$100 Bathroom Update

I updated my bathroom two weekends ago as a surprise for my dh. Being that we're in debt due to our kitchen remodel (worth it) I decided to try to do a remodel inexpensively.

This is the only before picture I have of the bathroom:

From 2010-02-06

It had dingy grey/white walls and a cracked and gross basketweave floor. I'm sure those floors look great new, and I do love the vintage black/white bathroom tile, but it felt like I was showering in a a bathroom that hadn't been cleaned since the 1940s. Plus at some point someone re-caulked the bathroom, but they didn't use their finger to smooth out the caulk, so it was clumpy and way too much caulk than was actually needed, making the bathroom look as if it had a serious water problem. When I recaulked it there was to be expected mold, but nothing that makes me think that we couldn't just simply replace the tile around the shower eventually.

Here's the update:

From 2010-03-04

From 2010-03-04

From 2010-03-04

And now the lowdown on what I did:

Freebees:
I am really lucky to have a husband who scours Craigslist for deals (like 29 lampshades - a tale for another post) and parent-in-law who never throw anything away. My father-in-law owns a storefront that used to be a Waterworks. It went out of business and we benefited.

Right now the items in the bathroom that are freebies are the linen shower curtain and nice beaded curtain hooks and all the "extras" - trash can, tissue holder, soap dish, soap dispenser, tray, and clock. I should clarify that since my father-in-law hasn't found a tenant for the store I guess they're not really free for them. But I digress. If I were able to do plumbing, I would have hooked up the $560 pedestal sink we also have that is just waiting in the basement to join the upstairs bathroom.

Cheapies:
I used Benjamin Moore's Aura Bath & Spa. It's a matte paint that is mold and mildew resistant. Because our walls are wonky, the matte paint goes a long way to hide imperfections. This color is Palladian Blue.

The extra special part is that I needed 2 quarts of the paint, but Frager's didn't have quarts in the Bath & Spa. So instead of selling me inferior paint, they sold me a gallon for the price of 2 quarts. $36 bucks as opposed to $60+.

For the floor I used peel and stick tile from Home Depot. I'm not thrilled with it, it's sort of a parquet look, but unless I wanted to spend $80 on a case of the black and white from the internet, this was my option. It was about $35 although I cut it pretty close by buying only one box.

Clearance items from Target: $6 toilet seat to replace the weird "cushy" one we had, a $4 mold-resistant shower curtain liner, an $8 small towel ring, and a $10 towel bar so my hubby can hang out his towel to "dry" (magically, mine still seems to dry even though it is folded neatly, but whatever).

I also tried to update the light fixture, but that failed when the globe I bought for the naked light bulb didn't fit and then fell on the floor and broke. Oh well.

Personally, the biggest difference was re-caulking the tub. It made the shower look cleaner and feel more pleasant. Adding a white shower curtain also made the shower feel bigger.

Little tricks, small cost, but it has made getting ready in the morning so much more pleasant!