If your bathroom is looking a bit on the shabby side and is dire need of a facelift to transform it into a welcoming and relaxing retreat rather than a mold farm, there are lots of easy and relatively cheap things you can do to spruce it up with out having to take out a second mortgage to pay for it!

Of course, any bathroom renovating that involves replacing fixtures such as your bath tub, toilet and sink is going to require a fair amount of work and result in a costly plumbing bill. However, as long as your suite is in reasonable condition and is a neutral color (think white rather than avocado here), you should be able to live with it and save yourself a substantial amount of money. Just by giving it a thorough cleaning and tackling any limescale build up can instantly improve the appearance of an old bath.

Another major expense when it comes to decorating bathrooms is tiling the walls. Even if you decide to do the job yourself, it’s still going to take up the best part of a weekend or two. And quite often it’s not as straightforward as simply removing the old tiles, as old plaster has a habit of crumbling and then you’ll need to replaster the walls before you can even begin tiling. A much easier, quicker and considerably cheaper option is to get a specialist tile paint and paint over your existing tiles – which is a surprisingly effective way to completely change the look of a bathroom. Alternatively, if you’ve got white or plain colored tiles that look a bit dull and lifeless, you could achieve a great result by applying tile transfers to add color and pattern. You can solve the unsightly problem of discolored grout by scraping out the old grout and regrouting, or by going over the top of the existing grout with a grouting renovator paint.

Then it’s time to think about storage. As well as being a focal point in any bathroom décor, bathroom vanities are excellent for storing all kinds of toiletry items and beauty accessories that would otherwise clutter up your work surfaces. If you don’t have a sink vanity unit and you’re short on storage space, it could be well worth it to invest in one. If you already have a vanity, but it’s outdated and looks like it’s seen better days, you could give it a makeover with a lick of paint and by changing the handles. The same goes for your wall mounted bathroom cabinets - by giving them a makeover you can make them stylish as well as functional.