The bathroom is no longer just the place where people do what they must do and quickly leave. It is now a part of the home’s overall decor, and homeowners want it to be a place a visitor wants to linger in. Indeed, renovating the bathroom is one of the few improvements that can add to a home’s resale value. But a homeowner doesn’t have to completely renovate their bathroom to make it irresistible. Here are six tips for improving the bathroom:
- Paint
One of the simplest things a homeowner can do to improve the look of their bathroom is paint. They don’t need to restrict themselves to shades of white or yellow. The small size of most baths allows the homeowner to go bold in ways they couldn’t in larger rooms that get more traffic. They shouldn’t be afraid of striking, primary colors of red, green or blue. Even black is not off-limits for a small bathroom as long as it’s well lit and not funereal.
- Install New Tiles
A homeowner whose bathroom floor is looking its age should consider replacing it with floor tiles. It may also be a good idea to use tiles on at least part of the walls. Tiles come in a nearly endless variety of colors, patterns and textures, and glazed tiles are waterproof, mold and mildew resistant and easy to clean. Even if a tile is cracked it’s easy to replace if the homeowner has the batch number. A diligent DIYer can install tile themselves, and mosaic tile, which is made up of many small tiles on a mesh backing, is very easy to install.
- Install New Shower Glass Doors
Glass shower doors make any bathroom look elegant and sophisticated. The glass can be transparent, frosted, hammered or etched, and the doors can be framed, frameless or semi-framed. Frames are made of metal and slide over a rack either on the floor of the shower stall or the top of the bathtub. If the door is frameless, the only metal it has are hinges that help it and close. Because of this, these doors seem to float. Semi-framed doors don’t enclose the entire door in metal. Instead, the metal is placed all the way around the structure that supports the door.
- Add New Fixtures
Eventually, fixtures stop working the way they used to. The water pressure can be reduced due to limescale, they spring leaks that won’t stay fixed, or they become plain boring after a time. All of this is an excuse to replace them with fixtures that are modern and have some panache. Faucets and showerheads can be made out of a variety of metals with different finishes, and the less expensive ones can be made of durable plastic. The toilet, sink and bathtub are also fixtures, and if the homeowner has the budget, these too can be upgraded and replaced.
- Improve the Lighting
If the only light in the bathroom is a naked lightbulb in the ceiling, the room is overdue from some modern lighting that is bright without glare. It’s also important that the light be the right color, since the bathroom is where makeup is applied. Light that’s too yellow or too blue can make even carefully applied makeup look a bit off.
The lights themselves can be sunken in the ceiling in the pattern of the homeowner’s favorite constellation, a crystal chandelier or Hollywood lights or sconces around, beside or above the medicine chest mirror. Lights in the shower stall or above the bathtub must be waterproof, and if it’s within the budget, a skylight can be added to bring in natural light.
- Add a New Vanity
If the plain, boxy vanity bought at the Big Box store many years ago no longer sparks joy, it’s time to replace it. One idea is to repurpose a piece of furniture from another room such as a bombé chest. It will immediately become the focal point of the room. Let a carpenter add a hole for the sink and rearrange drawers and cabinets.
