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!
This post may contain affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. To read my affiliate disclosure, click here.
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
