Bathroom renovations are a key part of many New Yorkers’ home improvement plans, whether they’re trying to upgrade their spaces for resale value or they feel like they’ll stick themselves in the eye if they have to look at that rundown section of vinyl countertop for even one more day. Bathrooms in NYC homes are generally small enough that even the smallest changes can make a huge impact. Full bathroom renovations generally require contractors, building approvals, and costly upgrades. If you’re looking for changes that you can make today that will be done tonight or at worst in a day or two, check out below.

Replace the Countertops

Even if your bathroom has no more than a single square foot of countertop space, that tiny square has a huge impact on what the room looks and feels like. If it’s cheap, rundown, and ugly, the whole bathroom will feel cheap, rundown, and ugly, no matter how much you scrub and clean it. Replacing a bathroom countertop is a job that usually doesn’t take more than an afternoon and will instantly alter the look of the space. Looking for a gorgeous rustic material that can work in both modern and traditional spaces? Butcher block to the rescue. You want a sleek material that brings a special glow to your bath without overwhelming it? Stainless steel, copper, or other metals fit the bill. If you’ve got a miniscule bath, the countertop can be swapped out in an afternoon. If you’ve got a larger space, it may take two days, but it’ll be worth it.

Put In (or Replace) a Backsplash

If you think a new countertop will make you do a double-take every time you pop in to use the loo, installing a backsplash will make you feel like you’ve been transported to planet fabulous. Adding a beautiful backsplash to a bathroom is like topping off a Diane Von Furstenberg black jumpsuit with a Louis Vuitton Vernis Alma in Indian rose: fabulous. A backsplash dresses the area around key bath components, including the faucet fixtures and tubs. With a backsplash, you can go big or you can focus on a tiny section of wall. You can use a strip of dramatic backsplash material like Moroccan tile to make a plain bath sing. Back-painted glass is a great way to bring glossy color to the room in a non-over-the-top way. Back-painted glass options run from neutrals like cool grey and soft white to more vivid colors like apple green or tangerine. If you’re in a rental, Home Depot sells those stick-up faux tin backsplash and other types of stick-up tiles that can provide an awesome temporary upgrade really applied properly.

Change the Floor

Two words: floating floor. I’ve mentioned them before, but they’re so awesome they’re worth mentioning again and again and again. A dingy, sad-looking, kind of icky floor is a real mood-buster; it’s like a giant pimple breaking up the breathtaking lines of an otherwise beautiful face. It’s distracting — and disgusting! If you’ve only got a day or so, but you can’t imagine living with your dingy bathroom floor one more day, get a floating floor. Available in materials like engineered wood, cork, and gorgeous vinyl, a floating floor is installed by floating it directly on top of your existing floor. Many of the materials are water-resistant, important for a bathroom. If you’ve got an afternoon and a box cutter, you can complete a full installation by dinner time. The best thing is, your floor will be ready to walk on right away. This article from This Old House shows you exactly how to do it.

Image Source: Flickr/osseous

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