Nothing’s more boring than basic beige. While the master bath at Meredith and Stephen Heard’s ranch house, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was perfectly functional, it was a bleak blank box of washed-out finishes. To give it some oomph, Stephen created a high-contrast look on the walls with white-painted board-and-batten wainscot made from low-cost lath and furring strips; above it, Meredith used a dark gray paint to add depth.
Vanity Update
The vanity was in great shape, so Stephen just replaced the cultured-marble top with stained and sealed butcher block and, to create more deck space, put in a vessel sink. Meredith updated the cabinet doors with white paint and satin-nickel pulls left over from their kitchen remodel. To brighten the space, Stephen replaced the old strip vanity light with a three-shade fixture and the standard overhead flush-mount with a drum-shade pendant. Finally, Meredith added a sunny shower curtain she made herself. Having banished the bland, she says, “It’s so much more welcoming now—we feel like we really gave the room some personality.”
Why butcher block works here: Stained and sealed wood counters bring warmth to a bathroom that white cultured marble can’t match, and pairing one with a vessel sink—rather than an undermount or drop-in—preserves nearly the entire surface as usable deck space for toiletries and towels.
Pro Tip: Before tossing leftover hardware from past projects, stash it. As seen in similar This Old House Magazine budget redos, homeowners have repurposed bin pulls by spray-painting them gold, or—as Meredith did here—pulled satin-nickel hardware from a previous kitchen remodel to refresh a vanity at no extra cost.
The Project Tally
• Tacked up lath and furring strips, board-and-batten style, using a nail gun; filled knots, sanded, and caulked; then sealed it all with leftover primer and paint $26
• Painted the walls a dark gray, custom mixed at the store from paint they had on hand $0
• Leftover paint and pulls freshened the vanity $0
• Topped the vanity with a new butcher-block counter, vessel sink, and faucet from a
big-box store $170
• Installed new overhead and vanity lights $80
• Finished the room with a new mirror and a lined DIY shower curtain made using a flat sheet and fabric paint $60
Total $336
Budget-conscious bath refreshes like this one are more common than you might think. In a recent This Old House bathroom renovation survey, 25.3% of homeowners reported spending under $5,000 on their bathroom projects, and 30% completed most or all of the work themselves to keep costs down.
Homeowner Insights: Even a modest bath refresh can uncover surprises. According to a This Old House bathroom survey, 24% of homeowners ran into unexpected water damage repairs and 22% encountered structural issues with walls, subfloors, or framing once work began—a good reminder to inspect carefully before committing to a tight budget.
