Create a New Bathroom for Under $50

Create a New Bathroom for Under $50
by: ARA

(ARA) – What do you consider the most forgotten room in your house? For many people, the answer is the bathroom. It gets a lot of use, but many of us live in houses where the bathrooms are sorely outdated. Yet having an attractive and well-designed one can make your daily routine that much more pleasant.

Remodeling costs are high, and a lot of us don’t have the time or skills to do it ourselves. But you don’t have to tear up your bathroom to improve it. Here are some easy and inexpensive ideas for updating your bathroom from bgh.com, iVillage.com and Environmental Graphics.

* Add some new towels. You don’t have to buy a whole new set. Just buy a set of hand towels or washcloths in a new color that will complement your existing color scheme. You could get a mix of colors or just one shade. Try rolling them up and keeping them in a basket for an attractive decorative accent.

* Add decorative tile appliqués. “Too often people think they are stuck with the same old tired tiles in their bathrooms,” says Sue Kelley of Environmental Graphics, a company that specializes in decorative products for the home. Kelley’s company provides an easy decorating solution, Stick ‘n Stile, for up-dating your old tiles. Stick ‘n Stile is a decorative tile appliqué product for both the kitchen and bath. You can easily create a new tile design or border by applying the appliqué right over the existing tile. Stick ‘n Stile comes in a fun array of shapes and sizes from whimsical butterflies to contemporary geometric squares to popular palm leaves. In addition to tile, the appliqués can be applied to other surfaces such as plastic and mirrors. The adhesive-backed appliqués are simple to apply and can easily be removed with the heat of a hair dryer.

* Frame your mirror. Make a plain mirror more decorative by creating a custom frame. Cut your choice of molding to fit around the mirror and paint it, using neutral colors or a brushed gold or silver. The frame can be attached to the mirror with liquid glue.

* A new paint color. Have fun by choosing a color that complements your existing tiles, but is a bit unexpected. For instance, if you have 1950s green tiles, try pale yellow. Or if you have black or white tiles, highlight them by painting the walls sage green. If you don’t want to go beyond white, update your color with tone-on-tone neutrals like ecru, oyster, almond or biscuit. Then you can add colorful touches with towels, soaps and candles.

* Get a new shower curtain. For under $20 you can find a distinctive shower curtain with interesting shower hooks that will make a big difference in your bathroom. If the room is small, a clear shower curtain or one in the same color as your bathtub will create the illusion of a bigger bathroom.

* Get rid of an outdated medicine cabinet. You can make a dramatic difference in your bathroom by replacing an old cabinet with a simple, wood-framed mirror. Once the mirror is in place, you may want to add a matching, free-standing storage unit or small table.

* Change your hardware. An easy way to alter the look of your room is to update details like drawer pulls, towel bars, shower controls, robe hooks and soap holders. You could even splurge on a new faucet. If you just want to change a few things, mixing metals is perfectly acceptable.

For more information on decorative products for the home, including Stick'n Stile decorative tile appliqués, visit www.sticknstile.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content



About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content




Circulated by Article Emporium

How To Save Money When Shopping for a New Bathroom

How To Save Money When Shopping for a New Bathroom
by: Kabwe Chomba

There are some ways to save money while shopping online for a new bathroom. You can save hundreds by comparing prices from various online stores before deciding to buy.

To make informed choices when buying products for your new bathroom, you need information on the price, quality and the types of products available. You can get this information by shopping around - either directly, or by going to a number of different websites and comparing what is on offer. Look at the prices and then weigh up what you will get for your money before you make up your mind.

1. Use shopping bots
Shopping bots are essentially search engines for gathering prices for products from a variety of vendors. They allow you to quickly search for merchandise across a wide variety of sites. They are an effective way to quickly get a feel for the available deals.

2. Use Discount Sites and Bargain sites
These are general discount sites where you'll find deals on many different products. They get excess merchandise from other retailers and sell the merchandise at bargain prices.

3. Use Coupon sites and Deal Aggregators
These sites provide a wide variety of coupons, promotional codes and discounts across the internet. They lead you to retailers, rather than selling you the merchandise directly.

4. Use Classifieds or Auction sites
With bathroom products, buying straight from the high street will add a considerable sum to the price tag. It’s possible to make vast savings by purchasing your item second-hand. You can buy most merchandise cheaper from auction sites such as EBay.

5. Drop Brand Names
You can easily get cheaper products by opting for lesser-known names in the market. These cheaper items are usually as good as some of the more expensive varieties from the big companies. In some instances, you’ll only be paying for the name because some of the products are manufactured by the same companies.

There are many other ways to save money while shopping online for bathroom products, but shopping around before you buy makes it easier to get the best value on many products and services.

About the author:
Copyright © 2005. Kabwe Chomba writes for Modern Bathrooms website at http://www.modern-bathrooms.co.uk/and he's also a regular contributor to the Ideas for Bathrooms website at: http://www.ideas-for-bathrooms.org.uk/


Circulated by Article Emporium