Improving bathroom without replacing

[superlambanana]

We have a bathroom that hasn't been replaced for years and was put in by the previous owners. It is hideous in need of updating but we can't afford to replace it. At the moment it has a bright blue cast iron bath and matching bright blue sink, greyish cream with blue bits 70s tiles, and cream(ish) walls. What can I do to update it without spending a fortune? Any ideas?

Well assuming a it a externally painted cast iron bath I would start with reprinting that maybe a grey

The sink could replaced relatively cheaply if you reused the taps and got a friend / family member to fit it I would guess for about £100

I would leave the tiles to be honest untill you can afford to replace them

Change the wall colour could a grey lilac work?

Towels can make a big difference if you can find some in a complimentary colour

If there is enough floor space and if the floor is tiled you could add a nice bath mate maybe a wooden one

Could you add some open shelving maybe floating shelves (ikea do white ones) add some nice bug fluffy towel folded and maybe some candles / candle holders something silver /. Distressed chrome metal would look good

Hth

One more thing

Remember anything you buy now can be used again when you can afford to replace the bathroom so make sure you like things

Thanks. I think the bath is enamelled rather than painted. I'm wondering if I can replace the brown vinyl with end of line floor tiles or something. Might go for white paint but maybe blue accessories to make the bath a less horrible nicer feature...?

bathroom tile paint does work wonders if you do it patiently - i done mine when i moved in here 3 years ago and it still looks okish

Yes end of line tiles are cheaper but don´t forget to budget for tile adheasive (you maybe suprised at the cost)

What about some sort of laminate flooring? Not sure if it would be appropriate though.

Have you thought about something like these? wall art they should be able to adhear to the bath tub (out side wall) and definately to the tiles / wall if you choose carefully you could probably make a real feature from the bathroom there are loads of companies about doing fab designs I have just done something similar with DD bathroom (using a different) company and it look fab

You can still paint the bath - prime with zinser bullseye and paint over. I did mine in a yellow eggshell. Use a gloss roller and it takes about 20 min to do each coat. I'd use tile paint as well - did it in our first house and it was fine and lasted 5 years until we moved. A new floor sounds like it would make a big difference as well. Have a look on freecycle or ebay for sinks. TBH they aren't that expensive - it is the taps! Swapping a sink out isn't too much work - if you can't get family to do it phone a couple of bathroom fitters / builders and just ask how much they'd charge for it.

I always think a bit of tongue and groove can work wonders painted neutrally. If you scrape out the old silicon and redo that too - that could freshen it up.