Along with the kitchen, your bathroom can be one of the most expensive rooms in the house to redecorate.
However, doing up your bathroom doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are some cost-cutting tips to help you renovate your bathroom on a shoestring.
1. Why not get your friends round to help?
Redecorating doesn’t have to be dull and time-consuming: getting a few helpful friends round armed with some paint brushes and enthusiasm can make all the difference. They might even have some left-over paint, tiles, etc. they could contribute so they can save you money as well as time.
What’s more, if you have any friends or family members who are plumbers or particularly handy at DIY, see if they’ve got some time to spare so you can benefit from their expertise – and save yourself a fair bit on labour bills into the bargain!
2. A lick of paint can make all the difference…
Sometimes, redecorating can simply be a case of making something dull and familiar look fresh. Adding a splash of bright colour by repainting the walls can give your bathroom a new lease of life, without having to over-stretch your budget.
You could get inventive and use contrasting colours or patterns which can divert attention from those bits of the bathroom you may not be able to afford to redecorate. And using ‘loud’ colours can easily brighten up a small bathroom and stop it looking dark and dingy.
3. See things in a new light…
It’s not always the big things that need changing to make an impact. Buying new lighting could liven up your bathroom without the need to spend a fortune.
Replacing old strip lights with spotlights in the ceiling or even just getting a dimmer switch could make a dramatic difference to the way your bathroom looks.
4. Try and bag yourself a bargain!
When buying fixtures such as lights, taps, mirrors, cabinets, etc., shopping at specialist bathroom and hardware stores can be pricey – and considerably increase your budget. Try shopping at trade outlets or look online: you could get significant reductions on buying directly from the high street.
5. It’s all in the detail
Rather than giving your whole bathroom a design overhaul, think about the smaller things that could be changed to make a big difference.
Rather than splurging on a brand new bath, why not just buy some new faucets and a shower curtain to update it at a fraction of the cost? New accessories such as soap dishes, a new toilet brush or a bathroom rug could also help you redecorate on a shoestring.
If you’re thinking of redecorating and want to find out the best way of managing your finances to budget for it, click here for more advice on managing your money.