Bringing Summer Into Your Home

Can You Really Transform A Bathroom For Under £500?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes! Particularly when you’re happy to get stuck in and do a lot of the changes yourself. 

While we’ll talk more about some of the changes you can make for less than £500, you could repaint, regrout and silicone, and upgrade to an illuminated mirror within budget, and these things really do have an impact on how fresh your bathroom feels. 

Where To Spend And Where To Save In A Budget Bathroom

When you’re completing a bathroom makeover on a budget, it’s hard to know what needs replacing, what you can achieve with your budget and whether you’ll overspend. So if you’re unsure where to start, we’ve created some suggestions about where you should spend more money and where you can save money. 

The main way to save money is to keep all your existing plumbing in place. Moving pipes around is what drives the cost up (and also means you’re more likely to run into issues). But, if you’re replacing everything like-for-like, the job becomes a bit more simple. 

Other ways to save include using lino sheet flooring instead of tiles, but keep tiles on the walls to make the room look more expensive than it is. You can also save on accessories and decorative items and by DIYing what you can. 

When it comes to spending, we recommend that you spend more on the items that people see and touch every day, like taps, showerheads and lighting.  

Budget Bathroom Makeover Ideas Under £500

Below, you can find our cheap bathroom ideas that will really help to change the look of the space but without spending thousands! 

A fresh coat of moisture-resistant bathroom paint - £50

If your bathroom has flaking or mouldy paint, then a new coat will do wonders. This is one of the simplest and cheapest changes that will only take a few hours (and even better, it’s a job you can do yourself). You can pick up a tub of mould-resistant paint for less than £50, just make sure that it is suitable for high-moisture environments like a bathroom. 

Regrout and re-silicone - Less than £100

When your tile grout has started to flake out and your silicone has grown black mould, it really brings the relaxing vibe down in your bathroom. But you can regrout and re-silicone your bathroom for surprisingly cheap (if you do it yourself). A tub of BAL Micromax3 tile grout will set you back around £40 while a tube of sealant is less than £20. 

Swap taps and brassware - £200

We always recommend that you spend more on taps and brassware than perhaps other aspects of your bathroom, as these are subject to lots of wear, and you want them to look good for years to come. From waterfall taps to modern wall-mounted taps, there’s an enormous selection available for less than £200, and you can match the finish of your tap with new towel rings/rails, toilet roll holders, soap holders and door hooks.  

Replace the toilet seat - £60 to £100

It’s a simple fix that will take you 15 minutes for less than £100! When replacing your toilet seat, take the opportunity to clean around the space where the hinges used to be before you install the new one for maximum impact. 

Upgrade to an illuminated mirror - £300

Luxe bathrooms are all about layered lighting, so upgrade to a beautiful illuminated mirror to add to the atmosphere. If you have the budget, a heated one prevents condensation building up, an absolute gamechanger for those super steamy showers. 

Install new storage - Under £400

A cluttered bathroom is certainly not a relaxing one, so invest in some brand new storage where you can shove all the kids’ toys or hide your hundreds of products to complete your bathroom makeover on a budget. Choose from wall cabinets, tall freestanding cabinets or small storage units. 

Bigger Upgrades For Less Than £500

Perhaps you want to make some bigger changes as part of your budget bathroom renovation. All the below still come under £500, but they may be a little more disruptive and require labour costs on top. 

New basin and vanity unit - £350 to £400

Installing a beautiful new vanity unit and sink in your bathroom can really transform the space, and you can pick up a set for around £350 to £400. While you do need to factor installation costs on top, it’s an item that could transform your bathroom while also providing extra useful storage. 

A new shower side panel or screen- £300 to £450

Upgrade your existing shower screen to something that shouts elegant. We have a huge range of beautiful shower screens and side panels in a range of colours and finishes, whether you’re after bold black, gorgeous gold or simple silver. You could pick up our black fluted glass shower screen or our brushed gold glass shower screen for just over £450 (both currently on sale). 

LVT flooring - £450

For bathrooms that are between 5m2 and 8m2, you could spend up to £50 per square metre on some beautiful new vinyl flooring. Replacing large cosmetic features like the floor (or the walls, as we’ll come onto next), really does have the biggest impact for your £500 budget. 

Vinyl flooring comes in a huge range of effects, including wood, stone, marble and concrete, depending on the look you’re after. It clicks together really easily and is ideal for high-moisture rooms, with a slip rating of R10 (fine for bathrooms). 

Wall panels - £500

If you’re fed up of looking at your mould-stained, yellowed shower tiles, then consider switching them out for a wall panel instead. With fewer grout lines, these panels are much easier to keep clean and are completely waterproof. They come in a huge range of designs and can make your bathroom look more expensive. Budget options, like this concrete-effect wall panel, will allow you to purchase two or three panels to fill the required space.

How To Makeover Your Bathroom With Easy Bathrooms

At Easy Bathrooms, we stock everything you need to refresh your space without blowing the budget, from vanity units and shower screens to wall panels and taps. You can even use our handy 3D bathroom planner to see how the finished room could look, or pop into store for a free bathroom design appointment with one of our designers. We can help you work out what changes will have the most impact for your budget. Discover our local showrooms here.