DIY Master Bathroom Makeover on a Budget - From Builder-Grade to Contemporary - Fab Everyday (2024)

When we moved into our new house, there were a lot of features that were already perfect for us… dark hardwood floors, lovely Carrara marble countertops in the kitchen, crown moulding, and more. What was not so perfect for us were the bathrooms, which still remained pretty standard 90’s builder grade. Luckily, we knew they were nothing that some DIY TLC couldn’t fix! This post is to tell you the steps we took to get our master bathroomfrom this:

…to this:

without spending a lot of $$$!

Edited in 2017 to show you what the bathroom looks like now, six years after the makeover:

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Resurfaced countertops: The only thing we paid to do professionally was to resurface the beige, swirly,cultured marble countertops to a plain white. I didn’t want or need to replace the countertops with granite or other stone. I really just wanted them to be plain white, so this was a reasonable option compared to complete replacement.

Frame mirror: A great alternative to purchasing a custom sized framed mirror, is to just add a frame to your existing mirror.Thanks tothis post from Centsational Girl, I discovered MirrorMate. MirrorMate allows you to input specifics about your mirror (exact size, distance from walls, sink etc.), choose a style and finish for the frame, and for a great deal, sends you 4 wood pieces and some instructions on how to installyour own frame to your existing mirror. A great price, very easy to do, and as you can see above, provides great impact! For this bathroom, we chose Cherokee Slim in Espresso Walnut.

Paint cabinets: We gave the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kits a try for this.I have to say, this was very easy and faster to do than the traditional stripping, sanding, and repainting. It does take a full weekend to do all steps, but seems like it took less elbow grease, and turned out beautifully. We opted for the Kona – Unglazed color for this bathroom.

New knobs and handles for cabinets: Hello, Home Depot!

New light fixtures: We found these reasonably-priced, contemporaryHampton Bay 3-Light Vanity Wall Fixtures from Home Depot (which we mounted upside down). It was so nice to replace the long strip builder-grade vanity light fixture with these!

Wall paint: We painted the wallsa gray colorto match the tile we loved for the floors (see below). I can’t remember the exact shade we chose. A note on painting: painting is a relatively simple DIY project, but not everyone has the patience or desire to do it on their own. If the idea of painting your bathroom yourself doesn’t sound appealing, you could also find a professional team like Southern Home Services that could easily get the job done for you. There are times when you want a professional’s touch (we did for our home’s exterior paint), or when it can just make the job a lot easier for you (think rooms with vaulted ceilings, etc.).

Wall accessories: Pegasus line from Home Depot.

Countertop accessories: Hotel Collection“Standard Suite” Bath Accessories purchasedfrom Macy’s.

Roman tub faucet: Fontaine Delfino Roman Tub Chrome Bathroom Faucet found at a great price from Overstock.com. I was surprised how expensive Roman tub faucets were, so we were happy to find this one.

Photo Source: Overstock.com

Shower faucet: MOEN Level Valve Trim Kit in Chrome from Home Depot.

Photo Source: Home Depot

We are now proud to have a bathroom that is “our style” without having to do a major remodel! Perfect example of how one can make their everyday life fabulous. I will share before and afters for our other bathrooms in future posts. Stay tuned!