Instantly Upgrade Your Space with These Easy Budget-Friendly Bathroom Updates
If you’re looking for simple, budget-friendly ways to update your builder grade bathroom, come check out these 9 easy and affordable bathroom updates on a budget!
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This post has been a long time coming, and I’m so happy to finally be publishing it! Once COVID hit and we were under stay at home orders, I became super antsy and wanted to tackle all. the. projects!
I decided to update both of our bathrooms….nothing crazy, just mainly cosmetic stuff, and I’ve been posting some of the DIYs as I went along.
Now you can find all of the bathroom updates on a budget I did in one place…this blog post! Seriously, updating our bathrooms was so fun! It was a mix of easy DIYs and affordable finds….all of which I will link in this post!
9 Builder Grade Bathroom Updates on a Budget
If you feel like your stuck in your builder grade bathroom, well don’t! There are sooooo many ways you can update your bathroom on a budget, and I’m going to give you 9 of them in this post!
Easy Bathroom Updates on a Budget:
- Bathroom Mirror
- Hand Towel Holder
- Towel Rack
- Bathtub
- Rug
- Stick-On Wallpaper
- Shelves
- Lighting
- Details
1. Bathroom Mirror
The first project we tackled when deciding to give our bathroom a little makeover was the mirror. Honestly, we’ve lived in this house just over a year and the mirror never bothered me. And then one day I walked in and decided I hated it and it just had to go.
Rather than replace the mirror, I decided building a frame for it would be the best budget-friendly option! You can find the whole detailed DIY in this post!
Rather than replace the mirror, I decided building a frame for it would be the best budget-friendly option!
Oh, and if you’re wondering how I was able to frame it without those pesky plastic mirror clips getting in the way (builder grade friends, ya feel me), I’ve got a trick for that too!
Read About it Here: How to Frame a Bathroom Mirror (w/o Dealing With Those Plastic Mirror Clips!)
2. Hand Towel Holder
Another super easy update was removing the hand towel rings that came with the house and replacing them with something a little more….attractive.
These shelves came in a set of 2 on Amazon and I could. not. love. them. more. I love how there is a place for your hand towel, but also a shelf to put beauty products, toiletries….or if you’re me: impractical decor.
Oh, and I know you see that empty IKEA frame back there! Maybe one day I’ll get those pictures printed off…
Get the Look: Set of 2 Floating Shelves
3. Towel Rack
Speaking of towels, another easy update is replacing (or adding) a towel rack. We actually have a builder-grade towel bar hidden in the bathtub, but I really wanted something that looked nicer and wasn’t hidden.
This was another super easy DIY (have you noticed that most of my DIYs are?) that I’ve detailed here! The secret that makes this so budget friendly is these gorgeous hooks from Amazon that come in a pack of 10 for less than $12!
Oh, and the wood? That’s just scrap wood I had chilling in my garage.
Read About it Here: DIY Towel Rack Using Scrap Wood
4. Bathtub
First, let me apologize for this horrible yellow lighting (I’m currently working on replacing all the bulbs in our house to bright, white light). I don’t have a before picture of this area, but you can imagine what it looked like….pretty plain Jane. Here are 3 little updates I did to make it more cozy:
- Add a Sign: This “get naked” sign is from Unfinished Wood Co., and is it not the most appropriate sign ever for a bathtub?? They have so many cute unfinished wood words and sayings (although you can get them finished as well like I did for this one). Check out their Etsy shop, here!
- Bathroom Tray: This is another easy DIY using scrap wood that took me no time at all time make! You can make it as simple or as decorative as you like!
- Add Curtains: Yep…you read that right: curtains. Now shower curtains, regular curtains…do what you want, but I think it give it some coziness and is more visually appealing in the rest of the bathroom rather than being this wide open chunk of space. If you’re thinking these curtains look familiar, yes…I did steal them from our playroom! These are actually window curtains from Walmart that are super affordable!
Get the Look: Set of 2 Striped Curtain Panels
5. Rug
For a long time we didn’t have any kind of rug here. I didn’t really like the idea of putting 2 rugs here, and then having one in front of the shower…I felt like it would look too busy. But I knew I wanted something here!
