In this second part of the budget-friendly blue bathroom makeover, I replaced the things that were easy to switch out, like some fixtures, hangers, and got the walls ready to paint. I figured that doing the small things first would be a fast way to give the room an upgrade while I thought about what final color I wanted on the walls.
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Why do the fixtures before painting?
I decided to go ahead with the quick fixes before painting because it would be a fast way to get started. If I waited to decide on paint colors, prep the walls, and actually paint the room, I wouldn’t ever get started at all.
Yes, I’ll have to remove some of the fixtures to paint around them, but that’s fine. It’s also going to be better to do it this way because I’ll be able to fix any holes in the wall from the old fixtures before I paint it, so the new paint won’t get messed up.
To see the before photos of the bathroom, click here for the first part of this series: Blue bathroom makeover on a budget
The shower curtain.
This is the fastest way to upgrade your bathroom’s look. I had a neutral muslin shower curtain that had been there since we moved into the house (I’m not kidding) and it was fine, but it was time to go.
I decided to take the curtain down and get a shower curtain liner that had a little design to it instead of just being smooth on both sides. I might actually leave this up by itself because I like how it lets more light into the shower. I’ll decide that when I finish painting, but it’s fine on its own.
The ceiling vent.
The ceiling air vent was all rusted, so that was an easy switch that didn’t cost much but helped a lot visually. It actually wasn’t so fast, because I was working on a short ladder, so I’d suggest that you don’t do that. Also, there are always things that you’ll run into with holes that are drilled in interesting ways from the person who installed it, so give yourself time to fix those things. I found some “creative” connections in the vent itself, so yeah…
New doorknobs.
Doorknobs get a lot of wear, and the finish had rubbed off of the brass ones that were installed. I changed them out for brushed chrome finish knobs on the room door and the closet door instead of putting more shiny ones in. I’m keeping everything in this room the brushed silver color if I can.
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A new towel hoop.
For the towel hanger, I got one that attaches to the wall with the bracket and the little screw at the bottom instead of two visible screws like the old one had. It’s visually nicer, and the finish isn’t worn off on the new one!
A new toilet paper roll holder.
This toilet paper roll holder has a hinge instead of a spring inside of the center tube, so you’ll never have the spring explode and shoot across the room when you’re changing the roll. It’s a nice feature that I didn’t know I needed but I really like it.
See the full list of things I used for this makeover on Amazon (affiliate link)
New door hinges.
This was one of the main things that I would look at and say “I should do something about those.” That went on for a few years, so finally getting them changed out made me realize how dumb it is to procrastinate on this. It took no time at all to unscrew the old ones and put the new ones on, and the only thing you have to check is that the hinges fold completely on the side where the door will close, and that the pin in the hinge is on the top side when you attach them. I had to undo one of them because I had it backwards and the door wouldn’t close, but that was an easy fix.
New shower curtain rod.
The old shower curtain rod was attached to a bracket on either end and the rings that cover the bracket were kind of wonky. The new one is a tension rod that also sits on a little bracket, so you don’t have to have the tension very high. I don’t like the tension rods that press directly against the wall because depending on where they’re pressing, they can actually move the drywall. At least, the one that I had in my tub did that, so I try to avoid them. The brackets on this one make it possible to have a very low tension and the rod still won’t fall down, so that’s a plus.
Get the walls ready for paint.
Next step is to get ready for the painting. The humidity from the shower has started chipping paint off the wall in different places, so I went in with some sandpaper and sanded those areas down.
Sanding the walls made me realize that the color wash I had on there to begin with was REALLY thin, so when I paint over it with a thicker coat of paint it will probably hold up better. I’m going to go get paint that’s specifically for the bathroom, too.
I also filled in the holes from where I removed the shelving over the toilet. I had used large drywall anchor screws when I hung those up originally, so we’re talking pretty large holes.
I used pink Dap spackle that turns white when it’s dry, and I did two coats so that the interior layer had time to dry before the outer. I’ll sand this down when it’s totally dry before painting over it.
Next step will be the painting. I’ve found a technique that looks pretty close to what I’m thinking for the final look, so I’ll update this series when I get that done. I’m also going to paint the doors, cabinets, and the shelf that I bought to go over the toilet. Check back to get the update on that!