5 Cheap And Creative Ways To Update Your Bathroom On A Budget

Decor Snob, recommends updating your bathroom every few years to prevent it from looking dated. A bathroom update could range from a simple face-lift, such as getting rid of mold and mildew, to a more significant renovation like installing a low-flush toilet to improve energy efficiency. At the end of the day, the type of update you go for should be decided by what you want to achieve with your bathroom. For instance, if your goal is to add more space, you can take cues from HGTV by investing in storage ladders, built-ins, or hanging baskets.

But just as with almost everything else these days, a bathroom renovation costs money, time, and effort. Bankrate explained that it costs between $6,000 and $16,000 to spruce up a bathroom. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to these types of funds. To that end, we at House Digest have created the below list of cheap and creative ways to update your bathroom on a budget. 

Painting your bathroom is a task that helps make it appear fresh and new. Although there are no strict rules when it comes to choosing the best paint for your bathroom, working on a few key points will provide satisfactory results. First, be aware that the colors of your bathroom walls affect mirror reflections and your mood. Color options such as shades of white, ivory, or cream are just about perfect because they are easier to keep clean, moisture-resistant, and reflect the most natural light.

But color options are just as important as paint finishes. As seen in Consumer Reports, satin or semi-gloss are perfect paint finishes as they resist mold more than other types of finish. Another important ingredient to add to your wall paint is a moisture-resistant primer. The purpose of this is to protect the paint from peeling, especially when moisture and steam get trapped inside. Before you start painting, you must clean the bathroom walls thoroughly to get rid of existing mildew; cover openings and corners you would rather not paint; and get to work, starting from the corners and working your way up to the walls.

An outdated shower head should not stand in the way of achieving the new look you want in your bathroom. Overtime, shower heads can develop problems with leaking or water pressure, or become outdated in style, notes Bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, and we're certain you would want to fix that. Besides, Green Apple Mechanical suggests that shower heads should be replaced at least once every six or eight months to ensure that you always bathe in bacteria-free water.

To replace a shower head, you will need soft jaw pliers, a toothbrush, a stool, and sealing tape. As explained by Fantastic Services. First, turn off the shower and remove the old shower head by getting a grip on the connecting pipe and carefully turning the shower head anti-clockwise. Next, use the toothbrush to clean around the thread. Finally, apply the sealing tape to protect against leakage and fix the new head into the connecting pipe by turning it clockwise.

Adding ambient lighting to your bathroom will make it appealing and enhance the outlook of every other bathroom update. Needless to say, you need excellent lighting at all angles for proper body care and grooming in the bathroom. Consequently, with the wrong lighting, you may miss out on a few spots when shaving, or turn out to have an uneven color balance in your makeup. Moreover, Illuminated Intigration points out that lightning can affect our mood, make us feel warmer, and stimulate emotions.

According to SiteLogiq, using LEDs over incandescent light bulbs is a cost-effective and non-invasive way to reduce the electricity bill. Ambient lighting is the perfect natural light fill-in with an appealing effect all over your bathroom. Another creative way to improve your bathroom lighting is to add compact fluorescent lamps, which may have an initially high cost of purchase but will save you money down the line. You can also spice up your lighting with dimmers that allow you to adjust the brightness in your bathroom depending on your mood and preference.

Replacing your bathroom pieces of hardware is a budget-friendly update idea, particularly if they already look old, worn out, or no longer fit into your new style. The Design Tourist explains that new hardware brings new elements to the bathroom space without heavy lifting. But as you head to the store to look for new handles and door knobs, remember to take a proper measurement of the ones you have and match them accurately.

Some hardware pieces you can replace include towel rings, bars, and toilet paper holders. You can either opt for the wall-mounted or standing versions of these hangers depending on your preference. If you are feeling extra creative, you might also swap out your faucets for ones that match your new hardware and install state-of-the-art lotion dispensers, wash basin hooks, towel robe hooks, and soap dispensers. Keep trying out different ideas and styles until you're satisfied with your choice.

Your bathroom update spree is the perfect time to add some extra storage. Just as with other rooms, the bathroom needs to be de-cluttered, clean, and hygienic, and none of this will be achieved without some simple storage solutions. Whether you choose to use custom-built cabinets or install pre-built ones, the choice is yours. You can mount floating cabinets onto the wall, make sure they match the wall in color and design and give style and personality to your bathroom.

Other storage ideas to consider include a tower shelf with partitions that houses your essentials and bathroom organizers for laundry. Storable shares a few storage ideas for your bathroom, which include 3-tier cart shelving, floating bathroom shelving, multifunctional cabinets, under-sink organizer, toilet paper baskets, door mount hair dryer organizer, and cotton pad holder.  In conclusion, the extra storage will keep your things easy to access in the bathroom, saving you time and making your body grooming process easier.