Add value to your Home with
Three Inexpensive Bathroom Renovations
An easy, inexpensive way to make your home more attractive, whether one is contemplating selling or if you just want to improve the appearance of your home, is to refurbish the bathroom. Painting the walls, replacing the old sink and faucets will enhance the appearance of the bathroom dramatically.
Painting Walls
1. Examine the bathroom walls for holes, dents and cracks. Fill these imperfections with spackling compound and let dry. Sand these areas with 220-grit sandpaper with a sanding block.
2. Lay out drop cloths (plastic, old sheets) along the wall on the floor, cover toilet, countertop, tub and sink. Mask off, using blue painter's mask tape, the ceiling (2-3 inches), window/door/baseboard trim, tile and fixtures.
3. Using high-quality latex primer and paintbrush, spot prime areas repaired in step two and let dry.
TIP: Before using the paintbrush, dip it in clean water and brush out excess water, this lets the brush absorb the primer evenly, do this with the primer/paint roller also, by spraying clean water with a plant sprayer and wring out excess water.
4. Wash down walls with mild detergent and water using a washcloth/sponge, wipe dry.
5. Using primed brush, paint close (cutting) into corners, around trim, tile, a few inches down from the ceiling, around fixtures and areas difficult to reach with a roller.
6. Using primed roller, with primer in paint tray, dip roller in primer and repeatedly roll and lift on the grid of the paint tray to evenly coat the roller.
7. Starting in wall corner, work in one direction (e.g. left to right) and apply primer in 3-foot sections halfway down the wall. Roll the primer making a /\/\ design in the section, then roll up and down, with slightly diagonal strokes to cover that section, this prevents lines and create an even primer coat.
TIP: An extension handle attached to the paint roller helps give you more leverage; more reach and helps one get a better view of primer coverage.
8. Next, prime lower half section, repeat process this process until all walls are primed.
9. Repeat steps 5 - 6, with a high-quality latex paint.
10. Remove masking tape, pick-up drop cloths and clean tools.
Replacing Sink
1. Purchase a new sink, similar in size as the one to be replaced.
2. Turn off valves that supply hot/cold water.
3. Place a container under the drainpipe; to catch water, disconnect the water trap (U-shaped pipe) from the pipe leading down from sink (drain body).
4. Disconnect the hot/cold water supply lines from faucet value (knob) tailpieces, using an adjustable wrench, have a container ready to catch water.
5. Loosen/remove clips that secure sink to the countertop. Take a utility knife and slice through the caulking that holds the sink to countertop. Remove the sink and scrap off any remaining dried caulk.
6. Remove faucet from old sink and install in new sink. Use a ¼ inch of bead plumber's putty to seal the faucet to the sink.
7. Place the sink in countertop and center sink by sight or measuring. Lightly pencil trace around the sink edge, remove sink.
8. Using a caulk gun, draw a ¼ inch bead of silicone caulk inside traced line on countertop, install sink, center and press down firmly and when dry, cut excess silicone with a plastic putty knife.
9. Install/tighten clips that hold sink to countertop.
10. Wrap two passes of teflon tape around the faucet tailpieces and reconnect hot/cold water supply lines to their respective hot/cold valve tailpieces.
11. Remove drain body pipe off old sink and install in new sink, tighten with an adjustable wrench. Reattach the water trap to the drain body. Turn on water and check for leaks.
Install a New Faucet
1. Turn off hot/cold water valves.
2. Place a bucket under faucet; disconnect the hot/cold water supply lines from the old faucet using an adjustable wrench.
3. Remove hold-down nuts that secure the faucet to the sink.
4. Take out old faucet, clean old putty off sink where faucet was set, place a bead of plumber's putty around the base of the new faucet, set in place, hand tighten hold-down nuts.
5. Wrap the threaded valve tailpieces with two passes of teflon tape and reconnect the hot and cold water supply lines to their respective valve tailpieces.
6. Install knobs on the hot/cold water valves, turn to off position. Open the hot/cold water supply valves.
7. Turn on hot/cold knobs and let water run while checking for leaks.
These bathroom renovations are inexpensive and can easily be accomplished in one weekend. You will then have an aesthetically pleasing bathroom that will add beauty and value to your home.
Another 3 inexpensive bathroom renovations that are easy to do and add value to your home. Replace an old sink with a new pedestal sink, install in a pop-up drain and install a new medicine cabinet.