The Cheapest Way to Update a Tired Bathroom (Under £500)

Full refits cost £5,000+. But what if the bathroom works fine and just looks… sad? Here’s the cheapest way to update a tired bathroom — a proper transformation for under £500, mostly in a weekend.

1. Paint the tiles (£40–£80)

The single highest-impact cheap fix. Specialist tile paint (Ronseal, Dulux Tile Paint) goes straight over ceramic tiles — no primer needed on most. Two coats transform avocado 1970s tiles into crisp white or soft grey. Prep matters: sugar-soap the tiles, lightly sand glossy surfaces, and mask carefully. It won’t fool anyone up close, but from the doorway? Remarkable.

2. Re-grout (£15–£30)

Discoloured grout makes the whole bathroom look dirty. A grout pen (£8–£12) refreshes white grout in an hour. For a proper job, rake out and re-grout the tiles yourself — £15 in materials, half a day, transformative results.

3. Update the silicone (£10–£15)

Manky black silicone around the bath and basin screams neglect. Cut it out with a Stanley knife, clean with mould remover, and reapply fresh white silicone (£6 a tube). An hour’s work; looks brand new.

4. Paint the walls (£25–£40)

Bathrooms need mould-resistant bathroom paint — see our guide to the best paint for damp bathrooms. A fresh coat in a light, modern colour (soft white, pale grey, sage) lifts the whole room. One weekend morning, done.

5. Swap the accessories (£50–£100)

New taps (£30–£60 a pair online), a modern toilet seat (£15–£25 — soft-close feels luxurious), matching towel rail/radiator valve covers, a new shower head (£20–£40 — a rainfall head on the existing arm is a 5-minute upgrade). These small swaps read as “new bathroom” to the eye.

6. The mirror and lighting (£40–£100)

A large mirror (£30–£60 from IKEA or Dunelm) doubles the sense of space. If you have a harsh single ceiling light, a backlit mirror (£50–£90) adds flattering light — most are plug-in or battery, no electrician needed. (Anything wired into the mains in a bathroom needs a qualified electrician — Part P rules.)

7. Floor: vinyl over the old (£30–£80)

Peel-and-stick luxury vinyl tiles go straight over sound existing flooring — no need to rip up the old lino. £30–£80 covers a small bathroom, and modern vinyl looks convincingly like stone or wood. A Saturday afternoon job.

8. Finishing touches (£20–£40)

• Matching towels in white or a single accent colour — instantly hotel-like
• A plant that likes humidity (ferns, spider plants) — £5–£10
• A new shower curtain (£10–£15) if you have one — or better, a glass screen (£80–£120) if budget stretches
• Decant toiletries into matching dispensers (£10 for a set) — removes visual clutter

The weekend plan

• Saturday AM: strip silicone, sugar-soap tiles, sand and mask
• Saturday PM: tile paint coat 1, grout pen, wall paint coat 1
• Sunday AM: tile paint coat 2, wall paint coat 2, re-silicone
• Sunday PM: fit accessories, lay vinyl, hang mirror, style it

What NOT to cheap out on

• Ventilation: if the extractor fan is dead, replace it (£30–£60 DIY for like-for-like) — otherwise your fresh paint will mould within months.
• Leaks: no cosmetic update survives an active leak. Fix plumbing first.
• Mould: treat properly (see getting rid of mould permanently) before painting over it.

The bottom line

Tile paint + re-grout + fresh silicone + bathroom paint + new accessories = a bathroom that looks years newer for £300–£500 and one weekend’s work. It won’t fix a fundamentally broken bathroom — for that, see full refit costs — but for a tired-but-sound bathroom, this is the best value in home improvement. Estate agents do exactly this before listing; you can do it for yourself.

The £100 version: what if the budget is really tight?

Sometimes £500 isn’t available. Here’s the £100 emergency refresh that still makes a visible difference: grout pen (£8) on the worst grout lines, fresh silicone (£6) around the bath, a new toilet seat (£15), mould remover (£5) on any black spots, a new shower curtain (£10), matching towels (£20 for a set from Asda/IKEA), and a plant (£8). Total: under £75, one Saturday morning.

It won’t fix avocado tiles or a 1980s suite, but it removes the signals of neglect — and neglect is what makes bathrooms feel grim, more than age. Clean grout, fresh silicone and matching towels read as “cared for” even in a dated bathroom. Estate agents call this “presentation” and it’s half the battle. If you can stretch to £150, add a large mirror (£30–£50) — the single biggest space-multiplier in a small bathroom.

Budget bathroom FAQs

Does tile paint actually last? 2–5 years typically with proper prep — less in the direct splash zone of a shower (use it on walls, not inside shower cubicles). It’s a medium-term refresh, not a permanent finish. For shower areas, re-grouting or a shower panel (£100–£200) is more durable.

Can I paint a bath? Yes — bath re-enamelling kits (£30–£50) exist, but they’re fiddly and the finish lasts 2–4 years. Professional re-enamelling (£250–£400) lasts 7–10 years and looks genuinely new. For a stained-but-sound bath, pro re-enamelling beats replacement on cost and hassle.

What’s the cheapest new suite? Budget bathroom suites (bath + WC + basin) start around £250–£400 from Victoria Plumb, Drench or Plumbworld. They’re basic but functional — fine for rentals or tight budgets. Fitting adds £800–£1,500 in labour, which is why the cosmetic refresh usually wins on value.

Should I replace the extractor fan? Yes, if it’s dead or feeble — it’s the highest-priority “invisible” fix. A new inline or axial fan costs £25–£60 (like-for-like DIY swap) and prevents the mould that will destroy your fresh paint within months. No cosmetic update survives without ventilation.

How do I make a small bathroom feel bigger on a budget? Large mirror (£30–£50), light colours (white/pale grey paint), clear the clutter (decant into matching dispensers, hide everything else), good lighting (a daylight-bulb ceiling light, £10), and a glass shower screen instead of a curtain if budget allows. Visual space is mostly about light, reflection and tidiness — all cheap.

Related reading

For the full job, see bathroom refit costs — and Which?’s bathroom planning guides for layout ideas.