You just can't stand it anymore. Every time you go into the bathroom you are put off by the look and feel of it. You want to make a change but the cost is so prohibitive that you simply resign yourself to the 1970's yellow and gold. Well, you will be happy to learn that making a change to your bathroom does not have to be expensive! There are simple changes you can make that will enliven one of the most popular rooms in the house and they only require basic do-yourself skills.
The most obvious thing to change is the color of the bathroom. If your bathroom is painted, it is relatively straightforward to repaint. Since many bathrooms are small, a gallon or two of paint should do the trick. Good quality paint can be purchased for approximately per gallon. Add in drop clothes, rollers and brushes and you are spending around 0. Not bad for such a radical change in appearance!
Bathroom Towel Cabinet
If your bathroom is wallpapered, things are bit more complicated. Removing wallpaper is not the most enjoyable job but it is easy to do. There are spray and gel products on the market that make removing wallpaper relatively painless if not a bit messy (Dif is a brand name that comes to mind). The first step is to peel of as much of the wall paper as possible to reveal the glue underneath. Follow the directions and apply the remover and allow it to sit for several minutes before scraping off the glue. Fortunately, bathrooms tend to be humid making the wallpaper easier to remove as a result. Once removed you can paint or apply new wallpaper.
For a quick upgrade in appearance, consider replacing the hardware in the bathroom. It is amazing how much better the room will look it your replace the cabinet knobs, towel racks, and faucets. These fixtures degrade in appearance over time and it happens so gradually that you might not realize how tired they look. Putting in new hardware can really make a bathroom "pop" again and the cost is relatively small. Also, consider replacing the shower curtain, shower curtain rod & rings and the door knob.
If you feel like taking on a slightly more involved upgrade, you might want to replace the toilet. A different style toilet in a new color to match your new paint can really add some pizazz. Replacing a toilet requires minimal handyman skills even if it might seem intimidating at first thought. The initial step is to turn off the toilet water supply by turning the knob near the floor and then flushing to remove the water in the tank and bowl. Disconnect the water supply hose from the toilet. Remove the nuts on the two bolts on either side of the toilet base. Next, rock the toilet gently to break the seal with the wax ring and lift it up off the floor. Remove the used wax ring and replace with a new one. Reverse the removal steps to install the new toilet. That's it - very simple and you will save yourself several hundred dollars by not needing to call plumber.
Another way to inexpensively improve your bathrooms appearance is to reface the cabinets. You can purchase adhesive covering which you cut to the size of your cabinetry and apply to the front of the cabinets and doors. The preparation requires light cleaning and sanding. Refacing can be a bit time consuming as you have to measure each cabinet surface precisely and cut the material to fit. The advantage is that it is substantially cheaper then purchasing new cabinets.
In a similar vein, if you have vinyl floors in your bathroom, you can inexpensively purchase self-adhesive tiles to update your floor. The tile in the middle of the floor are very easy to install. Simply clean the floor and then remove the backer and stick in place. Just be sure they are "square" with the walls. It is only slightly more complicated near walls and cabinets since you have to cut the tile to fit. Incidentally, if you are going to use these tiles and replace your toilet, install the tile after you have removed the old toilet but before installing the new one. Cabinet refacing materials and adhesive tiles can be purchased at home improvement stores or online retailers.
Hopefully, one or all of these ideas will inspire and help improve the look of your bathroom. The advantages are that each project is relatively inexpensive, requires only basic handyman skills and can be done over a period of time. However, the down sides are that you will have to devote the time and energy to the project. If you are not certain you will have time to complete a project or want a more involved remodel it is best to call the pros. There is nothing worse than living with a partially completed home improvement job or realizing halfway into the project that you don't have the skills to finish it.
So, take stock of your situation and jump right in. You really don't want to look at that gold trim wallpaper for even one more day!
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