So you want to add a basement bathroom? Or your existing one is in need of a serious upgrade? Here are a few tips to DIY an average or mediocre bathroom into awesome basement toilet, dream powder room, or master bath extraordinaire!
- Hang up some wallpaper
Wallpaper isn’t just for your grandmother’s living room anymore. Now, you can cover your wall with a tropical reef, vintage newspaper, abstract modern art, or even whimsical dogs. And if installing sheets of wallpaper sounds too intimidating, opt for wallpaper tiles instead. Besides being practically foolproof, they can easily be removed to try out another design. - Use an upcycled vanity
Have an old dresser you’ve been meaning to sell? Seen any buffet or side tables at a garage sale recently? With a little TLC, almost anything– desks, barrels, even bicycles– can be turned into a bathroom vanity. The more unusual, the more interesting it usually turns out! - Install an upflush toilet
If there’s no existing plumbing underground, adding it in takes a lot of time and money. Unlike traditional toilets, upflush toilets use a macerator and discharge pipe system and can be easily moved. You can hire a contractor, wait six months, tear apart your basement, and pay a small fortune, or you can buy a Saniflo upflush toilet and have it installed in a few hours. It’s your choice. - Opt for glamorous lighting
Just because it’s in the basement or has no natural light, it doesn’t mean your bathroom needs to be dimly lit by a decades-old light fixture. Provide multiple sources of light, to go from dark to dazzling. Take it up another notch and go luxe with crystal fixtures or even a chandelier. And if you’re feeling especially glamorous, try making this DIY Hollywood-style lighted vanity mirror. - Hang a sunburst mirror
Don’t be square; break away from straight lines and make a sunburst mirror to hang above your vanity. Wood shims, kabobs, and even painted plastic spoons are all fair game. Start with a round mirror, then depending on the weight of your materials, use spray adhesive, tacky glue, or a hot glue gun to adhere the sunbursts in place. Vary lengths, keep it uniform, or create a pattern; there’s no wrong answer. - Bring the outdoors in
You may not be able to look out the window, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little taste of nature in your basement bathroom. Add a houseplant that thrives in the shade, or fill a glass jar with seashells and sand. Can’t spare the counter space? Try a DIY pebble or moss mat for a mini foot massage underfoot.
Now do yourself a favor and get started on that bathroom. Soon it will be the best room in the house!
