Tuesday, February 4, 2014

$265 Master Bathroom Update

We've lived in this house for 10 years and there is one thing I have hated strongly disliked the whole time: stepping out of the shower onto a bath mat that is on a carpeted floor.  So on the last weekday of our Christmas break I plunged in to making our bathroom over on the cheap.  (Note: if you are a homeschooler, this impulsive project mode is not recommended.  I know the following week, our first school days of the new year, suffered from my lack of focus on school while the bathroom was in various stages of disarray.  Not good.)  To keep this brief I'll let the pictures do the talking and do a brief source and cost list at the end.
Before: cheap chrome lights

Before: orangey oak cabinets and carpet in the shower and vanity area

Before: vinyl in the inner bathroom, beige paint throughout

After: gel-stained cabinets with hardware, new light fixtures, paint, vinyl plank flooring throughout


After: new shower curtain which I sewed from a full flat sheet

After: consistent flooring

Lowes - $55ish (give or take $5 as I can't find one of the receipts)
3 foam brushes
2 flooring transition pieces
toilet wax ring
3 tubes caulking
screws for cabinet hardware
painters tape
quarter round - for the far side of the vanity


Home Depot - $159.61
2 boxes Allure "Barnwood" vinyl plank flooring
2 cottage lantern light fixtures
These lights are a bit of an unconventional choice and may not be the best choice for someone who does their make-up daily, but the shower window provides lots of natural light and the room does not seem dim at all, even after having 8 total bulbs before and now only 2 bulbs to light up the same space. The wire cage is removable if I want to change up the look a bit down the road.
I used a coupon code to save a little and went through Ebates to get a little cash back.

Target - $6.56
2 multipacks of cabinet knobs (bought on clearance months ago)

WoodCraft - $42.97
1 quart General Finishes Gel Stain - Java
1 quart General Finishes Polyacrylic, Satin
I used a coupon code to save a bit off the normal prices.  I have about 3/4 quart left of each one so I'll be able to get other projects out of this expense, too. I did 2 coats with each product.

Supplies on hand
paint - I mixed up about 3/4 gallon plain white semi-gloss with about a quart of Valspar "Sterling Silver" and am mostly pleased with the result.  I would have liked it a little paler or greyer, but free is good.
1 partial box of Allure flooring from our last bathroom project
paintbrush and rollers
white full sheet, grosgrain ribbon and thread to make the shower curtain
white fluffy towels - I bought these a year or two ago when they were 6/$10 at Costco. I was saving them for a spruce-up like this.

Project total: $264.14, give or take $5

I am really pleased with the result for the money we put into this. In the future, maybe I will frame out the mirror, but for now this room is done.