Our $1800 Kids DIY Bathroom Reveal!

DIY bathroom decor on a budget…

Are you in the market for a bathroom renovation? How about a bathroom remodel on a budget. Maybe even a really, really tight budget? If so, then stick around because today is the reveal day for our DIY bathroom.

A kids’ bathroom reno that we completed for under 2k. Want to check it out?

Happily, our reveal day coincides with Cinco de Mayo, and what a fitting coincidence that seems to be. For we feel we’ve won our own little battle here.

We took on this project over a six-week period. And I think given the time constraints (and budget) we’ve done about all we could do. I’m gonna call it a victory.

I’ve been hearing the “Chariots of Fire” theme song in my head the past 24 hours…

Completing this project has been a marathon. And like Forrest Gump, it feels like we’ve been running for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours.

Since we’re 100% DIY in this household (we’re too cheap to pay anyone for help) things like a bathroom renovation are a big undertaking.

And doing a renovation as a couple can really test a relationship. Luckily, my beloved and I never argue during these projects, since we’re so in love and “happy, happy, joy, joy” ALL the time (insert snarky, eye-rolling emoticon HERE).

In the spirit of this travel-themed bathroom, let’s take a little trip down memory lane and see where exactly we started this DIY bathroom journey, six weeks back.

Yup, now I remember. We started in 1989. That was fun (smirk, smirk).

Back to the 21st century. We wanted to spend no more than $2000 on this remodel.

*When possible I link to the exact item used. If an item is no longer available or was a thrift/antique store score, I’ve tried direct you to the most similar items I can find!

Oh yeah, 80’s bathroom! Take that! Victory lap time! We stayed under budget by doing a lot of small things. One being inexpensive decor.

I bought a lot of vintage license plates. It didn’t cost a lot, but add a lot of color and some personality.

See that “magazine rack”? It’s a paint can bucket grid. Costs under $4.

I bought those little “towel hooks” on the clearance rack at Michaels. They cost $1 each. A towel bar in the bath section of a home goods store can set you back more than $25. Stop the insanity!

Bathroom accessories are insanely priced these days! We actually wrote a couple of posts about great, lower-cost options for bathroom towel bars, toilet paper holders, as well as affordable bathroom accessories you can find at Amazon and Target, so be sure to check those out.

The floating sink vanities from IKEA were where a majority of our budget was spent.

This room is very long and narrow, and the original vanity just accentuated that shape.

The floating vanities, and keeping two that are separate, rather than one, long double vanity helps break up the space and keep it from looking quite so long and skinny.

Plus, there’s room underneath for little footstools…which are pretty clutch in a kids bathroom. I embellished ours with pom poms, because, pom poms just make everything in life better.

One of the biggest improvements to this space was the addition of a pocket door between the sinks and toilet areas.

The glass in the door allows some natural light into this otherwise dark spot in the house. And DIY privacy film was easy to install and allows for privacy.

Before there was a traditional swinging door here, which was awkward, intrusive, and a waste of the little precious space we had in here.

The flooring we used is a faux wood porcelain tile. Easy on the eyes AND the budget. We get a lot of comments on it.

They make lots of different styles of this type of tile. If it’s a look you love, then check out this post all about faux wood tile including pricing, durability, and what I think are the prettiest selections currently available!

We laid our wood look tile in a chevron pattern. If tile patterns are something you struggle with and want some ideas about, here’s a tile pattern glossary that can help you!

We bought this salvaged door from a local yard sale site and gave it a makeover, including the privacy window film, paint and some vinyl lettering.

And our salvaged suitcase. Now a medicine cabinet, sitting under that gooseneck barn light. Lighting was a BIG part of this renovation since this room has ZERO natural light.

In addition to that barn light, we added a bunch of recessed lights, and then our old school sconces with Edison bulbs over the vanities.

We ran the race, folks. And now, we’ve crossed the finish line….budget intact and all.

It’s time to raise a margarita while we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and having reached the finish line of this bathroom renovation marathon.

Pin these budget-friendly bathroom ideas for later!