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Aug 22, 2023

I transformed my embarrassing bathroom with a £20 tin of paint

IF you're embarrassed by your old or uncool bathroom, you're not alone. For eight long years, mum-of-two Sarah Jones was stuck with an outdated and totally tatty bathroom - and had no money to do

IF you're embarrassed by your old or uncool bathroom, you're not alone.

For eight long years, mum-of-two Sarah Jones was stuck with an outdated and totally tatty bathroom - and had no money to do anything about it.

She was so embarrassed when guests asked to use the loo and when a water leak caused even more chaos, there was only one thing for it.

Brave Sarah put her DIY skills to the test and gave her whole bathroom a glow up on a shoestring budget.

Here, she tells Fabulous how she transformed her loo from tired and tacky to stunning and chic with a lick of paint and some fake posh flooring...

“We moved into our house eight years ago and transformed all of the dated decor, but the pricey bathroom was an afterthought. When guests came over for dinner I’d pray they didn’t need the loo.

The bathroom was the tackiest room in the house. The floor was covered in decades-old carpet and my countless shampoo bottles teetered like acrobats on two tiny shelves. The disco-ball tiles hurt my eyes and my kids’ garish plastic toys were a trip hazard to anyone who dared to enter.

For eight years I felt ashamed of the space and found myself apologising for its awful appearance. There was no way we could afford to give it a makeover.

Then, at Christmas last year, we found a leak. Water had made its way through the broken bath sealant and the wood below was rotting away.

I thought we’d be stuck with this disaster forever, until I found TikTok. I scrolled through hundreds of cheap hacks and thought ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’.

My first job was the tiny tiles plastered on every wall. They had to go but there’s no way I could remove them.

I used sugar soap to scrape off years of grime, then used £20 Frenchic alfresco paint to cover the garish colours - I literally felt my embarrassment melt away.

Then I went to TK Maxx and spent a fiver on some wicker baskets to store all of our shampoos and shower gels.

The chaotic shelves suddenly looked so chic and you’d never know we had a hundred bright yellow ducks - they’re all neatly tucked away until bath time. There was even room for a few fake plants to trail off each shelf.

I ripped out the tacky plastic bath panel, replaced it with two £14 packs of tongue and groove slats and used some dark wood stain to make it classy.

Finally, I swapped the gross carpet for vinyl flooring that looks just like posh parquet wood. It was our biggest expense, at about £300, but the real deal would’ve cost us thousands.

The transformation took around four days to complete and cost about £500.

I’m no longer mortified by my manky bathroom. Now I usher visitors into the loo to show off how fabulous it looks.

I could’ve spent thousands, but I’m so proud I did it myself.”

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