Keeping within a strict budget of $2,000, this bathroom renovation included wall and floor tiling, VJ panelling, fresh paint and a new toilet, benchtop, tapware and sink.

The project
Very pleased and proud of how this bathroom turned out. It took a couple of weeks to complete, with lots of evening and weekend work on it.
The panels were cut to fit as close as possible to the tile and cornice and I painted them before putting it up to get the edges perfect. As the panelling fitted the space, there were no gaps to fill, except for the pin holes from the fixing gun where I used an interior filler.

I achieved all this for under $2,000. Mind you, I did get an absolute bargain clearance price on the sink and tap. But without the clearance price I’d have still been under $2,500. With such a small budget I calculated every single thing we needed, even down to the tile spacers and any tool or drill bit that we didn’t have.
I purchased everything from Bunnings (of course), made smart choices with materials and used the existing shower base and screen to keep within my strict budget. My trick for getting the look for less was to use basic white tiles to keep things fresh and to use other materials that are cheaper, but give a great result.
Materials
- Classic white 300 x 600 ceramic tile
- Textured white 300 x 600 ceramic tiles
- Crema 600 x 600 floor tile
- Estilo shower head and taps
- Acacia project panel used for benchtop
- Porter's Paint – Yacht Race
Before and after


More inspiration for your bathroom
There is a lot you can do to improve your bathroom without spending huge amounts of money. Check out more ideas for your bathroom renovation in our Top 10 most popular bathroom projects.