Affordable Farmhouse Style Bathroom Makeover
Before this bathroom remodel project, our downstairs half bath was in need of some serious updating. The overwhelming bold red paint was the first issue we could not wait to get rid of. From there, the plan was to use budget-friendly DIY projects to give this little bathroom some farmhouse style!
The goal for this bathroom makeover was to spend as little money as possible, and I’m happy to report: goal accomplished! We were able to keep the whole budget under $250 (see the budget breakdown at the end of the post). I’m so excited to share all the farmhouse bathroom renovation ideas we used!
Farmhouse Bathroom Remodel Before And After
Affordable Farmhouse Bathroom Remodel Ideas
We used these 9 budget friendly farmhouse bathroom renovation ideas to makeover our bathroom without breaking the bank. With a budget of only $250, these DIY projects and decor ideas offer serious value.
With some careful planning, and a little DIY elbow grease, you can use these ideas to complete a farmhouse style bathroom makeover of your own!
1. Beadboard Wallpaper
To start out the farmhouse bathroom updates, we installed paintable beadboard wallpaper on the bottom two-thirds of the wall – to go for a classic wainscoting look. But with paintable wallpaper, really? Yes!
The paintable beadboard wallpaper we used (Amazon) is affordable, easy to install, and has three dimensional raised grooves that look exactly like real beadboard. I recommend it to anyone interested in budget friendly bathroom remodel ideas.
To give the white wainscoting a subtle contrast, I painted the top section of the wall with Benjamin Moore Pale Oak which is a pleasant light grey color. To learn more about paintable beadboard wallpaper, you can checkout the full article I’ve written called ‘How to Install Beadboard Wallpaper’ where I share step-by-step instructions and tons of in-progress pictures.
2. Paint The Vanity!
Before we got started on this bathroom renovation project, we priced out a new vanity and counter top. Unfortunately, it just didn’t fit our budget goals, so we had to improvise.
Since we were not able to install a new vanity, the next best thing was painting the vanity white. The Benjamin Moore White Dove paint added a much needed touch of farmhouse style to the bathroom. I love how the vanity turned out, and I’m glad we didn’t end up blowing the budget to splurge on a new vanity.
My Related Articles: White Paint Guide | All the Top Colors!
Glossy cabinets are notoriously difficult to paint. To overcome this, we used Kilz Adhesion Bonding Primer (Amazon) for the first coat of paint. Bonding primer is a specially formulated primer that is designed to adhere to difficult surfaces. The Kilz Adhesion Bonding Primer worked amazing!
3. Install Open Shelving
Next up on our to-do list of affordable farmhouse bathroom remodel projects was installing open shelving. For the wooden board, we used a piece of scrap wood from the DIY bathroom mirror frame project (#4 on this list!).
The brackets are cheap ‘L’ brackets from a local hardware store. To add a little extra farmhouse flair, we spray painted the brackets with my favorite metallic flake oil-rubbed bronze spray paint (Amazon). To finish off the look, we staining the board with Early American by Minwax (Amazon).
GET THE LOOK
4. Wood Mirror Frame
Instead of replacing the existing mirror with something new (mirrors can get a little pricey), we opted to make a little upgrade of our own around the mirror. Adding a wood frame around the existing mirror gave it an updated farmhouse look – DIY style! This project was super simple and affordable. Check, check!
See the full step-by-step tutorial here: How To Add a DIY Wood Frame To A Bathroom Mirror
5. DIY Mason Jar Light Fixture
Before remodeling the bathroom, the vanity light fixture was a basic, builder grade fixture. And let me tell you – it wasn’t winning any beauty contests! To give the light a fresh farmhouse look, we spray painted it with the same oil-rubbed bronze spray paint that we used to paint the shelf bracket (Amazon).
Next, we also swapped out the old frosted lamp shades for mason jars, and installed decorative Edison style LED light bulbs (Amazon). This simple DIY instantly breathed new life to the dated fixture. Not bad for about a half-hour of work!
