Small Bathroom Makeover on a Small Budget

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It’s almost comical how badly our small bathroom needed a makeover. We’ve went back and forth not only on the color we wanted to paint to whether or not to rip it down to studs and do a total remodel. My husband is handy like that!

Lately I’ve been in the mood to finish projects up and do things that I’ve wanted to do but continued to put off (like white washing the brick on our house- see that post here). It very well could be the second trimester pregnancy surge of energy 😉

Details and Budget Info

I originally decided on a $100 budget and 5 days max to get this makeover done. As you’ll see at the cost breakdown below, the paint itself costed around $75 so I ended up bumping my budget up to $150! And I did hit the 5 day mark! .. So if this pregnant mama can do a bathroom makeover in less than a week and on a small budget you can too!

The only thing my husband had insisted upon is that it wouldn’t be girly themed nor a girly colored bathroom. I knew I wanted to stay away from shades of blue or any blue undertones as they seemed to have found their way into the other main living areas of our home.

Related Video: DIY Staining Wood Doors.
Read the Article HERE

I also wanted a color that lighted up the bathroom and made it feel more spacious since it is small and has lots of corners. My other concern was since we weren’t going to replace the vanity or shower I needed pay attention to the cream/ivory tones – I originally thought a white or a light grey but both paint swatches seem to make the vanity and shower seem dingy and I definitely didn’t want that!

The wall stamp I used had previous been bought and used to liven up one of our closets that I turned into a craft/activity closet for the kids. I knew it would make the perfect accent wall without making the bathroom feel too busy. The craft closet inspiration was also the reason I chose to use green on the vanity! Thanks to pinterest (follow me!) I was able to easily choose the shade of green I wanted!

Watch the Bathroom Makeover
via YouTube:

PIN this Bathroom to Pinterest HERE.

Day 1:

Prep Day! Everything came off the shelves, shelves were wiped down and taken out, and the trim pieces were pried off the wall. Walls and trim were completely wiped down with soap and water. The previous owners (and us for years!) hadn’t taken the time to caulk or fill in the nail guns holes along the trim so I had to do that also.

I took off the door stop [great investment with new doors + kids!] and outlet covers. I had to pull out nails and spacers that were left in the wall and fill holes. Day One was also my brainstorm and research day. After adding the NINTH paint sample to the wall and deciding against ALL OF THEM I chose both the wall and vanity paint colors. I also researched a mirror- I wanted something round and that had some height to it. I also had to think about the window treatment and shelving situations – I disliked both of the current ones!

Day 2:

Shopping Day! I went to Lowes to buy the paint and other supplies. We have used the Valspar line with our whole house over the last 4 years and really like the color choices and how well it has held up.

I originally had bought some tension rods to do a faux roman shade but ended up taking them back. I still think it could have definitely worked! We also went grocery shopping and to 6 other stores LOOKING FOR A MIRROR! And no, I didn’t end up purchasing one, yet .. The kids definitely were getting cranky with me by the time we got home!

After I put the kids to bed I painted the walls! That is, after realizing the “trim” paint that I had downstairs from previous trim painting was in fact ceiling paint. Lowes trip again tomorrow.

Day 3:

Painting Day! The second coat of wall paint. Tip: put your brushes and roller into a ziplock bag to keep them from drying out. I painted the kids step stool to match the wall and vanity colors. I also painted 2 coats on the vanity and did the stencil wall. [This bathroom has textured walls so the stencil came out more antique/rustic than when I used it in our craft closet, but I really like the character it brought to the bathroom!]

Day 4:

I seal coated the vanity with 2 coats of polyurethane we had leftover from other projects. And also did a coat on the top of the kids’ step stool for easy cleaning. I put back on the outlet covers, put the doorstop back on, and wiped down the floor from paint splatter.

The privacy window film came from Amazon so I was able to put that on. Super easy! I actually may buy this again for another window in our house!

Day 5:

Thanks to my handy husband he was able to cut my shelves down for me so they weren’t so deep which created a more spacious corner. He also cut a scrap piece of wood down that we had laying around for the shelf brackets; a lot sturdier than the trim pieces that were originally holding the shelves up. We painted them outside (thank you summertime!) and was able to get them back into the bathroom within a few hours.

We also hung the shelf above the toilet (adjustments had to be made due to the manufacturer screws not being level) and the mirror hung [after going back to the store, with a coupon!]. Bathroom finished! … technically I didn’t put all the things back on the shelves until the next day, but still — bathroom makeover done in 5 Days!

Budget Cost Breakdown

Lowes:
Gallon of Valspar Signature Satin Finish “Cream in My Coffee” (wall) 36.98
Quart of Valspar Signature Satin Finish “Thunderbolt” (vanity/stencil) 16.98
Quart of Valspar Signature Semigloss Finish ” Blue Kiss” (trim) 17.48
Drydex Spackling (fill in nail holes on trim) 5.98
18 in White Bracket Shelf 9.98
Snake Plant (from garden center) 10.98
Drawer handles for Vanity (2 — 2.98 each) 5.96
Towel hook 4.28

Kirkland’s:
Oval Mirror (used a 20% email coupon) 31.99

Amazon:
Frosted Privacy Window Film 5.98