I decided on this rug runner from Amazon because it was
- Super budget-friendly
- Long enough to cover the space
Also, since it’s not in front of the shower or bathtub, I don’t have to really worry about it getting wet. Just note, you’ll defiantly need some sort of rubber grip underneath it so you don’t go sliding across your bathroom. Ask me how I know…😳
Get the Look: Gray Distressed Rug Runner
6. Stick on Wallpaper
This has been one of my favorite DIYs to date! This faux brick wall is…wallpaper! And not just any wallpaper…peel and stick wallpaper! As in, basically like a giant sticker.
It’s such an easy way to update a space, and it’s totally removable making it perfect if you’re renting! Plus, I answer all your questions on how to apply it over on this blog post!
Read About it Here: Bathroom Refresh with Rocky Mountain Wall Decals
7. Shelves
Since we’re talking about the water closet (which I just found out is not called the “toilet room”), take a look at these farmhouse shelves! This was another affordable DIY bathroom project that you can read about in this post!
If DIY ain’t yo thang…that’s ok! I’ve found so many cute, affordable shelves on Amazon that would look great in a bathroom!
Read About it Here: Affordable Modern Farmhouse Shelves
8. Lighting
Replacing the builder grade bathroom lighting was definitely on my “must-do” list, because it seriously changes the look of the whoooooole bathroom. I absolutely love the modern farmhouse look of this bathroom fixture from Kichler Lighting!
Speaking of lighting, as I said earlier…we are currently working on replacing all the bulbs from the super warm orangey lights that came with the house, to a more bright/white light…which will also make a huge difference! You can see in some of the photos in this post that we’ve already done that to this fixture. Now we’re working on replacing the recessed light bulbs.
See also: Decorating on a Budget: Farmhouse Master Bedroom Makeover
9. Details
Little details make all the difference too! Here are some budget-friendly ways to add some detail to your bathroom:
- Add Greenery: My favorite place to get greenery is Walmart. This big bushel you see in the first photo is just 1 greenery pick for only $1.50!
- Add a Tray: If you have a double vanity with some space in the middle, a tray is a cute way to kind of break that space up. I like to keep a letter board on mine as well as some sort of floral/greenery. Also, it’s usually the catch-all for my jewelry, lotion, etc.
- Cute but Functional Storage: I recently published a post on how to turn old glass food jars into functional bathroom storage for things like q-tips, cotton balls, etc (see if you can spy them in the last picture).
If you have a double vanity with some space in the middle, a tray is a cute way to kind of break that space up.
Read About it Here: Upcycled Glass Jars for Bathroom Storage
Which Bathroom Update is Your Favorite?
I hope I’ve given you some bathroom decorating inspiration! These bathroom updates on a budget were not only fun, but super easy!
Which one is your favorite? As always, I love hearing from you guys. It seriously brings a smile to my face each time I read a sweet message or comment from you. Tell me which one of these projects you will tackle first! And don’t forget to find me on Instagram and share how you’ve updated your bathroom!
To see out all the bathroom projects in this series, check out these posts:
- How to Frame a Bathroom Mirror (w/o Removing the Mirror Clips)
- Farmhouse Style: DIY Towel Rack
- Easy DIY: Upcycled Glass Jars for Bathroom Storage
- Bathroom Refresh with Rocky Mountain Wall Decals
- DIY Bathtub Tray
Love all of your DIY projects you shared with us. I would love to keep an eye open to see what’s your future projects. Great work!
Brenda
These are such great ideas! We have just gotten started on renovating our kitchen. Everything will be so expensive with the new appliances so we are always looking for ways to save. Initially, we were going to get all-new kitchen cabinets but when we realized that we could get a cabinet refinishing we decided to do that instead. It will help us save big time!
Amanda, I absolutely love the look of the bathroom! You’ve given me so much inspiration. Thank you!
Thank you so much Shelby!