6. Budget Friendly Faucet Upgrade
To match the newly painted light fixture, we decided to look for an affordable oil rubbed bronze faucet that we could fit into our renovation budget. I was surprised at how cheap I was able to buy this high arc oil rubbed bronze bathroom faucet from the listing on Amazon. The new faucet perfectly matched the modern farmhouse look I was going for, and only took a few minutes to install!
7. Use Decor Items You Already Own & Free Printables
I was able to decorate this entire space with items that I already had. “Shopping the house” is one of my favorite ways to decorate on a budget. Since this is such a small space, I tried to keep all of the decor really simple.
The birch branches and black container used to be in our entryway, but by grouping them with the toilet paper stand, it gave this little corner a finished look. For wall decor I opted for a couple of layered frames, and the tiniest eucalyptus branch on the open shelving.
Since I always have an abundance of frames (thanks to my Goodwill addiction), I just needed to find a couple of prints to fill them with. I ended up using this gold foiled burst print that I got from Amazon a couple of years back, and paired it with this black and white stock photo I downloaded for free from Unsplash.
I don’t know what it is about pictures of cows, but I love them! (Printing your own prints from free stock image websites is a great way to decorate on the cheap!) Some dried eucalyptus and a cute candle finished off the look!
8. Mason Jar Soap Dispenser
This cute little mason jar soap dispenser from Amazon was the perfect way to match the new DIY mason jar light fixture, and add a little extra farmhouse style to the room.
GET THE LOOK
9. Oil-Rubbed Bronze Towel Hook
To continue with the oil-rubbed bronze finishes, I swapped the old the towel rack for this matching one from Bed Bath and Beyond. After using my 20% off coupon, it was only $17.50! Gotta love those BedBath coupons that never expire! My favorite black striped hand towel from World Market coordinated perfectly.
GET THE LOOK
I think it’s safe to say this is now officially my favorite bathroom in the house! I am so happy with how it turned out!
Farmhouse Bathroom Remodel Budget Breakdown
The full source list and budget breakdown is listed below.
Sources:
- Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore Pale Oak (already had)
- Wallpaper Paint & Cabinet Paint – Benjamin Moore White Dove (already had)
- Beadboard Wallpaper – $69.58
- Faucet – $31.99
- Drain – $8.34
- Edison Light Bulbs – $19.99
- Oil-rubbed Bronze Spray Paint – $9.99
- Wood Boards for mirror frame – $29.37
- Wood Stain (Early American by Minwax) – $4.98
- Polyurethane – $4.98
- Towel Holder – $17.50 (20% off)
- Toilet Paper Stand – $15.99 (20% off)
- Wax Ring (for toilet re-install) – $7.99
Total – $220.70
Below is a list of the items I found around our home to decorate the space. I went ahead and linked similar items in case you’re wanting to create a similar look!
- Birch branches
- Large glass vase (similar)
- Hearth and Hand Black vase
- Faux greenery (similar)
- Black picture frame (similar)
- White picture frame (similar)
- Gold foiled burst print
- Small terracotta planter (similar)
- Faux silver dollar eucalyptus (mine is real that I dried last summer, it lasts forever this way! I usually get fresh eucalyptus from local grocery stores, but you can order fresh stems here also)
- Rose gold soy candle (similar)
- Mason jar soap dispenser (similar)
- Black striped hand towel
- Wood crate (holding toilet paper) (similar)
Farmhouse Bathroom Remodel Final Thoughts
My goal for this farmhouse style bathroom remodel was to keep it under $250, so we succeeded! This just goes to show that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to makeover a bathroom! If you’re willing to do the labor yourself, with a little creativity you can make the farmhouse bathroom of your dreams without breaking the bank!
Do you have any more farmhouse bathroom remodel ideas that didn’t make it onto this list? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.
Shared over at the Thrifty Thursday and Home and Garden Link Parties!
