Quick Ways to Renovate
Four quick and simple ways to renovate your bathroom on a budget
Strapped for cash but still want a bathroom that could appear on the pages of Homestyle or Home magazine? There are many ways you can transform your bathroom that won’t cost the earth. To give you some inspiration, we have collated our top tips for renovating and re-designing your bathroom on a budget.
Determine your budget and stick to it!
How much can you afford to put towards your bathroom renovation? Like we’ve said before, it’s important that you set a realistic budget and leave a few blank spaces to allow for unexpected costs. Most importantly, try hard to stick to it (it’s there for a reason).
Change your fittings, not your fixtures
By changing fittings, and not fixtures in your bathroom, you can make a significant impact on the overall look and feel of your space without putting a strain on your budget.
What are bathroom fixtures?
Fixtures are the main features of a bathroom and they include the bath, toilet, sink/vanity, cabinet and shower.
What are bathroom fittings?
Fittings are the smaller items in a bathroom that include taps, shower heads, door handles, lights and towel rails. You can grab a second hand bargain on Trade Me or via companies like Musgroves (Christchurch), Burrell Salvage (Auckland) or Rummages (Masterton). Alternatively, try an auctioneer’s house or antique store to pick up your bathroom fittings, you never know what you may find.
Refurbish your vanity
Instead of replacing your vanity, try refurbishing your existing one by giving it a new paint job. If your vanity is made of enamel make sure you remove any grease and oil by using sugar soap and sanding the area before painting. By sanding the surface of your vanity it helps to de-gloss the surface and enables the paint to adhere to it.
You can also refurbish your vanity by adding a line of tiles to the splash back and making it a feature in your bathroom by installing an extra large mirror above it. Try using a mirror that is a unique shape, for example a circle, oval or even a vintage hexagon mirror. Check out our image gallery on Pinterest for some mirror ideas.
Limit the number of tiles and use paint instead
Your bathroom does not need to be tiled from top to toe, but you do need to ensure that every surface has been waterproofed. Read our article on how to waterproof your bathroom.
On your walls use a high quality neutral coloured paint with a satin finish. Hard wearing satin finish acrylics aren’t as easy to apply as water-based paints, but are best suited to bathrooms where frequent cleaning occurs and where surfaces are subjected to a damp atmosphere.
Feature image: Homes to Love
