12 Easy Ways To Refresh Your Bathroom Without Removing Your Dated Cabinets

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If your bathroom has one of the outdated cabinet trends that HGTV stars are ready to put to bed, you are likely itching to replace them soon. Unfortunately, tearing out your dated cabinets or doing a full bathroom remodel can be very expensive. Latest estimates set the price at around $26,000 for a mid-range remodel, which doesn't even give you top-of-the-line results. For many, this is way too expensive — but luckily, there is a solution that doesn't cost nearly as much. You can still refresh your bathroom without removing your dated cabinets.

Instead, there are plenty of ways to give the space an entirely new look while keeping the cabinetry intact. These options range from quick and easy DIYs (like just swapping the hardware) to more involved projects that might require a contractor, like swapping out the entire countertop for a new slab. Whatever your preferences or budget, these projects can increase the longevity of your cabinets, boost your home's functionality, and modernize the bathroom's overall look.

One of the easiest ways to refresh your bathroom without removing those dated cabinets is simply to repaint them. A bold, fresh color can breathe new life into the space. If you are feeling stuck for inspiration on what color to choose, check out every Pantone Color of the Year for the last decade for a few ideas — although be careful not to go too trendy, or you might find yourself repainting them more often than you would like. That said, painting cabinets is a simple enough DIY that most folks can complete it over a weekend.

In fact, to make things simpler, you can even achieve a good paint job on cabinets without sanding them. Once you've cleaned and prepped the wood, you can use a deglosser or liquid sandpaper like Krud Kutter GO326 Gloss Off Prepaint Surface Preparation Cleaner for the best results. Other helpful tips and tricks for painting solid wood cabinets include taking the doors off and laying them flat, typically across two sawhorses, to avoid drips running down the front and ruining your DIY paint job.

If you like the wooden look of your cabinets and don't want to paint them, you can simply swap their current stain for one that's more in style. Wood staining is an easy DIY project, just like painting. However, there are a few things to consider before staining wood cabinets to avoid any regrets. For example, will your stained cabinets still match your bathroom's hardware? Or will staining them automatically mean you need to update your faucet, drawer pulls, and light switch covers? Be sure all these swaps are in your budget before you begin work if you think that might be the case.

Wood stains come in plenty of tones, like carbon gray, honey maple, and traditional pecan. You can even grab them in classic colors, like Varathane Premium Dark Walnut Fast Dry Wood Stain. After you've restained your cabinets, you'll want to keep them nice and shiny, too. You can try something like Weiman Cabinet & Wood Clean & Shine Spray to help keep the color looking fresher for longer, as it helps repel dust.

The hardware in your bathroom includes things like drawer pulls, light switch covers, and even towel racks. Swapping it out is a quick and easy way to refresh the overall vibe of your bathroom. When deciding on what to choose, you can also select something from the current zeitgeist, like the trendy bathroom hardware that's having a massive comeback: silver. Of course, you can choose from many other finishes, depending on what speaks to you, like soft gold, textured hardware, or warm pewter.

Another great way to refresh your space is to swap out your boring hardware with something new that has a little bit more personality and adds more unique character. For example, these SOFFEE DESIGN Dresser Drawer Pulls are shaped like blue whales, which is a touch unexpected — but would fit perfectly in a nautical bathroom, or any space needing some whimsy. It's the same for these Indian Shelf Store Decorative Door Handles, as the shiny peacocks can add a touch of glamor to a space that is often quite boring and utilitarian. Bathrooms don't just have to be functional — they can be fun, too.

If you feel like the exterior of your cabinets is fine, but the inside looks a bit old and funky, using peel-and-stick wallpaper is a great way to freshen things up and make your cabinets seem infinitely more fun, too. You can attach it to the inside of your cabinet drawers, the backside of the doors, or even the entirety of the inside if you are feeling particularly festive and want a more maximalist look. Where possible, you can also cover the recessed portion of the cabinet's exterior in wallpaper. 

