
Tiles are very expensive. This is especially true if you hire a contractor to lay it for you. In order to save money, you can limit the amount of tile and focus on high-impact areas such as the flour. The other option is to tile one horizontal strip along the wall and then paint the rest of your tiles to fit it.
2. Cut costs on counter tops
A popular trend is to spend a fortune or granite counter tops. Due to the size of the bathroom counter, it is considered to be a low investment than what you would spend on a kitchen counter.
There is a way to save on granite counter tops. Buy a slab containing imperfections. The more visible the imperfections, the lower the price. Note that your sink basin will take a lot of the surface area. So take a slab with the imperfection right on the spot where you will install the sink basin.
One of the biggest trends in bathrooms is also one that people on a budget can pull of with style. You only need to take an old dresser and use it as a sink pedestal. How? You simply put the top of the dresser to accommodate a sink insert. Then cut into or remove the interior drawers as necessary. Cut holes in the back for plumb and that is it. They sell for a lot of money at stores but you can make one yourself. All you need is a lot of patience and the right tools.
Paint
If you don’t have a lot to spend, repainting will be the cheapest. It can perhaps even be the most effective way to breathe some life into your bathroom.
A word of warning: it takes a long time. Why is that? Your bathroom might be the smallest area in the house but you need to paint while avoiding all the other plumbing and fixtures. This includes the shower, toilet, sink and bathtub. You need a lot of patients and probably a whole lot of painter’s tape to make sure you don’t accidentally paint everything.
A problem you need to watch out for, is mold and mildew. It develops easily in the bathroom. This is due to the humidity and temperature that changes very often. Invest in a high quality paint with a satin finish. You may also want to paint the ceiling with a special bathroom paint that helps to resist the growth of mold.
4.Update fixtures
The little details are what makes your bathroom stand out. You can update the light fixtures, sink faucets, towel racks and drawer pulls for a relatively small price. These items may seem like nonsense but they do impact the look and feel of your bathroom.
Keep in mind that you don’t always need to buy towel racks at a home improvement shop. You can improvise by using a variety of items for towel racks.
5. Clean caulk and grout
Grout and caulk seems like an unimportant detail but when it gets grimy, it becomes unsightly. Clean the grout and add straight, clean lines of caulk around the tub and sink. It will look very nice and only costs you a few rands.
6. Redo, don’t replace
Replacing a bath tub or shower will be very expensive. You can have it professionally relined, which is way cheaper.
One warning: do NOT try this with sink and shower fixtures. They are more expensive to reline as they are to replace. People usually reline old, vintage pieces and contractors who do this will usually charge a premium rate.
Let’s say you do have some vintage bathroom fixtures or an old tub that you still want. The good news is that you can do it yourself. Porcelain, cast iron, or fiberglass can be refurbished. It does however take some time and investment. A DIY refurbishing kit might be pretty penny but you will also need other equipment. There are also a lot of tutorials on the web for refurbishing your sanitary ware.
7. Buy used
You can save money on fixtures, event toilets and showers by purchasing used goods. Scours sites like eBay, Craigslist, JunkMail or Gumtree. Maybe there’s a second hand plumbing store near you.
8. Go green
When you are updating your bathroom, don’t forget about the environment. Low-flow toilets, sinks and shower heads will not only help you save water but you will also save money. Water-saving faucets and shower heads generally cost the same as the traditional one, so you won’t spend money to save money.
