Low-Cost Bathroom Updates

Pick out basic white components for your must-have bath features and save thousands in remodeling dollars. White sinks, tubs, and toilets all cost less than those in colors because manufacturers make and sell more of them.

• Plan your bathroom remodel with our free guide.

Stretch your remodeling budget by tiling only the shower and/or bath area walls. If it's within your budget, tile halfway up the wall, add a border design, and paint the area above.

Install new cabinet hardware to provide an instant visual impact at a minimal cost. An even lower-cost option: Paint existing unfinished wood knobs. Use an artist's brush for small designs. Protect the painted designs with two coats of clear polyurethane.

Have the pros refinish your outdated avocado-green bathtub to give your bathroom new life.

Add pullout shelves to deep cabinets to keep necessities in order and viewable. Equipping cabinet interiors with these sliding surfaces helps you avoid digging around in the dark or buying more of the things you already have on hand.

Turn an existing piece of furniture into a vanity. Save on expensive cabinetry by cutting a hole in the top of a dresser or chest for a drop-in sink and faucet.

• Get inspired with these ideas for decorating your bathroom.

Paint or refinish the cabinet doors for a quick and easy update. Also, install a new toilet seat and add a few matching accessories such as towel bars and a toilet paper holder. Switch out your shower controls and other hardware to create a unified suite look in just a few hours.

Get more out of your medicine cabinet with quick and easy storage ideas from this video.

Painting is a simple do-it-yourself weekend project that can transform a room. Buy moldproof and mildewproof primers and paints. Create a spa mood with watery blues, greens, and neutrals. Add more color with towels, soaps, and candles.

If you love the look of pricey hand-painted or mosaic tile but you're on a budget, include a few in a random pattern among affordable field tiles. This bathroom took a unique approach: Instead of running the accent tile around horizontally as is expected, the tile was installed vertically, creating more interest in the room.

Add architectural interest to a basic bath with beaded board. Installing panels is quicker and more affordable than installing individual boards. The panels are virtually indistinguishable from authentic beaded board and are sold in lightweight 4x8-foot sheets for about $20 each.

Find a great deal and inject a dose of personality into your bath with flea market gems. Architectural salvage yards and Internet auction sites are great suppliers of vintage tubs, sinks, countertops, flooring, benches, and unique accents.

Make taking a bath and maintaining the tub more convenient by installing a handheld sprayer. It eases chores such as rinsing hair and cleaning the tub.

Hide unsightly plumbing and undersink storage with a skirt. Cut and hem fabric to wrap around the sink or vanity, then attach with adhesive-back hook-and-loop fastener, which is easy to remove.

If your bathroom has an outdated medicine cabinet, replace it with a good-size mirror with a frame. It's amazing how this little change can dress up the room. The larger the mirror, the more light and color it reflects, making the room seem bigger.

Add stylish storage using flea market finds. If your bathroom is too small for a freestanding piece of furniture, consider adding a vintage shelf or old drawer backed with pretty paper that hangs on the wall and stores bath essentials. Clean and give it a fresh coat of paint. To hang a drawer-turned-shelf, drill through the back and into studs in the wall.

Use spring-loaded separators, valet trays, and small acrylic trays in vanity drawers to keep lipsticks and other cosmetics in order.

Make a mirror more practical. Find mirrors that come with hardware that allows them to tilt, or set your mirror on ball-shape mounting hardware so it can pivot away from the wall.

If your vanity is in good condition, just replace the countertop. Formed laminate countertop or slabs of granite install quickly and can be found as remnants for an even better deal.

Bring in furniture to add utility and character. An old shelving unit updated with paint provides a bath-side perch for towels, soaps, and accessories.