10 Tips to Revamp Tired Bathrooms for Under £50

Revamping a bathroom is a great way to freshen up a home. But bathroom renovations are expensive. With the job market looking uncertain, many of us simply don’t have the finances to afford extensive changes.

Luckily, for those looking to style their bathrooms on a budget, design expert George Holland from Victorian Plumbing has revealed 10 quick and easy bathroom revamp ideas for under £50.

Perfect if you’re looking for a refresh that won’t break the bank!

1. Paint Your Bathroom Ceiling 

It might seem unusual, but painting your ceiling is a great way to give your bathroom a quick makeover. Painted bathroom ceilings have become something of a trend recently, and going for a non-white colour is a great way to make your private space feel personal and unique. 

The biggest expense here is the paint itself, though you’ll need a step-ladder too. And make sure to protect the floor with an old sheet. Use a brush to paint a covering first and make sure to cut in the edges, and finish with two coats with a roller. 

Pro Tip – painting any ceiling can be dangerous. Clear the bathroom, make sure your ladder is steady and move it where you need to paint. Never stretch from the ladder!

2. Reseal Your Bath 

Over time, the sealant around your bath will get old and turn brown. Replacing sealant is a small solution that’ll make your bathroom feel brand new. Plus, it’s cheap to do! All you’ll need is a cartridge gun with new sealant and a Stanley knife – all of which you can get for under £20.

Use a Stanley knife to remove the old sealant, slicing through the top and bottom edges at one end before gently pulling it from the wall. Fill your bath so that the gap between it and the tile are at their widest and use the cartridge gun in one consistent motion to reseal. Leave to dry overnight.

Pro Tip – if you want to get really creative, try using a coloured silicone other than white or grey.

3. Revamp Your Storage 

To quickly revamp a small bathroom space, look to change your storage. Storage is sadly a bit of an afterthought for many bathrooms, but adding ladder shelves, or open shelves in general, is a great way to make a room feel new. Open shelving will make the bathroom feel spacious and less boxy. 

Argos and Dunelm offer stylish storage solutions for under £40 but shop around to find a cheaper set of shelves to suit your needs.

Pro Tip – open storage can become a feature in its own right. Add ornaments and candles alongside your soaps and towels.

4. Wooden Floor? Paint it!

If your bathroom has a wooden floor, painting it is a really creative way to make space feel brand new. Your biggest expense will be time as you wait for coats to dry!

Give your floorboards a quick sanding down and wash before you start painting. You’ll need to get specific wood paint for this job – it’s more durable and less slippery – and you’ll need two or three coats of it. Dark colours will make the bathroom feel cosy whilst light will make it feel bigger. Don’t be afraid to use two tones across opposing boards either!

Pro Tip – sanding back the topcoat will give your space a more rustic feel.

5. Swap Out Your Shower Curtain 

The shower curtain is a dominant feature in any bathroom, so it’s surprising how many people treat it as an afterthought. Getting rid of mouldy, old or tatty shower curtains and replacing them with something fresh and new is a quick, cheap way to spruce your space.

New shower curtains can be found online for under £20, and a bold shower curtain is a great way to make a statement.

Pro Tip – shower curtains are so cheap that they allow designers to go wild with little to no consequences. Pick something out there – if you don’t like it you can easily change it in future. 

6. Get Creative with Wallpaper 

Bathrooms are damp and steamy – you’d be forgiven for thinking they’re not the best environment for wallpaper! But these days however you can get special bathroom wallpaper – designed to be stickier and stronger – which works wonders. This is a great solution for a quick revamp if you don’t want to paint the whole room. A feature wallpaper wall is a good way to cheat the space and make it all feel new without really changing much. 

Wallpaper can be expensive – but if you only cover one small bathroom wall, you won’t need much. You can get what you need for about £20. 

Pro Tip – striking wallpaper – think dramatic florals – will create a focal point for the eye, taking attention away from the rest of the space. 

7. Accessorise

If it’s hard to make any major changes with your limited budget, then a quick and inexpensive solution is often to accessorise! Raid supermarkets for small, cheap additions you can pad out your space with. So think soap dispensers, cute ornamental features, air fresheners, mini-makeup mirrors, toothbrush holders, candles, towels and brushes. 

This is a great way to add a quirky personality to your bathroom without spending a lot of money.

Pro Tip – raid the homeware section of big supermarket chains for cheap bathroom accessories.

8. Go Green 

Becoming something of a trend this year, bathroom plants are a great way to bring the outdoors inside, and an easy way to make a bathroom feel fresh and new. Plants add a rustic, natural quality to any space, and can go a long way to softening the harsh light and angles found in many bathrooms. You can get plenty of small plants for under £50. 

Find plants that thrive in humid, damp conditions – bamboo, aloe vera, Boston ferns and orchids make for great green bathroom buddies. Air plants – which take moisture from the air – are perfect for the bathroom. 

Pro Tip – if your bathroom has low levels of light, you’ll need to find plants that do well in the dark. Think Chinese evergreens or African violets. 

9. Refresh Your Walls

Paint provides a lot of quick renovation solutions on a budget and painting your bathroom a new shade is a great way to make the space feel new. Let’s face it, most bathrooms are fairly neutral, which can make them a little bit boring. Add some colour to make your space pop.

Taupe is a great choice for those who want to remain neutral whilst adding warmth. Go darker for an earthy feel. The charcoal will feel moody and sophisticated. Green feels natural and is calming, great for small spaces, whilst pistachio is a great way to add bold colour without going over the top. Contrast pistachio with natural wood.

Pro Tip – Are you an efficient, five-minute shower sort of person or someone who de-stresses with long soaks in the tub? Think about how you use the space and use colour to enhance this. 

10. Make a Mini Gallery 

Bathrooms tend to have a lot of forgotten wall space. So take advantage of this by creating a mini gallery! You can get pretty much all you need – picture frames and nails – from somewhere like Wilkinsons for very cheap. The more numerous the frames the better.

Pick a unified theme. Animals, plants, and flowers are all good, but find something that suits you. If you’re stuck for inspiration and want to save on spending, see if you’ve got any old interiors or fashion magazines lying about. Glossy adverts and photoshoots can look great framed in a gallery!

Pro Tip – Pinterest is your friend here. There are hundreds of gallery walls to serve as design inspiration.