We get asked about bathroom remodeling tips and ideas all the time. When it comes time to remodel your bathroom, there are so many things to consider, it’s pretty easy to get quickly overwhelmed. There are so many options available and you can’t possibly implement everything you might want to, either due to cost or conflicting interests of all your different ideas. While there will never be a perfect bathroom design for every person’s ideal bathroom, we thought we would offer up some tips today that might help you to streamline the whole process.
9 New Jersey Bathroom Remodeling Tips from the Pros
Pay Attention to Lighting Above All Else
It’s kind of strange that lighting tends to be so bad in most bathrooms. When you think about it, the bathroom is probably the one place in your house where lighting is most important. The bathroom is the place where you get ready for school or work, do your hair, and shave, among many other things. In short, you spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, closely inspecting yourself. You need to have proper lighting in your bathroom to allow you to see everything properly. Avoid the common mistake of just having one light fixture or one light switch for all the lights. Give each area of light its own switch and allow yourself full control over the lighting situation.
Think Big
A small bathroom doesn’t always need to feel like a small bathroom, and you don’t need to knock down walls to make it look bigger. While colored paint might look great in some bathrooms, it will give the bathroom a much smaller feel overall. If you’re trying to make the bathroom feel more spacious without actually making it more spacious, keep your range of colors anywhere from white to cream for optimal results. The Design Build Planners will work with you to choose the perfect color for your NJ bathroom remodeling project.
Use Flooring That’s Appropriate for a Bathroom
Most bathrooms have tile floors as the standard for a reason. Water gets splashed around and the bathroom can be a messy place. Tile is also easier to clean. Some will argue that a wood floor simply looks better, even in the bathroom, and we won’t argue with that fact – wood floors do look great. Just know though, if you plan on using wood flooring for your bathroom remodel in NJ, it will increase your costs significantly and can be harder to care for and maintain. You should also make sure to only use properly stained and sealed wood floors in the bathroom, or you can expect to have to tear it up after just a couple of years.
Consider Adding a Dimmer Switch
This goes double if you have a full bathtub in your bathroom rather than just a standalone shower. A bath can be extremely relaxing but a lot of fun can be taken out of it if the room is too bright or too dark. Instead, using a dimmer switch you can control the level of light while you have a bath, so it’s just right.
Avoid Colored Fixtures and Furniture Whenever Possible
Some of those colorful toilet paper holders or even funky toilets might look nice in the store, but they are the quickest to look out of date after just a couple years of use. Once that happens, all that hard work you put into renovating your bathroom goes out the door, because you couldn’t just go with more normal colored fixtures from the beginning.
Consider More Permanent Fixtures
Unless you are the type who can foresee yourself wanting to remodel your bathroom every couple years or so, you should definitely be looking at permanent fixtures, like soap dishes and toilet paper holders. Not only do these look more elegant, but they are less prone to breaking and having to be replaced over time. Just make sure you choose one that will look good in your bathroom – since it’s permanent, it won’t be all that simple to replace later on if you decide you don’t like it after all.
Mirrors Are For More Than Just Vanity
Sure, the main purpose of a mirror is to look at yourself. But mirrors can also serve an extra, practical function. Well-positioned mirrors can make a room appear to be much larger than it is. This is obviously just an illusion, but it’s a great and fairly cheap way to add some space to your bathroom without having to do any demolition. Coupled with the right colors, you can make a small guest bathroom feel like a master bathroom.
Hang Everything You Can
While shelves are great for organization, they do take up quite a lot of room, and if you’re short on room as it is, consider adding more places to hang items. Adding hooks all over the bathroom can free up a ton of space and are completely non-intrusive when not in use.
Plan For Ventilation
If you don’t have a window in your bathroom, then you are definitely going to want some way to take care of all types of steam and smells. Even if you do have windows, another source of ventilation can be necessary, because who wants to open the window when it’s freezing cold outside? Installing a bathroom fan to suck up the steam and smells can go a long way to managing this, and if you’ve never had one before, you’d be amazed at just how well they work.
NJ Bathroom Makeover Tips – Wrapping It Up
There are probably hundreds more tips out there for remodeling your bathroom and like we said at the beginning, every bathroom is different and has different needs. Whether you’re planning to remodel your bathroom on your own or to use a NJ home improvement contractor, keep these things in mind and they can help you to get the bathroom of your dreams, maximize the space you have and not spend too much. Before you know it, your bathroom might just become your favorite room in the house.
Bathroom Renovation Pros in NJ – Local Areas We Serve
The Design Build Planners have been helping homeowners remodel their bathrooms in style for many years throughout New Jersey, specifically Monmouth County, Ocean County, and the Jersey Shore.
