How to Get Five More Years Out of Your Bathroom
Don't renovate your bathroom just yet – a few tweaks could make it lovely and liveable for far longer than you thought possible
If you’d rather go on holidays than spend your money on renovating the bathroom, it’s time to get innovative; giving your bathroom another few years of life may not be as hard as you think. A few cosmetic enhancements could be all it takes to give it a fresh, clean look – and make it far more functional – for many more years to come. That’s good news for your bank balance, and good news for you – that dream holiday could be yours, after all.
Use a grout pen
These nifty modern wonders are an instant fix for dirty looking grout if you don’t want to go to the trouble of regrouting. Clean your tiles thoroughly and allow to dry before you start, then simply run the pen along the grout lines, much like you would if you were using a felt tip pen. Your bathroom will look clean and white again before you know it.
These nifty modern wonders are an instant fix for dirty looking grout if you don’t want to go to the trouble of regrouting. Clean your tiles thoroughly and allow to dry before you start, then simply run the pen along the grout lines, much like you would if you were using a felt tip pen. Your bathroom will look clean and white again before you know it.
Add appeal with accessories
An old mirror, simple chair and antique set of scales turn this bathroom from ordinary to expressive. Instead of the walls looking like an eyesore in need of some attention, they now add rustic charm. If elegance is what you crave, however, think about a glittering chandelier that looks fabulous day or night.
An old mirror, simple chair and antique set of scales turn this bathroom from ordinary to expressive. Instead of the walls looking like an eyesore in need of some attention, they now add rustic charm. If elegance is what you crave, however, think about a glittering chandelier that looks fabulous day or night.
Make it more functional
If the reason you want to overhaul your bathroom is to give you more storage space and generally make it more pleasant to use, consider quick fixes where you need them most. No one likes a shower where the shampoo and conditioner sits untidily on the floor, for example – keep them tucked away on new corner shelves and you might be surprised how much better the bathroom looks (and they’re not hard to install). The same goes for the rest of the space. Add wicker baskets for extra storage, install a shelf on the wall, or add some extra towel hooks – whatever added functionality you need so your bathroom doesn’t drive you mad.
10 ways to add extra storage to your bathroom
If the reason you want to overhaul your bathroom is to give you more storage space and generally make it more pleasant to use, consider quick fixes where you need them most. No one likes a shower where the shampoo and conditioner sits untidily on the floor, for example – keep them tucked away on new corner shelves and you might be surprised how much better the bathroom looks (and they’re not hard to install). The same goes for the rest of the space. Add wicker baskets for extra storage, install a shelf on the wall, or add some extra towel hooks – whatever added functionality you need so your bathroom doesn’t drive you mad.
10 ways to add extra storage to your bathroom
Bring in new life with plants
The bright green fronds of a fern can be a breath of fresh air in a dowdy bathroom in need of renovation, especially when the pot in which it lives suits the space. An old tin bucket is just the thing for the fern in this bathroom, and a shower curtain with lush green grass doubles the impact.
The bright green fronds of a fern can be a breath of fresh air in a dowdy bathroom in need of renovation, especially when the pot in which it lives suits the space. An old tin bucket is just the thing for the fern in this bathroom, and a shower curtain with lush green grass doubles the impact.
Retile over the old floor
Bathroom renovations can be expensive undertakings, largely because of the labour involved. But what if you could do away with much of it? Instead of hiring someone to chip away the old floor tiles (or attempting it yourself), why not tile right over the top of them and transform your bathroom in the process. Just make sure there are no cracks in the existing floor tiles, or there could be problems in the concrete underneath.
Bathroom renovations can be expensive undertakings, largely because of the labour involved. But what if you could do away with much of it? Instead of hiring someone to chip away the old floor tiles (or attempting it yourself), why not tile right over the top of them and transform your bathroom in the process. Just make sure there are no cracks in the existing floor tiles, or there could be problems in the concrete underneath.
Embrace your bathroom’s origins
It’s tempting to renovate any bathroom into a sleek, white space with a contemporary look, regardless of the style and history of the rest of the house. If you’re not quite ready to renovate, consider accepting your bathroom as it is and accentuating the era from whence it came with a few additions from the same period. You might like it so much you stick with the look, even when it does come time to renovate. The taps, mirrors and old sink in this bathroom, for example, make it simply irresistible.
Take a look around this house
It’s tempting to renovate any bathroom into a sleek, white space with a contemporary look, regardless of the style and history of the rest of the house. If you’re not quite ready to renovate, consider accepting your bathroom as it is and accentuating the era from whence it came with a few additions from the same period. You might like it so much you stick with the look, even when it does come time to renovate. The taps, mirrors and old sink in this bathroom, for example, make it simply irresistible.
