Our Guest Bathroom Remodel on a Budget

It’s taken me a while to put together a post about the recent updates we made to our guest bathroom, but I’m excited to finally share all the details on this small full bathroom remodel, including how we kept the cost low, what we did, and what we wish we would have done differently!

The “before” version of our guest bathroom is a pretty common look, since those brownish-tan tiles and gold granite countertops were very popular with home builders a few years ago.

 

But the combination of the tan floor tile and bath tiles, cherry wood vanity, and gold granite countertop was just too dark for me. With no windows in this small space, it truly felt like a cave when you walked in here.

Actually, this bathroom was even darker before, because the walls used to be beige, too!  However, I painted them white a couple of years ago, with Simply White by Benjamin Moore, which made a huge difference.

Here’s a look at the after:

  Our Guest Bathroom Sources

I love the lighter, brighter feeling of this small bathroom now.  It’s been transformed from the darkest room in our house to the brightest!

Our Small Full Bathroom Remodel

To stay within our budget (which was originally $1000, but we ended up spending closer to $1200), we kept the original bathroom layout and reused the same vanity, toilet, tub, mirror, shower head, towel bars, and faucets. 

I might eventually add new faucets in here–I’m amazed the ones we have are still in such good shape after 11 years!

By the way, these are the Bergshult shelves from IKEA, attached with the Granhult brackets.

Our Guest Bathroom Sources

1. Paint the bathroom vanity

The first thing we did was add a fresh coat of paint to the vanity, with Van Deusen Blue by Benjamin Moore. 

If you remember, when we remodeled our kitchen, we paid someone to paint all the cabinets. 

They came in, taped off everything, removed the old hardware, cleaned all the cabinets, did a light sanding, primed, painted, took our cabinet doors and drawer fronts to their shop to spray paint, and then installed them, along with our new pulls, just a few days later. It was wonderful!

But, as I said, this was a budget bathroom renovation, so to keep our bathroom remodel cost down, I decided to give painting the cabinets a go. 

This was the first time I’d attempted painting cabinets, but I figured if it didn’t turn out, I would just have to squeeze the cost of a new vanity into our budget.

Thankfully, I was surprised at how easy it was to paint our vanity–and how well it turned out!

If you’re thinking of painting your bathroom cabinets yourself, it’s a great way to save money. See this post for my step-by-step instructions on how to paint bathroom cabinets.

2. Add new light fixtures over the vanity

Next, we replaced the old vanity lights with these globe pendants. I ordered them in the brass finish because I planned to eventually change the cabinet hardware and faucets to brass. 

Later, I decided not to go with brass in here, so we painted the metal & plastic parts of each light fixture with matte black spray paint.

I’m so glad we added the new light fixtures early on in the remodeling process because they added much-needed light to this space, making our job a little bit easier as we tackled the rest of the projects in here.

3. Remove the old bathroom tub tile and install subway tile

Initially, I planned to paint the brown tiles in the tub surround with this product. However, after reading all the warnings regarding fumes, etc., Dave offered to remove the old tile and replace it. (Yay!)

For the tub surround, we went with classic white subway tile from Home Depot, an easy and budget-friendly decision. I did choose a longer, 12″ version for a slightly different look.

I wanted a clean, all-white look, so I went with sanded grout in “White.” 

Dave, with his amazing DIY skills, had the old tiles out within a couple of hours, but some of the tile was permanently attached to the wallboard, so he ended up pulling out all the old backer board and installing new. 

This added an extra day to the project, since he had to tape, mud and sand before he could start tiling.

It’s a good idea to cover the tub with a piece of plywood so it won’t get damaged during demolition.

 

4. Replace the old countertop and sink

I knew I wanted a white quartz countertop for the vanity, so I went to the kitchen and bath department at Lowe’s and ordered a custom quartz countertop and sink. 

Since the vanity top is only about 5′ long, we picked it up at the store and Dave installed it himself, saving us quite a bit of money in labor costs.

Our Guest Bathroom Sources

5. Tear out old bathroom floor tile and add new ceramic tile

I also initially planned to paint the floors in here, and purchased this stencil for the job. 

However, after Dave finished the tub surround, and we saw how great the new tile looked, we decided to also remove the old flooring and lay new tile.

I’m so happy we went this route, but I have to admit I’m curious as to how the stenciled floor would have looked.

The floor tiling part of the project took place during the first week of lockdown.  Dave had a bit more free time and was ready for a project, so I ran to Lowe’s one day, feeling weird about being out and about.

Normally, I would have hung around in the tile aisle forever, trying to make the perfect choice. But this day, I grabbed the first tile I saw that I liked (I knew I wanted something geometric), along with grout and mortar, and left. 

Maybe it was a good thing I was forced to make a quick decision, because I ended up loving the tile I chose.  It made such a huge difference and helped tie the entire bathroom together.

Dave, on the other hand, wasn’t too thrilled about grouting around and inside all those tiny tiles–so it’s probably not a choice I would make again! 

6. Add trim to the vanity cabinet doors

The very last part of our diy bathroom remodel was adding trim to our formerly-flat cabinet doors to make them look more like Shaker-style bathroom cabinets.

First, I bought inexpensive 1/4″ thick furring strips at Lowe’s and primed & painted them.

Next, Dave cut the strips to the right size and installed them on the front of the cabinets with glue and brad nails.

The extra 1/4″ width on the front of the cabinets does make them stick out a bit more than the drawers, but I don’t think most people would notice–and I like the look much better than flat fronts.

Our Guest Bathroom Sources

How much does it cost to remodel a small bathroom?

The total cost to remodel our small bathroom was approximately $1,200.

We originally planned to spend $1000 on this small full bathroom remodel; however, with the additional cost for new wallboard and a few extra features, we went slightly over that amount.

I love that we were able to make this bathroom feel like a whole new space, giving it an entirely new look without making any structural changes —  and while (mostly) staying within our budget!

Where to Shop for Bathroom Fixtures

Investing in a bathroom faucet, lighting, mirrors, and cabinet pulls for a DIY bathroom remodel doesn’t have to break the bank.  

Below are a few of my favorite places to shop for bathroom fixtures, lighting, mirrors, and more:

Wayfair
Serena & Lily
McGee & Co.
Pottery Barn
Rejuvenation
Amazon
West Elm
Lowe’s

And here is a selection of bathroom vanities, faucets, mirrors, door and drawer pulls, cabinets, and lighting in various finishes and colors.

Bathroom Faucet Ideas

Bathroom Lighting Ideas

Bathroom Mirror Ideas

Cabinet Pulls and Knobs

Vanity and Linen Cabinet Ideas

For more DIY bathroom remodel ideas and inspiration, you might be interested in these posts:

A Simple Guide to Mixing Metals in the Bathroom

Beautiful Bathroom Ideas, Design Trends and Decor for 2024

Our Master Bathroom Remodel Reveal

Bathroom Wall Mirror Ideas for Every Style and Budget

How to Paint Bathroom Cabinets, a Step-by-Step Guide

Beautiful Modern Bathroom Design Ideas You Will Love

Our small full bathroom remodel was a labor of love from start to finish. 

After living with this dark old bathroom for years, I’m so excited to finally have a bright new bathroom for our guests to enjoy.  Next up: our master bathroom makeover!

If you have any questions regarding our low cost DIY bathroom renovations or how to paint bathroom cabinets, send me a message or leave me a note in the comments! xo Jane