Updating a bathroom on a budget

Don’t think you can afford to update your bathroom? These tips will help you get a new look without breaking the bank.

From low-cost refreshes you can do in just a couple of hours, to ways to keep the cost of bigger changes in check, here are ideas for how to renovate a bathroom on a budget. 

Some tasks will be within reach of most confident DIYers, others will require a good-value tradesperson you can trust.

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8 ways to upgrade your bathroom without spending too much

1. Clean and regrout

A build-up of grime, limescale and mould can quickly make any bathroom look tired, so your first step in any budget bathroom makeover should be to give everything a thorough clean. You can buy specialist products from supermarkets and DIY stores to shift tough dirt.

If that doesn’t do the trick, try an anti-mould grout-reviving pen on any stubborn patches. They come in a variety of colours to match what you already have, or – if you’re very patient and have a steady hand – to allow you to change the colour of your grouting.

Alternatively, if you have a lot of tiling, you could bite the bullet and redo the grouting. If you go down this route, look for a product that will help prevent staining and mould growth in the future.

2. Upgrade your bathroom tiles

If regrouting or painting tiles isn’t practical, replacing them could give your bathroom a style boost. To get good value, make sure you use them wisely.

‘Tiling the entire bathroom is expensive', says Terry Ward from Ward Brothers Bathrooms Ltd, a bathroom fitting firm endorsed by Which? Trusted Traders. ‘Can you get away with only tiling around the bath, shower and sink?’

The tiles you choose can influence the price too. Standard-sized ceramic tiles start quite cheap and are generally quicker and easier to install than stone or mosaics, which can cut the cost of using a professional tiler.

3. Smarten up your bathroom accessories

If the budget is really tight, small touches such as new accessories can make an impact. They can also be used to add colour and style to an otherwise plain bathroom, or in a rental property where your options to redecorate are limited.

Consider buying new curtains or blinds for the window, putting up a smart shower curtain or hanging mirrors and pictures.

You can even make a difference by adding a stylish toothbrush holder, hiding toiletries in matching storage baskets and getting some new, colour-coordinated towels.

If your bathroom is on the compact side, try some of our small bathroom ideas

4. Get a fresh coat of paint

If some surfaces in your bathroom are painted, simply refreshing the paintwork or changing it to a different colour can give you a new look. And because of the relatively small amount of wall you have to paint, it will take less time and money than other rooms.

Don’t limit yourself to walls. You could also give bathroom furniture a fresh lick of paint or cover up dated and dull tiles.

Just make sure you buy suitable paint. You can get mould-resistant emulsions designed for bathrooms and specialist paints for use on tiles.

Check out our bathroom design ideas for more tips and inspiration

5. Improve lighting and add mirrors

Better lighting can brighten up a bathroom without breaking the bank. You might be able to change the existing light fitting for something more stylish. Or you could opt to get LED downlights installed.

Hanging mirrors can help to bounce around the light and create more sense of space in smaller rooms.

For a modern look and a useful extra source of light over the sink, try an illuminated LED mirror. Some need to be wired in, but you can also buy simpler, low-cost models that run on batteries.

If you need a qualified electrician to install new lighting, search Which? Trusted Traders for electricians near you

6. Change taps and showers

If your fittings are old or discoloured, or simply drab and boring, replacing them can give your bath, shower and sink a new lease of life.

Buy the best you can afford, as it could save you cash in the long run. Cheap fittings are likely to deteriorate more quickly, meaning you’re more likely to need to call out a plumber or replace them again.

You could also consider swapping the shower head for a modern, eco model which can also reduce your water use.

Make sure you get the best bathroom fixtures and fittings, as rated by those who bought from some of the UK’s biggest suppliers

7. Repair instead of replacing

If you’re lucky enough to have expensive fixtures and fittings that have just become worn over time, investigate whether you can repair them instead of having to fork out for a pricey replacement.

For example, if the ceramic covering on a cast-iron bath has started to crack, you could buy a resurfacing kit or hire a professional to renew the covering.

8. Stick to the same layout

If you have to buy new fixtures, keep the plumbing costs down by sticking to the same bathroom layout, so you can use the same pipework.

Try to replace toilets and basins with a similar style, as modern ‘floating’ toilets, where the workings are hidden behind a wall, will require a lot more disruption to install and may not be compatible with your existing plumbing.

Similarly, if you want to add a shower, opt for an ‘exposed' shower fitted directly onto the wall rather than concealed behind it.

‘If you do want a concealed fitting, you can make the installation cheaper by fitting the shower against a stud wall,’ says Ward Brothers Bathrooms Ltd’s Terry Ward. ‘This saves cutting out solid walls to accommodate pipes, valves and so on.’

Considering a whole new bathroom suite? Get help planning your budget with our bathroom costs guide 

Get value from your bathroom fitter

If you have limited DIY experience, it could be a false economy to attempt skilled jobs such as plumbing and tiling yourself. As well as taking you far longer to complete the job, you could risk injury or end up causing damage.

If you hire a trader, get several quotes to find out the going rate for your job. Ask for itemised quotes to see if there are areas where you can save money, such as managing waste disposal yourself, if it’s practical to do so.

Check whether the trader charges a minimum rate or a callout fee, as this might mean it’s more cost effective to combine several jobs that need doing at once.

Read our guide to bathroom installation for tips on finding the right person for the job. Or search Which? Trusted Traders for bathroom fitters in your area. 

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