My Renter-Friendly Bathroom Makeover

Are you looking to make some minor upgrades to your rental without breaking the bank? Then you've come to the right space! Over the past 3 years, I've been tasked with making over countless rental properties with some pretty dated bathrooms. However, the one I'm living in now might be the best one yet (as in, the most outdated...)

I have two full bathrooms that I'm updating simultaneously, but the guest bath was ROUGH. I've been working on this one for a few months now, and I'm so happy with how far it's come.

Below you'll find a guide for how I transformed these rooms along with links to all of the décor and materials I used. I hope you find it helpful!

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Here are my go-to DIYs:

Peel and Stick Flooring

For this project, I purchased vinyl plank floors from Lowe's - priced around $1/plank. The brand is Style Selections, in the Barnwood design. I bought an entire box for about $60, and it was more than enough to cover both bathrooms and my laundry room. And I still have so much left over! These floors are thin enough to cut with a utility knife or scissors. They stick to surfaces really well, but not enough to damage the floors underneath. You can peel them right up with ease! No residue left behind. If you want a more permanent solution, you can buy adhesive or grout them in place. I also recommend the FloorPops brand. You can find them on Amazon - here's my favorite pattern that I used in my entryway!

Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

So much baby blue in this condo! It had to go. My landlord gave me the go-ahead to paint, so I refreshed the walls and the vanity. I chose Toque White by Sherwin Williams for every room, the same color that was throughout my old house. I also replaced the dark blue accent wall with a calming, sage green color (which I then covered up again with peel and stick backsplash...keep reading for that one!)

Faucet

This dinosaur faucet gave me flashbacks to a time before I was even born...so I bought a $30 replacement from Lowe's which instantly modernized the space! You can find it here. Plumbing isn't my specialty, so I had a friend help me install this one. *Instant* upgrade.

Hardware

Add some new hardware! My vanity was naked, so I decided to add some modern black hardware to spruce it up. All vanities need some jewelry. This also helped tie together the black mirror and light fixture.

Lighting

The light fixture in here was very outdated, so I found a new 2-light bathroom fixture on Amazon for $30. It was fairly easy to install. Just pop the old one off, match up the wires and screw the new one on. I didn't even need instructions this time! But don't listen to me - I highly recommend reading them...

Mirror

This bulky medicine cabinet had to go. Plus, I had plenty of space under the vanity for storage. I replaced it with a sleek black framed mirror from Amazon. I put the medicine cabinet up in the attic, because I WILL be taking this mirror with me when I go! Keep it classic or choose a fun design such as a gold antique mirror to add some drama.

Shower

Ugly shower door? Nothing some electrical tape can't fix! I saw this hack on Pinterest. The trick is not to stretch the tape when you apply it. You can do this to glass, mirrors, walls, etc. I have another blog post in the works on the magic of electrical tape. Also, they sell decorative vinyl decals online that would also work well on old shower doors.

Artwork

Add some new artwork to the space. Pick a theme and run with it. I chose eucalyptus for my guest bathroom, so I painted the back wall sage green and added some eucalyptus leaf paintings along with some dried cuttings in a vase next to the sink to tie it all together. For my master bathroom - I can't seem to get away from my classic black and white boho theme, so I also purchased some fun geometric wall mirrors that also double as shelves.

Peel and Stick Wallpaper / Backsplash

I didn't add the wood wallpaper to the back wall of my current bathroom, it was there when I moved in. My landlord actually did something right! But this is a quick and easy way to add a bold touch to your space that is also easily removable. However, I did add white subway tile peel and stick backsplash. I purchased it on Amazon, and I'm honestly so impressed! The quality is fantastic. They're a bit thicker than a regular sticker and have a rubbery, 3D appearance - also super easy to clean. It honestly looks identical to the bathroom in my old house, and I'm so happy about it! I missed my subway tile.

Finally, I added some finishing touches to top things off. New fresh towels, a new rug, sleek soap dispensers, some artificial plants (because no windows...). For bathroom #2, I just slapped on a coat of white paint and laid down some new floors for an instant refresh. In addition to the wall art, I added some floating shelves above the toilet. I love how it turned out! You can shop my home here.

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XO,

@kyliewhitespace

#bathroomreno #rentalhacks #apartmenttherapy #diy #bathroomrenovation #transformation