Make Over Your Bathroom on a Budget

It’s amazing how easy it is to give a room in an apartment a makeover without having to spend a fortune. The trick is to plan carefully before you begin and then allocate plenty of time to seeking out bargains.

On top of that, there are one or two tricks you can employ to give a space a different edge - and several budget tricks that work particularly well in a bathroom.

Start by Considering Colour

If you want a completely new colour scheme in your bathroom then you have two options. Either you repaint coloured walls in a new shade or, if you have white or very light walls, you bring in a new colour through your accessories.

If you want to change the colour on your walls, don’t immediately go out and buy the most expensive paint in the DIY store, explore other options first. Check online or in your local paper to see if anyone has unused tins they are selling off cheaply or check out sales in small DIY shops. Surf the net looking for deals on DIY or paint websites or visit the large DIY stores with the express intention of snapping up a reduced price tin from the bargain bin.

Revamp Rather Than Replace

If you are fed up with your old tiles but don’t want to splash out on completely new ones then try repainting them. You won’t need much paint to stencil a design on to one or two of your old tiles. Choose a colour that ties in with the new look you have chosen for the room. If all the tiles in your bathroom are a hideous or unbearable shade then repaint over all of them.

Don’t forget another option is to trawl DIY shops or the Internet for good deals on unsold tiles. If your bathroom is currently tiled in white, why not bring in another colour by adding a row across the top. A sapphire blue or emerald green, for example, will add a stylish, smart edge to your room.

Make Over With Accessories

Similarly, if you have a white bathroom then give it a new look by changing your accessories. Pick one distinct shade - perhaps a deep purple, cerise pink or burnt orange. Then head out with your shopping bag and start trawling discount stores, second-hand outlets and charity shops. Pick up a couple of cheap towels and a bath mat in the new shade. Then colour co-ordinate by possibly bring in a shower curtain, soap dishes, a tooth-brush holder and flannels in the same colour.

For even more effect you could buy budget shampoo, soap, bubble bath and a tooth brush to match. Finish the look off with a colour co-ordinating, chunky but cheap, candle to put on the side of the bath.

Go a Step Further

If you can afford to go a step further, then other makeover options include replacing the taps on your bath or basin. Head down to your nearest reclamation yard or spend time surfing the web for a second-had or reject set that will work with your existing suite. It’s amazing how a new set of taps can change the look of a bathroom. You could also give the room a different style by picking up some cheap timber and panelling in your basin, bath and pipe work. Give the wood a quick lick of paint or varnish to finish it off. Finally, splash out on a new blind to match your new interior design. Again, this does not have to be expensive. Measure your window then seek out a bargain that will fit.

Once you’ve finished your budget bathroom, stand back and admire it. Then run yourself a bath, add some of your new bubbles and relax in the steaming water and enjoy your newly made over room.