I noticed you don’t have handles or pulls on your vanity. Since it is black and you have the wood accents, what colour handles would you do if you did? I have similar colours I’m doing for my bathroom Reno and wondering on which colour to use. Gold is always nice on black but the rest of the hardware is black in the bathroom (toilet paper and towel holders, door handle).
Wow this bathroom transformation is amazing! You are totally inspiring me to give this a try! We are going to do some bathroom cabinet painting in the new year. Can’t wait! Thanks again for sharing!
Thank you so much! Good luck with your project!
Wow this bathroom transformation is amazing! You are totally inspiring me to give this a try! We are going to do some bathroom cabinet refinishing in the new year. Can’t wait! Thanks again for sharing!
I love this! our bathroom is not up to date and it is embarrassing when friends or family come to visit. We chose to update our shelves and cabinets. We did a cabinet redooring and now our bathroom feels bigger and more inviting. Your tips on the shelves were so helpful. Thank you
Thanks so much Jane!
Love your ideas and timely because we are planning to redo our bathroom next year in farmhouse theme! I would like to add that the Habitat Restore stores are a fantastic place to shop for high end cabinets, tile, lights, paint and other supplies. You can get a high end look for a fraction of the price! We RARELY buy new anymore! and are moving forward on a limited income to completely renovate our interior! I got 3 rolls of wallpaper for $3 and enough subway tiles for a new backsplash for less than $50! I spent the summer updating our landscaping and patio with the help of a ton of free bricks found in the city dump, plants given to me by friends/divided plants from what I already have, and rocks on the property that were used for retaining walls!
Thanks for sharing your tips. We just painted our cabinets in our bathroom and are in dire need of some decorating help. I love your greenery tip and can’t wait o get some life in my bathroom.
Stick on wallpaper? GENIUS! That alone was enough to make our master bath immaculate. It even left us with enough in our home update budget to bring in a hardwood floor resurfacing service to update our kitchen floor. Thank you so much for sharing.
I am looking at the cover pic with the beautiful green vanity. Can you tell me the color of the vanity and also, if that is the walls are the Agreeable Grey as you spoke of in a different comment??
Also, did you paint the countertops? If so any recommendations on how
Hi! It’s very simple. There are a few products out there but a lot are extremely expensive and give off a very bad odor that lasts a bit. What I do – first remove the faucets and then apply Kilz oil based primer. They have water based but don’t use this as the oil based allows for better adhesion. Then choose a high end latex paint and apply about 2 coats. It’s extremely important to let the paint dry in between coats if you’re going to do an additional coat. I would wait at least 24 hours between coats otherwise it’s going to be tacky. Oxygen helps the paint to cure so the longer you let it cure the better. Some people sand their countertop a little and some don’t. In my experience if you have a good primer and your paint is a high quality paint it won’t matter whether you sand or not. After everything is good and dry take your fingernail and scratch a part that can’t be seen. If there are no marks then you’re good to go. If it does leave a scratch then that means it needs to set longer. I find that using a good sponge roller with “Ultra smooth surface” to apply both primer and paint will leave your surface looking clean and smooth. Don’t panic if you see a little roughness as the texture. As the paint dries it will level itself out. I hope this helps!
What color navy is the cabinets
Silly question….what did you do about a toilet paper holder for extra rolls and the one that you..”use” 🙂
You inspired me to finally tackle our master bath after three years of living in our house haha. I called it a soft remodel since we couldn’t completely gut it but I took several of your tips and I love our bathroom now!
Thank you so much for your kind words Rubi! I loved the pictures you sent me on Instagram!
Love these tips! What color is the paint in your bathroom?
Thank you! It’s “Agreeable Grey” by Sherwin Williams
I love these ideas. I am ready to redo my bathroom and give it a nice update.
Thank you Gina!
Lovely decorations and designs. Feels cozy just looking at these photgraphs
Thank you! I appreciate that!
Such cute tips for the bathroom, I just love them all 🙂
Thank you so much!
Love the light/dark contrast with metal accents! I wish I was that crafty!
Thank you! And you could totally do these projects!
Love all the ideas! Can’t wait to try them in my small bathroom. Thank you 😊