A dark and dated half-bathroom gets a DIY powder room makeover on a budget with board-and-batten, a beadboard ceiling, and a custom vanity.

Ready to give your powder room a stunning DIY makeover without breaking the bank? Join me as I walk you through my DIY transformation journey, where I revamped my powder room with a budget of just $1000. From installing board-and-batten to creating a custom vanity, I’ll share all the tips and tricks to help you refresh your space. Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or a home decor lover, this post is packed with inspiration and practical advice to fuel your next project!

The powder room holds a unique place in your home, serving as a space that almost every guest will visit. It’s a small space but a perfect opportunity to showcase your personal taste and creativity. Whether you go for bold wallpaper, unique fixtures, or elegant accessories, the powder room is like a canvas for interior design, where even small details can have a big impact on your guests’ experience.

Powder Room Before

Unfortunately, our powder room didn’t offer the warm welcome we wanted for our guests. Before the makeover, it faced several issues: the terra cotta floor tiles were cracked, and the vanity showed signs of rot from a previous leak. With the baseboard heater gone, the trim was due for replacement. The bold paint color and dated light fixture, along with the previously removed gold/chrome hardware, didn’t align with our desired aesthetic. Here’s a before photo to illustrate the starting point of our transformation journey.

As you can see, the room had a long way to go. Unfortunately, we also didn’t have a big budget. It was time to get creative.

To save on costs, we included many DIY projects in this room: a DIY bathroom vanity, a custom beadboard ceiling, a board-and-batten wall treatment, and I did all the tile work and painting myself! (Looking for tips on how to mix-and-match tile? Check out this post!)

DIY Powder Room Makeover with Board-and-Batten, a Beadboard Ceiling, and a Custom Vanity

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I conquered the tile saw, and I am now a little obsessed. I’m looking for more things to tile…

We replaced the tile floor, added a board and batten treatment (painted BM Simply White with the paint sprayer), with a tile border.

I gave the walls a fresh coat of paint in Benjamin Moore’s Wickham Gray, which I love. Depending on the light it can be gray, blue, or green. It’s a mood ring color!

This beautiful piece of art provided inspiration for the color palette of the entire powder room makeover. My grandfather painted it of the beach in Ogunquit, Maine where he and my Gramma used to bring us when we were little. I absolutely love Ogunquit, and our beach trips were such special memories. I love the soft colors of this painting, so I tried to carry them out through the room. I have many of my grandfather’s paintings throughout our home.

DIY Bathroom Vanity — PB Newport Console Knock-Off

We built a knock-off of the Pottery Barn Newport Console and recycled the existing granite countertop. I found the basket at Homegoods to add texture to the space (and to provide some hidden storage for extra toilet paper!). They have discontinued the Newport Console in the years since we completed this project, but here is a similar source!

Another view of the vanity. I learned the challenges of photographing a tiny room during this project. The room measures 5’x7′. You can read about the building of the vanity here!

This crown molding ledge was the one from our breakfast nook that was displaced by our DIY crown molding shelves. I love it here! I used items I had on hand to decorate it, but I am on the hunt for some colorful antique bottles.

DIY Beadboard Ceiling

This is our beadboard ceiling treatment. This room had the same seashell plaster textured ceiling that the rest of the house has. I’ve mentioned before that it absorbs a lot of light and never looks quite clean. This beadboard ceiling solved this issue in this room, and we love how reflective it is!

We aren’t sure that we will do beadboard on every ceiling, although I think it worked well for this powder room makeover. You can read a how-to on how we made this ceiling here!

Powder Room Decor

It was a lucky happenstance that the forsythia in our yard bloomed just as I needed fresh flowers for these photos. I think it looks perfect in this room! This was exactly what I imagined, and I love seeing it pulled together.

Who would have thought that my new favorite room would be this tiny bathroom in our home? Of course, I have a new favorite every time we complete a project.

Here’s a peek of the half bath from a few years later, where I updated the space with a new faucet, soap dispenser, mirror and black accents like the toilet paper holder. I also added green tones throughout the room instead of yellow.

I hope this powder room makeover ideas inspired you to embark on your own home transformation. Remember, even small spaces with a small budget like this powder room can make a big impact with some creativity.

If you’ve enjoyed this post and want more DIY tips, home decor ideas, or just some inspiration, don’t forget to follow us @ninahendrickwrites for daily updates and share your own projects using #NinaHendrickHome. I can’t wait to see how you bring your unique vision to life in your home!