DIY Small Bathroom Remodel

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I renovated my outdated lakehouse bathroom into a relaxing space that has a vintage modern style. This space went all the way down to the studs and needed so much work! I did this diy small bathroom remodel in about three months working almost entirely alone starting from demo to the finish caulking on the tub.

Bathroom Demolition

To start I removed window trim, old fixtures, and drywall. I originally planned to save the tile, but my plans changed when I took out the vanity area. I found severe water damage in the drywall and tile so it needed replacing. When the bathroom was down to the studs I called in my plumber and electrician. The plumber rerouted the sink drain and water lines to the wall, installed a bath fan vented through the roof, and put rough-ins for the bath to become a shower/bath combo. The electrician wired in my new bath fan and installed GFI outlets for me.

DIY Small Bathroom Remodel

With the bones of the bathroom done it was time to build from the ground up! Before hanging drywall, I screwed pieces of 2 x 4s into the framing to act as a shelf for the top sheet of drywall to sit on. I’m so proud I did all of the drywall myself. I kept the bathroom’s toilet and bathtub since they were in good shape and drywalled around them.

To build a custom niche next to the vanity, I made a box out of scrap plywood and screwed a 2 x 6 support into my framing. I drywalled around it and cut a piece out so it fits perfectly. Then came taping, mudding, and sanding the seams. Finally, after a week of hard work, it was time to prime and paint! But before I could finish the interior I needed to replace the window. 

Small Bathroom Window Replacement

The original window for the lakehouse bathroom was wooden, too low down, and old. The new window I ordered worked with the existing framing width and was raised higher so the neighbors wouldn’t get a show! The window took six weeks to come in which is why I completed three walls of drywall first. I have never replaced a window before but after removing the doorway from the kitchen last year I figured, how hard can it be? Luckily to patch up the outside I still had some leftover cedar wood siding from that previous project.

I sealed up the inside and was overjoyed with my accomplishment. I never thought I could resize a window and I hope that inspires you to tackle DIY projects you think are impossible. 

DIY Small Bathroom Flooring

Moving on to the floor in my diy small bathroom remodel, I filled holes and imperfections in the floor with BONDO and screwed the subfloor into the joists to eliminate squeaks. After a thorough cleaning, two coats of primer were applied as well as a continuous bead of silicone around all the edges as extra insurance. I mixed up my self-leveling concrete, spread it around, and let it dry for twenty-four hours.

The floor turned out amazing and was stable and level enough for me to lay my flooring! I chose a luxury vinyl tile that luckily was easy to install. I scribed the tile to go right up to the curved tub and left an expansion gap on the other three sides. Some cuts were very tricky but in the end, the floor turned out amazing!

Beadboard Wall Treatment

I applied my first waterproofing membrane to the shower drywall and a little beyond where splash-ups might happen to get in and out of the shower. I applied 3 coats of this until a thick layer was built up. Then I began cutting my materials for the wall treatment. The panels I chose looked like old-fashioned bead boards but were only 1/8” thick. I leveled them and nailed them to the wall paying attention to where the seam met between panels to continue the pattern. I sunk the screw heads so I could cover them with wood filler and make them disappear. After an hour of applying wood filler and caulk to all the seams, I could paint! The beautiful color I chose was pigeon gray by Dunn-Edwards DURA.

To seal everything, I used my fast-drying caulk on the baseboard seams and painted them. With the wall treatment done, I focused on the trim and installed my own little custom-built niche shelf. I also reinstalled the original toilet.

Bathroom Vanity Upcycle

I can’t believe I picked up this old vanity secondhand for only $40! This vanity had so much potential with a cultured marble top and a pretty faucet.

I glued and nailed a piece of plywood to the unfinished side that would have been exposed in my bathroom layout. I used wood filler, sanded, primed then painted the whole piece with two coats of the color Shutters by Dunn-Edwards DURA. Once set in place, I decided the vanity was too low so I added in wood legs and stained them to match the home’s trim work. I maneuvered the vanity into place and added a toilet paper holder as well as large handles on the doors.

DIY Bathroom Shower Tiling

The last thing I did in my diy small bathroom remodel was tile the shower. To create my second waterproof membrane, I applied a Musselbound tile adhesive mat in a shower area. I had never tiled before and was meticulous planning out my start and stops everything looked even. I was extremely proud of how it turned out! This tile has a beautiful pearlescent glow and was extremely affordable.

It’s incredible how far this space has come! The three months of hard work it took for me to get this bathroom renovation all brand new was so worth it!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my DIY small bathroom remodel! If you want updates on my most recent remodels, click to subscribe to my Youtube channel. If you love this bathroom remodel and want to see more, check out the final reveal of the bathroom in my house!