Quick tip: Purchase more wallpaper than you expect to use; if it fades, you'll have matching material ready to replace it. Additionally, if you make any mistakes during installation, it will be nice to have the same option on hand, instead of needing to mix and match — unless you plan on following a pattern pairing trend and creating something visually loud, which is something you enjoy. You can find plenty of fun options on Amazon, like the Vintique Peel and Stick Boho Wallpaper or the CiCiwind Peel and Stick Wallpaper Blue and White Wallpaper, which even has a subtle nautical theme if you also liked the whale drawer pulls above.

If your dated bathroom cabinets slam shut, a great way to upgrade them without totally replacing them is to swap out their hinges for soft-close ones. Soft-close hinges add a little bit of resistance to the joint, so when you push the door shut, it slows down in the last few moments and makes a quieter, softer closing — hence the name. Luckily, there is no resistance when you open the door. Installing soft-close cabinets might not be worth the money if you want a renovation that is guaranteed to add significant resale value to your property. However, if you want to protect the frames from damage, keep little fingers from getting pinched, and make your bathroom overall more functional, they are still a great choice.

Installing soft-close hinges is also a simple DIY that even those new to the hobby can complete if you have simple hinges and drawer slides in your existing cabinets. It's easy to grab replacement options on Amazon, such as the KONIGEEHRE 20-Pack Soft Close Cabinet Door Hinges. If you don't need that many for your bathroom, consider updating your kitchen cabinets.

The mirror is one of the biggest focal points in your bathroom. If your cabinets are looking a little dated, you can update your mirror to automatically draw your gaze away from the eyesore and toward something a touch more beautiful — your reflection!

You have a couple of different options to make this idea work. The first is to frame your current mirror. You can go inexpensive, like purchasing DESOMINOR Peel & Stick Black Wood Grain Wallpaper for just $9, and press it around the edges of your mirror. For a higher-end look, consider purchasing wooden beams and painting them to match your cabinets. Remember to cut the ends at a 45-degree angle so they can better fit in place around the corners of the mirror. If you don't want to DIY a bathroom frame, you can also purchase a new mirror entirely. For example, the LOAAO Black Metal Framed Bathroom Mirror is wide enough to cover two sinks and has a sleek, modern frame already. You can also always grab something a touch more funky, too — like the Dorlicecass Gold Asymmetrical Mirror, which comes in an interesting shape.

Bathroom lighting is essential — it's needed for applying makeup, shaving, and even handling small medical tasks (like pulling out a splinter). The type of lighting in your bathroom can also impact how you perceive things, so if you hate your cabinets, it's time to swap them out. When updating your lighting, there are two main things to think about: location and tone.

The location of your light fixtures is important because of what they can illuminate and how they cast shadows. For example, you can add under-cabinet lighting to brighten the vanity area or install new sconces or overhead lighting to brighten up the entire space. For undercabinet or in-cabinet lighting, try the MCGOR Rechargeable Motion Sensor Light, which can stick to any surface. For a wall sconce, this Brynie Iron LED Hardwired Semi Flush Mounted option is modern enough to transform your space without taking up too much room. Yet with both of these lights, tone is just as important as appearance and placement. You want a light that is bright enough for you to see, but not stark and sterile. For this reason, look for warm white options (between 3,000 and 4,000 Kelvin) as the top pick for your bathroom.

Replacing the cabinet doors is a good idea if your cabinets are structurally sound and are still functional, but you just think they are ugly. This is a quick swap. Ripping out your cabinets and replacing them entirely typically takes two days or more, but changing the doors within the same frame should only take a few hours at most. Remember, however, that if you swap out the doors, you might have issues with a mismatched appearance. So, for the best results, it's a good idea to plan to stain or paint the new doors to match the existing woodwork or recolor the entire thing to be cohesive.

