Bathroom Bliss on a Budget
Make the bathroom sparkle by experimenting with color, texture, light and hardware - without dipping into your 401K
After painstakingly restoring much of his 100-year-old Philadelphia row house, Greg Pastore was bothered by the fact that its smallest room remained stuck in a previous era - and not a good one.
"Mostly, I was bored with my beige bathtub, with its chips and dings," he says. "I knew if I could just change that, it'd go a long way toward freshening up everything else."
Ahh, the bathroom. The most mundane of rooms has, of late, turned into a pleasure palace to aspire to. But beat-up bathtubs and imperfect sinks, not to mention tangled messes of depleted lipsticks and tattered piles of faded towels, often conspire to keep our bathrooms from looking like those we see in magazines.
But you needn't resort to the expense of ripping up tiles or tearing out tubs to bring your bathroom up to spa standards. A couple of hundred bucks - or less - will go a long way.
Pastore discovered this after some independent research and a stroll down the aisles of his local hardware store led him to a bathtub refinishing home kit that retails for just $20. The tradeoff, he says, is you need to invest "a little elbow grease and a lot of time."
After patiently filling in nicks and then sanding his tub, he needed to brush on two coats of special enamel and let it cure for five days, during which the tub couldn't be used. "I waited until I was leaving for vacation, so the timing was perfect," he says. "When I got back home, the whole bathroom looked shiny and new."
Because bathrooms, like kitchens, revolve around necessary basics, they "can look dated very quickly," observes Liz Jahn, a home stager and designer with WRE Interiors in Plano, Texas. But these fixtures are not locked in time. Just as you can recoat your tub, you can do the same with a small porcelain sink. "Or, you can replace the shower and sink faucets with more contemporary ones in a material like polished nickel," says Jahn.
Another way to rescue a tired sink: Visit the "boneyard" of a local quarry, suggests Jenny Roberts, a designer with Dickson Construction in Savannah, Ga. "Stone providers usually have all kinds of remnant granite and marble pieces," she says. "You never know, you might find a small segment that's just perfect for a sink countertop."
Next, think about other seeming immovables: your windows, walls and floors. If you can't get rid of 'em, hide 'em, says Candace Decker, a Philadelphia-based home stager with Candy Jane Designs. "There are so many window options - from bamboo shades to fabric - that you should never have to tolerate an ugly window," she says.
As for dreary walls, experts agree that nothing beats paint. "People are afraid of applying color, especially to small, tight spaces," says Decker. "But think of it this way: If you don't like the results, it's that much easier to repaint."
These rooms can definitely "handle drama," adds Roberts. "The bathroom is a great place to experiment with various treatments like textured paints or those with a slight sheen or sparkle," she says.
Want something even easier than sitting back and watching paint dry? Head to town for a shopping expedition. "Pick up whatever new paint color you've chosen, and treat yourself to new towels and a new shower curtain with a new rod and rings," says Decker.
"Look around flea markets and discount stores for a bunch of $3 or $4 glass jars to hold things like cotton balls and Q-tips. Buy yourself a nice toothbrush holder, and indulge in a few expensive soaps." It's these little things, point out home stagers, that get you magazine-quality rooms. Make sure that you fill bathrooms with the same homey touches you include elsewhere: flowers, plants and candles.
And don't neglect two critical elements of any bathroom: lighting and mirrors. "Using Reveal bulbs or soft pink light bulbs is one of the best thing you can do for a bathroom," says Decker. "Without hiring an electrician, you'll instantly have less harsh, more natural lighting." If you want to invest a bit more, consider installing sconces on either side of your mirror.
But don't stop there - replace a plain metal-rimmed mirror with something more distinctive - whether it's whimsical, baroque or contemporary. "You can even dress up the mirror you have by bordering it with an unusual tile," says Jahn. And since you'll only have to buy a few dozen pieces, you don't have blow the whole budget on turning a battered mirror into a decorative focal point.
Finally, experts suggest, tame the clutter. If glass jars aren't your style, gather stray items into a few wicker baskets or wire organizers. Then take a good look at your storage units and consider new ways to add to, subtract from or change them.
For example, re-do your '70s-era vanity or medicine cabinet by switching its hardware or removing its doors entirely to bring openness into the room.
If you're still interested in more storage, add a few wall-hung shelves or a free-standing metal table. Of course, keeping your things in sight requires that you stay neat. If that's impossible, "think about borrowing a small armoire or wooden dresser from the spare bedroom," suggests Jahn. "Close the doors and it hides everything, but it makes the room look more finished and furnished."
Working with, and adapting, what you have is the key to brightening up tired bathrooms on a tight budget, say home stagers like Jahn. "There are so many things that you don't notice after you've lived in a home for awhile," she says. "It's easy to overlook faded towels or cluttered surfaces, but once you tackle them it can really make a difference."
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