DIY: refreshing the toilet cheaply, effectively, and stylishly

Our grandfather's apartment hasn't seen renovation for about 20 years. And when there's no time for major work, but you want to refresh the space quickly and not spend a fortune – Pinterest comes to the rescue. The ideas that inspired us are brought to life with maximum pragmatism.

So, we decided to use self-adhesive panels for the walls and floor, paint the ceiling and part of the wall with water-based paint, make small shelves, and add a few bright accents.

First, we stripped the old wallpaper, removed the homemade wardrobe, and unscrewed the panels to access the sewage pipes.

Since there were remnants of glue and previous paint on the walls, we decided to sand them down with sandpaper with an abrasive grain of P80…P120. After that, we treated the surfaces where we would stick the 3D panels with a brick pattern with primer (the consumption was about one liter).

White color is always in trend. So, we chose it to visually add brightness to the bathroom. We decided to use water-based paint for its ease of application, eco-friendliness, and quick drying. You can buy water-based paint for a reasonable price XLINKSTARTX1X in the online store Vista. We needed two kilograms to cover the walls and ceiling in three layers to a perfectly white color. We applied the paint with a roller and used a brush for the corners and hard-to-reach places.

This was a revelation for us this year. The panels measuring 40 by 40 cm, with a very strong adhesive base – are a brilliant thing. You can buy them at a local Epicenter, but we ordered them from the Chinese marketplace Temu. This is also a way to save money (and buy decent water-based paint, not all that unclear stuff))). The panels stick quickly; the main thing is to occasionally check with a square, ruler, and level to ensure they aren't too crooked.

Here we took a similar approach and ordered a marble floor tile imitation from the Chinese suppliers. But soft, something like linoleum. It's an interesting and budget-friendly solution. The main thing before sticking is to wash the old covering very well. We even degreased the old tiles just in case.

After making a custom cabinet, we had 3 defective MDF boards left, from which we decided to make shelves. A handful of screws, 6 corner brackets – and the shelves are ready. We attach the wide one at chest level for quick access to everything necessary, and two small ones asymmetrically at different levels. We use them for decoration.

Aromatic air freshener in the form of a bottle with rattan sticks and a pot with an artificial plant – these are the little things that set visual accents in our express renovation. We also bought a new white trash can and a black toilet brush. We played with contrasts, so to speak.

The financial expenses for such a cheap and cheerful renovation amounted to 2200 UAH. This includes the cost of self-adhesive panels for the walls and floor, primer and water-based paint for the walls and ceiling, a handful of screws, brackets for the shelves, air freshener, artificial plant, trash can, and brush. The shelves were leftover from making the custom cabinet. Therefore, if using different materials, one could budget around 300-400 UAH.

The time spent amounted to five evenings, as we worked after work for about three to four hours. The result – a visually decent refresh of the bathroom's appearance, and satisfied grandparents.