When swapping out your cabinet doors, you have several stylistic options to choose from. Popular cabinet styles include arched, French lite, and square inset. However, as French lite options — in both the four and six panel varieties — leave room for glass, these probably aren't the best choice for a bathroom. This is because you likely want to keep stored things hidden. If you want to test out your favorite options in person to really get a feel for them, you can see samples at most home improvement stores. One great option is the 12-inch Hampton Bay Unfinished Cabinet Doors, which you can get in shaker, recessed, or raised.

If you don't want to knock out your cabinets, sometimes all they need is a new countertop to look refreshed. There are lots of different color palettes and textures you can play with if you decide to swap things out. For example, one of our team members had an unpleasant dark brown cabinet in her apartment's bathroom. However, the landlord replaced the old option with pink granite, creating a fun contrast with the colors that she actually really liked and thought worked well together.

This upgrade can be a DIY for the more experienced, but if you have a complicated plumbing situation or vanity that's awkwardly shaped — it's often better to bring in a contractor to make sure things go according to plan. Yet regardless of who installs the new countertop, getting the best deal on materials is still important. If budget is important to you, consider purchasing a remnant piece, which is a leftover bit of slab from a larger project. Because they can be smaller or weird shapes, they cost less. If you want to do things on a shoestring, then you can also grab a piece of Formica. While it might not be the most aesthetic option, it's definitely more budget-friendly — and it looks better than leaving a scratched-up, old one in place.

A taller, more sculptural faucet can visually "lift" your eye and shift attention away from the cabinet fronts, as can statement pieces like vessel sinks. However, there are lots of caveats to these, like their tendency to be hard to clean and their high risk of overflow. So, the once-trendy bathroom vessel sink might be a huge regret for some. Even so, there are several fun options that can add plenty of personality, like this AtlasTiles Green Ceramic Sink.

It is possible to replace your bathroom sink without swapping out your cabinets, but whether you can get a new sink without swapping out your countertops, too, depends. If the size of the new sink doesn't match the old one, in both depth and width, both will need to be replaced for the project to work. If this is the case, and you feel like the costs are spiraling out of control, consider just swapping out the faucet for an easier DIY. The Hurran 4-inch Oil Rubbed Bronze Bathroom Sink Faucet retails at less than $70 for two sets, and just under $30 for one. If you install it yourself, it's an especially inexpensive refresh.

Sometimes you have to get really creative to get the cabinet look you want. If you don't want to replace the doors completely, you can also DIY some changes to your current ones to update their look without spending much. For example, shaker-style cabinets remain one of the most popular options. With a few molding strips and some wood glue, you can make your outdated cabinets fit the look.

It doesn't take any intricate carpentry skills, either. You can also use medium-density fiberboard that's about five millimeters thick and 70 millimeters wide. When you cut them for length, it's a good idea to do a "dry fit" to make sure everything lines up. This is when you lay the pieces on top of your cabinet before gluing them down to make sure you have the measurements correct, and everything lines up as it should. From there, glue the pieces down. You can then stain or paint your new shaker cabinet to the sheen of your choice!

If there is a gap under your cabinets and you want to make them look built-in, you can add a DIY toe-kick for a refresh instead of removing them. A toe kick is the recessed space at the bottom of built-in cabinets. Its purpose is to allow you to stand closer to the cabinets, but also prevent things from getting trapped underneath them. In a bathroom, this "block" can be very helpful.

Installing a toe-kick is an easy DIY project. The best advice is the same for most woodworking projects: Measure, measure, measure. Be sure you aren't blocking off any pipes or vents, and include those in your measurements, too. After measuring, the next most important part of this project is the waterproofing! Experts recommend sealing off the toe kick with a silicone caulk to keep water from leaking in, as bathrooms are wet spaces. Finally, if you feel unsure about the best material to use, cutting your toe-kick to size, or selecting the right color, places like Home Depot sell pre-fabricated versions, like the Hampton Bay Toe Kick Molding in Unfinished Beech.