Monday, December 12, 2011

Easy, Low-Cost Bathroom Makeovers

Are you looking to add some pizazz to your bathroom before holiday guests use your facilities? If you’re long on determination but short on time and cash, here are some quick, fun makeover ideas that will impress visitors, make your family proud, and help preserve the value of your home.

Revamp Your Floor


Credit:  Marie Haigh/Knitted Gems
 Wood floors give any room a warm elegance. Putting wood in a wet bathroom environment, however, is problematic. Enter sturdy vinyl flooring with a simulated wood finish. Durable and resistant to moisture, vinyl wood planks come with a textured finish that mimics real wood, making them hard to tell from the real thing. Choose oak, maple, and even exotic look-alikes. Costs range from $1 to $4 per sq. ft., and you can finish a small bath in a day.

Get A Handle On It

credit: Three Dogs at Home

Sometimes, a little bit can go a long way. Replacing hardware, such as your toilet handle, upgrades your bathroom for a mere $10 to $15. Also consider replacing your cabinet hardware, including pulls and handles, your door hardware, and towel racks.

Painted Ceilings


Credit:  4men1lady.com

Although Michelangelo would have admired the neck-straining effort it took to complete this ceiling transformation, he would’ve been surprised at the exceptionally low cost: A $40 plastic stencil, some low-VOC paint, and about $60 worth of crown molding create a one-of-a-kind makeover guaranteed to put a smile on your guests’ upturned faces.

John Gets Formal Attire

Credit:  Rhoda at Southern Hospitality Blog

Moldings and wall treatments make a serious upgrade — for not-so-serious cash. The wainscoting for this toilet stall is actually wallpaper that looks like beadboard. Topping the wallpaper with chair rail molding completes the transformation, all for about $50 and a few hours’ work.

Update Outdated Trim


Credit:  Addicted 2 Decorating

Using 220-grit sandpaper, #000 steel wool, spray-on automobile primer, and metallic spray paint, blogger Kristi Linauer of addicted2decorating.com completely changed her old brass trim and shower fixtures by painting them. The key, she says, is preparation — and plenty of painter’s masking tape.

Source:  Houselogic

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