DIY bathroom decor on a budget…
Are you ready to check out the DIY bathroom reveal? Great! Because es el día de la revelación!
*This post contains some affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE.*
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. The end of this six-week challenge has come, and I think, we’ve done about all we could do. I’m gonna call it a victory.
And before we down a few cervezas…and scarf down a LOT of chips and salsa, if you’re considering your own bathroom remodel any time soon, then let me send you our FREE Ultimate Tiling Guide!
The tiling guide will walk you through all the basic supplies and materials you’ll need for your next tiling project. PLUS I’ll share my favorite sources for tile shopping with you! Click here or on the image below to get started now ⤵…
I’ve been hearing the “Chariots of Fire” theme song in my head the past 24 hours…
It’s been like 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 (since 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 2015. We wanted to spend no more than $2000 on this remodel.
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Final tally and source list for our DIY bathroom:
- Faux Wood Tile + supplies: $120 **This tile is only available online**
- Paint (walls & trim): $75
- Antique fluted glass pendant lights over sinks: $80
- Gooseneck barn light: $38
- Recessed lights: $122
- Ikea sinks/vanities/faucets: $740
- Mirrors: $94
- Molding: $400
- Tub/tile refinishing kits: $50
- Vintage license plates: $40
- Shower curtain: $60
- Pocket door kit + Vintage door $60
- Privacy film: $20
TOTAL: $1839
*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.

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!
And don’t leave here empty-handed! Sign up as a VIP now, and we’ll send you instant access to The Ultimate Tiling Guide! It’s free to join, simply click below now ⤵️& your access will be sent via email immediately!
Like our shower curtain? I designed it online using vintage car advertisement images.

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

Movie screenshot taken from christianfilmdatabase.com
Good look for us? You’re right. Maybe this is better…

Screen Capture from Forrest Gump Travel-Film.com
Pin this post for later! And if you make one, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try this project, too!
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Shelby Pritchard says
What was the brand and color of this tile?
Heather says
Hey Shelby! The tile is linked in the source list in the post above. It’s the first item in the list 🙂 Let me know if you have trouble!