Tips for Rejuvenating Your Bathroom

If one of the bathrooms in your home is looking a bit “old and tired” and you don’t have the time or the budget for a major renovation, there are a lot of things you can do to breathe some new life into the room without tearing down walls and ripping up floors.

First, don’t ignore the possibilities of an extreme cleanup.  If you’re recently purchased a home where frequent cleanings were not a high priority for the previous owner, you may have inherited a bathroom with tiles and fixtures encrusted in mineral deposits build up and unsightly mildew.

With the appropriate cleaner and a bit of “elbow grease” these can be removed.  For mildew, a final cleanup with household bleach is an essential step to kill the underlying bacteria and keep the mildew from returning.  If you have unsightly tiled walls, cleaning and re-grouting the tile will make a big difference, as will replacing the caulking around the sink and bathtub.

Another simple and relatively inexpensive idea is to completely change the accessories in the bathroom.  Start with a dramatic new shower curtain that expresses your color preferences.  Matching towels, new towel bars and toilet paper dispensers are additional items that will update the look of the room.  Toilet seats are available in a wide variety of colors and are another easy item which can be changed out and will help rejuvenate the look of your bathroom.  Don’t overlook smaller accessories, like toothpaste holders, liquid soap dispensers, and soap dishes.  All can be used to add a splash of color to your bathroom.

If you have painted walls in poor condition, consider washing with an industrial cleaner and sanding them down in preparation for repainting.  Today most major manufacturers sell specially designed bathroom paints, which resist moisture and mildew.  Adding chair rail molding to the bathroom gives you the opportunity to vary your color scheme, with different shades above and below the chair rail for a more dramatic effect.

While these involve a little more expense, you can also change out the bathroom cabinetry, light fixtures, and sink faucets.  If you don’t already have one, consider adding an over the toilet cabinet for more storage and a fresher look.

As long as you keep the same size, replacing a bathroom medicine cabinet is a relatively simple task that yields highly positive results.  If your bathroom has only overhead lighting consider adding a medicine cabinet with light bars on the top or the sides.  This is a bit more expensive and involved as you will have to provide an electrical source for the lighting, but it is well worth the effort.

If the walls around your bathtub are beyond repair, they can be covered with a pre-fabricated tub surround.  These are made of PVC composite materials and come in a variety of styles.  Most can be cut to fit any size tub.

If the finish of the bathtub itself is beyond repair, it too can be rejuvenated.  The process is called “re-glazing” or “re-enameling” but in reality it is only repainting in specially designed paints.  There are a variety of companies that specialize in this process but care should be taken to select a reputable installer.  Some of these companies also offer complete replacement tubs, where a new tub is literally placed over the existing tub.  While this is not an inexpensive option, it can be cheaper than completely removing the tub and installing a new one.