Take a look around this house
Pretend your style is eclectic
Sometimes the best way to get a little more life out of your bathroom is to make out like it has stepped back in time on purpose. Add eclectic flair in the form of quirky details and any bathroom can adopt some designer edge. The mismatched mirrored wall cabinets in this bathroom add character galore.
See more of this house
Sometimes the best way to get a little more life out of your bathroom is to make out like it has stepped back in time on purpose. Add eclectic flair in the form of quirky details and any bathroom can adopt some designer edge. The mismatched mirrored wall cabinets in this bathroom add character galore.
See more of this house
Revamp the tub
If your bathroom is looking on the dowdy side, give the bath a lick of bright paint to turn it into an eye-catching feature. As well as giving the space a colourful lift and sense of fun, it will also take your attention away from any features sorely in need of an update. Add some wallpaper that picks up the bath colour and your bathroom is suddenly gorgeous again.
If your bathroom is looking on the dowdy side, give the bath a lick of bright paint to turn it into an eye-catching feature. As well as giving the space a colourful lift and sense of fun, it will also take your attention away from any features sorely in need of an update. Add some wallpaper that picks up the bath colour and your bathroom is suddenly gorgeous again.
Brighten it up with brights
See how much the towels in this bathroom add to the space? Apply the same principle in your own bathroom. Steer away from white (they won’t look crisp and bright white for long), and give browns, beiges and taupes a miss. Bright, bold colours such as red, orange, yellow or cornflower blue are the way to go if you want to enliven the space. A contemporary pattern will also give it an update on the cheap. These Missoni towels would bring any bathroom into the 21st century.
See how much the towels in this bathroom add to the space? Apply the same principle in your own bathroom. Steer away from white (they won’t look crisp and bright white for long), and give browns, beiges and taupes a miss. Bright, bold colours such as red, orange, yellow or cornflower blue are the way to go if you want to enliven the space. A contemporary pattern will also give it an update on the cheap. These Missoni towels would bring any bathroom into the 21st century.
Paint over the tiles
Tile paint is magic stuff that can make ceramic, glass and porcelain tiles come up like new. Give existing tiles a light sand to help the new paint bond to the surface, and mask off any power points and fixtures before you start. Keep in mind that you’ll be painting over the grout, too, so stick to white unless you want coloured tiles to also have coloured grout. This option is a fabulous solution for bathrooms with daggy tiles that make you shudder every time you walk into the room – think ’70s-style tiles with bold patterns in orange and brown.
Tile paint is magic stuff that can make ceramic, glass and porcelain tiles come up like new. Give existing tiles a light sand to help the new paint bond to the surface, and mask off any power points and fixtures before you start. Keep in mind that you’ll be painting over the grout, too, so stick to white unless you want coloured tiles to also have coloured grout. This option is a fabulous solution for bathrooms with daggy tiles that make you shudder every time you walk into the room – think ’70s-style tiles with bold patterns in orange and brown.
Replace just one element
Often it’s just the vanity, bath or the tiles that let the whole bathroom down, not all of them at once. Take a critical look at your bathroom and imagine how it would change if you replaced just the most offensive element. If you tossed that old sink and vanity onto the scrapheap, for example, and replaced it with a lovely new one that had loads of storage, could that be enough to tide you over for the next five years or so? When it does come time to renovate, you can always have the same vanity reinstalled – it could be money very well spent.
YOUR SAY
How have you stretched the time between bathroom renovations? Share your ideas in the Comments.
MORE
9 Bathroom Reno Questions You Never Thought to Ask
Top Tapware Choices for a Bathroom Renovation You’ll Love
12 Vital Considerations Before a Big Bathroom Renovation
Often it’s just the vanity, bath or the tiles that let the whole bathroom down, not all of them at once. Take a critical look at your bathroom and imagine how it would change if you replaced just the most offensive element. If you tossed that old sink and vanity onto the scrapheap, for example, and replaced it with a lovely new one that had loads of storage, could that be enough to tide you over for the next five years or so? When it does come time to renovate, you can always have the same vanity reinstalled – it could be money very well spent.
YOUR SAY
How have you stretched the time between bathroom renovations? Share your ideas in the Comments.
MORE
9 Bathroom Reno Questions You Never Thought to Ask
Top Tapware Choices for a Bathroom Renovation You’ll Love
12 Vital Considerations Before a Big Bathroom Renovation
There’s no getting around it; white grout doesn’t tend to age gracefully. There’s nothing pretty about mouldy or discoloured grout that you just can’t get back to white no matter how hard you scrub it. Over time, grout also starts to crumble and crack, which can lead to leaks and water damage in other areas of the house.
Regrouting tiles is a cheap and easy solution. This is one job you can do yourself, and when you opt for black or grey grout over the standard white, you’ll give your bathroom a contemporary update that will easily stay on trend for the next five years.