How to Reinvent an Ugly Powder Room on a Shoestring Budget
Howdy, all of you fellow DIY-ers (and semi-DIY-ers)! Today I am going to share with you the evolution of my super-ugly powder room! The best thing? I didn’t spend a ton of money, and I did most of the work myself. My aversion to overspending cannot be overstated. I love the challenge of working with a shoestring budget because it forces me to be clever.
In the beginning
Let’s start at the beginning, three years ago when my husband and I purchased our Mediterranean-styled behemoth. The house had two half-baths. One powder room was located off of the living room, presumably intended for guests. It was painted black with a gold ceiling. More on that room in a future post.
The second powder room was the ugliest powder room ever, quite possibly. The walls were painted yellow-orange, like cheese puffs. Nothing says “high class” like artificial and highly processed junk food. A cabinet set was builder-grade dingy white. On the wall, a green metal towel rack was installed. It seemed to have no stylistic connection to the rest of the room.
But the worst part of the ugly powder room? That’s easy!
Where do I begin? The Spanish-influenced tile and hand-painted sink would have looked better in a Mexican restaurant–it didn’t mesh at all with the style of my house. There were even matching custom-painted door pulls!
While I realize that the custom sink was probably expensive, it had no place in my decorating scheme. Also, the white plastic faucet wasn’t quite the elegance level that would be expected in a home like this. For that matter, I have never even seen a plastic sink faucet. Who knew it was a thing?
Prioritizing my DIY powder room projects
In the early phases of the room makeover, I made color the priority. In a dramatic contrast to the urine-colored walls, I chose Benjamin Moore Moonshine (#2140-60) to calm the room, and after three coats I was satisfied with the result. The towel rack was removed as well. While I was up on the ladder, I painted the trim of the room with Benjamin Moore Winter White (#2140-70), to coordinate with the new wall color.
Next, I painted the cabinets. Until we could budget for countertop and sink replacement, I wanted to make the unfortunate decorating choices of the previous owner feel more intentional. I selected Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal (#HC-166), a popular charcoal. Unfortunately, in the shadows of the room, the color appeared slightly blue and never quite worked.
Finally, I selected replacement hardware for the toilet paper holder, hand towel rack, and door pulls. I purchased a replacement faucet, Rubicon by Delta ( https://www.homedepot.com/p/KOHLER-Rubicon-Single-Hole-Single-Handle-Bathroom-Faucet-in-Vibrant-Brushed-Nickel-K-R76214-4D-BN/206521612 ), and selected coordinating hardware to give the room a modern vibe that matched the modern brushed-nickel light fixture. My goal was simple: Unify the style of the room, and convert the fugly powder room into a beautiful space.
Expanding the budget
Finally, we budgeted for a tear-out of the counter and sink! I selected a white quartz countertop and white porcelain under-mount sink that would continue the simplified vision for the powder room. Before the renovation day, I re-painted the cabinets with Benjamin Moore Midnight Oil (#1631), to give the cabinets a deeper shade. The off-black paint was a subtle change, but I felt that the darker color modernized the room.
In preparation for demolition day, I disconnected the plumbing and removed that ugly plastic faucet the night before the remodel. I was tempted to take a hammer and smash the countertop tiles, but I didn’t want to clean up the shards so I left it to the remodeler.
Watching the remodeler demolish the tile nearly brought me to tears, I was so happy to see it go!
The installation went smoothly and only took the team an hour. After they left, I calked around the backsplash, touched up the wall and cabinet paint, and reconnected the water supply and drain.
Final result: A winner!
I could not be happier with the remodel! The original price the remodeler had given me for the sink, counter and cabinets was $2500, but by repainting the cabinets and doing the basic plumbing myself, the cost was just over $1000.
Although the powder room may not be a selling point when we sell one day, it won’t be a red flag to buyers, either. There were many aspects of the house that kept it on the market for six years, and I have no doubt that the ugly powder room was one of them.
Because you may sell your place one day, always consider the potential return on investment when you make remodeling plans. And realize that you can reduce the costs of a remodel if you are willing to take on some of the project yourself.
For more interior design inspiration, follow my blog at gatecitydesign.com
