Bathroom Update: Maximum Impact on a Minimal ($71) Budget

By Charlene Storozuk

Let me start out by telling you that our home was the recipient of this quick and easy facelift.  My husband and I bought our home as a fixer-upper. It’s taking longer than expected to finish because little things such as life, time, and money seem to get in the way. When it came time to update the bathroom, we had a decision to make. Do we totally renovate it, or spend the money on a new patio instead?

Since both of us love the outdoors, the patio won out. Here’s what I’ve done with the bathroom temporarily and something you can pass along as an inexpensive fix for those selling their homes.

You’ll see that the cupboards looked tired and were starting to peel. The previous home owner painted them before listing, but he either didn’t clean them thoroughly, or he used the wrong paint.

In the second photo, you’ll notice that the hinges were painted over also. Word of advice, don’t do that as a quick fix when selling your property.  Prospective buyers will be put off by the amount of work involved to remove the hinges.  Believe me: I know this first hand since I had to chisel each one out. It took hours!

Before painting, make sure the cupboards are thoroughly cleaned with TSP to remove any dirt or grime. In the past, I’ve used melamine paint for cupboards, but it wasn’t available in chocolate brown. Instead, I went with Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint line and it hasn’t disappointed so far. The cupboards still look as good as the day they were painted.

Once you are finished, you may want to replace the knobs if the current ones are worn or outdated.

Total cost of this project: Paint: $35 + Hinges: $36 for a grand total of $71.

It just shows what a difference you can make without breaking the bank. Of course, a little staging with accessories also kicked up the transformation a notch.

I’ve passed this idea along to some of my clients; you may want to do the same.