Even in long-haul remodels, some spaces cry out for prompt design attention. For Roeshel Summerville of Butler, Pennsylvania, that space was the first-floor bath. Located between a home office and the family room, it’s the most trafficked of the 1927 farmhouse’s three baths and two powder rooms.
But when Roeshel, her husband, and their two daughters moved in, it sported bare drywall and grungy carpeting.
Before: Old Bathroom
Two years in, with a full redo out of the question, Roeshel decided to make the space “less embarrassing.” Refinishing everything from the plywood subfloor to the original sink fixtures with paint, she updated the bath over four weekends with a gray-and-brown palette and low-cost touches, such as a three-light vanity fixture. “It was supposed to be a temporary fix, but I love it. And now we can focus our money on bigger projects,” says Roeshel.
As reported in This Old House Magazine, the farmhouse bathroom—located between a home office and the family room—is the most trafficked of the 1927 farmhouse’s three baths and two powder rooms. When Roeshel, her husband, and their two daughters moved in, the space sported bare drywall and grungy carpeting, making it the room most in need of prompt design attention.
After: Remodeled Bathroom
Wall paint: Benjamin Moore‘s Light Pewter and Nimbus
Here are some photos that show Roeshel’s inexpensive bathroom remodel, step by step.
The painted floor delivers the look of tile at a fraction of the cost. According to This Old House Magazine, after sanding and patching the plywood subfloor, the owners used porch paint and stencils to create the rug-like design, then sealed it with three coats of polyurethane to ensure it holds up in a humid bathroom.
Pro Tip: Don’t overlook what you already have. As noted in This Old House Magazine, Roeshel spray-painted and lacquered the original 1920s faucets instead of replacing them, avoiding the need to swap out the sink or invest in costly single-tap reproductions.
Bathroom Remodel Before and After Photos
Before: Floor
After sanding and patching the plywood subfloor, the owners used porch paint and stencils to create the design. Three coats of polyurethane ensure it holds in a humid bath.
Floor: After
The painted floor delivers the look of tile at a fraction of the cost.
Paint: Valspar‘s Journey and Benjamin Moore‘s Smoke Embers
Pro Tip: Designer Amy Dutton of Portsmouth, N.H., took a similar budget-friendly approach when reworking her 1910 bungalow. Rather than invest in her dream kitchen floor, she painted directly onto the plywood subfloor. After caulking the seams between the sheets and applying two coats of floor paint, she painted freehand tendrils and swirls that tied the room together. “Because the floor has such a large surface area, I came up with a pattern that suited the scale and filled up the space, pulling together elements from the room,” she says.
Before: Faucet
Using spray paint to refinish, the homeowners avoided the need to replace the sink or shell out for costly single-tap reproductions.
After: Faucet
Spray paint and lacquer updated the original 1920s faucets for $25.
Faucet paint: Rust-Oleum
Before: Shower Stall
Extending the stripes over the shower walls adds a customized feel to the previously lackluster stall.
After: Shower Stall
A simple white waffle-weave shower curtain lets the striped wall design take center stage.
Bathroom Remodel Costs
- Removed the carpet, $0
- Primed and painted the ceiling, door, and trim with cans left over from previous projects, $0
- Mounted a three-light fixture over the sink and a flush-mount schoolhouse light on the ceiling, $221
- Painted the floor with an area-rug design using two stencils, 1 gallon of new porch paint, and leftover gray paint, $40
- Sealed the floor with three coats of polyurethane, $16
- Created a striped wallpaper look with 2 gallons of paint, $62
- Hung an oval vanity mirror, $75
- Primed, painted, and lacquered the existing faucets to look like oil-rubbed bronze, $25
TOTAL: $439
