Woman upgrades toilet for just £100 and here's how
- Kim Mills got a totally new toilet room and she spent just £100 on the project
- WC was dull and boring and now has a snazzy silver look
- Kim provides DIY tips to get the look
When one woman was fed up with the look of her dull bathroom, she set to work transforming it on a serious budget.
Kim Mills, 51, a mum of three and grandmother of three, moved into her house a year ago and was excited to start decorating.
But Kim, who lives in Ramsgate and works for a transport company, didn’t know where to start when it came to her “ugly” bathroom.
Kim told money saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I moved in to this house a year ago, and it was afresh start for me and my youngest. I couldn’t wait to get stuck into the decorating. I love DIY and find it relaxing - I’ve always been quite creative like my dad was but unfortunately I didn’t inherit all his skills. He was a brilliant artist and wood carver, and I so wish I could draw!
"The toilet was crying out for an upgrade. I didn’t want to get rid of the actual loo because, apart from it being ugly, there was nothing wrong with it.”
Kim says she found inspiration for transforming it thanks to DIY groups on Facebook.
"My dad always taught me to think outside the box and to problem solve and it was quite simple once I got started,” Kim adds. "I had to bring in lots of light as the room is so tiny so I wanted to go with silver, white, glitter, mirrors and so on, as the mirror reflects light from the window opposite which also highlights the glitter in the paint.
"I knew what I wanted to do and got to work! I wanted to reduce the look of the high walls on such a narrow room which is why I effectively chose to “halve” the height with a dado rail.
"I bought what I needed mainly from The Range, B&Q, B&M, IKEA mail order and Home Bargains and it cost approximately £100 to do.”
Kim estimates the whole project took her around 10 hours to do, not including waiting for glue and paint to set and dry.
"I started off by removing the old shelves, loo roll holder and so on, and filling in the holes with Polyfilla," Kim explains. "I then got my drill out and reused the supports from the old shelves as struts for the boxing in.
"I then got my hardboard (£6 from B&Q), cut it into sections and screwed that into the battens. I used two separate pieces for the bottom length so that I didn’t have to cut shapes out and then screwed the other two pieces to the battening having cut out a square with a Stanley blade for the toilet handle.
"I bought a new handle from Screwfix for £8 as I needed one which sat proud from the actual cistern as the last one sat flush, which would’ve made boxing in impossible. I then cut a section of hardboard to sit on top of the supports above the cistern.
"I slapped some leftover white emulsion on the top half of the room that had been previously diluted with water from where I’d used it in the old house to paint new plaster with - there was only a quarter of a tin left.
"I did one coat, then for the second coat I tipped in a load of glitter from Poundland (the craft section as opposed to the DIY section as you get much more for your pound) and did a second coat. I then got the dado rail (£10 from a local wood yard): this was actually a picture rail but I preferred the design and cut it to length.
"I stupidly forgot about angling the ends so I resolved that by filling the gaps in the internal corners with Polyfilla! I painted it with primer and then white gloss that I already had after sticking it on with no nails, helped by my handy hair clips!
"I then did the wallpapering (tile effect silver paper from The Range for £20; I just needed one roll). The paper is quite heavy and I cut round the shapes of the pipes behind the toilet and taped it together from behind.
"As it’s heavy, it hung quite flat even though it wasn’t attached to any hardboard in some places. I attached a length of 70mm plastic trim (free from a local window fitting company) to the back wall to act as a bit of skirting board.
"I then ripped up the old lino and used a packet of vinyl self-adhesive planks from B&M for £7 to put on the floor - I didn’t have quite enough but fortunately I had two extra planks from a previous DIY job I’d done indoors.
"I’d read a tip on a DIY Facebook page that if you unscrew the toilet base you can shift it up with your shoulder just enough to get the vinyl to slip underneath thus avoiding the need to shape it round the base, I then screwed the toilet back down for a snug fit! "I then added the accessories such as the toilet roll holder and set about putting up the floating shelves (£11 each at B&Q) and the mirror (£15 at The Range).
"I had to redo the holes for these a couple of times as I quite often don’t get things quite right the first time, but I hid most of the wrong holes I’d drilled behind the shelves and mirror when they were repositioned. Polyfilla hid the rest!
"I added the plants (Poundland and Ikea mail order, £1 and £6 respectively) and did the light switch with individual mosaic tiles and superglue (well, Primark nail glue, actually!). I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out."
Kim is delighted with the finished look of her new bathroom. "It’s so fresh, light and clean and made such a difference,” she says. "I’d put similar wallpaper up on one wall of the bathroom in shades of blue and white when I moved in as I loved the tile effect and that theme was perfect for the bottom half of this little room. I need to do the rest of the house now!
"My tips would be: remember nothing is impossible and go for the look you love!” Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, says: “Bathroom renovations can cost thousands of pounds, but Kim's budget refurbishment shows that you really can pull it off for less. I love the creativity Kim used in her renovation, with unusual materials including Primark nail glue and hair clips. Head to budget brands such as Poundland, B&M and Ikea like Kim did to find great materials that won’t cost an arm and a leg to recreate this bargain look in your own home.”
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