BoomerGirl Diary

Admit it: You’re thinking about a face-lift.

You’ve noticed the little lines forming here, darkened areas emerging there. Features once fresh and sparkling are looking worn and dull. When you switch on the light, it’s all too clear that things are slipping over the hill.

No need to feel embarrassed. There’s nothing wrong with wishing for a mini makeover — especially when you’re talking about your bathroom.

It is a maxim among real estate agents that improvements to bathrooms and kitchens are likely to bring the best return on investment of anything you can do to a house.

“People typically assign value to a property based on what the bathrooms and kitchen look like,” says Donna Evers of Evers & Co., a Washington realty company. A dreary, outdated bathroom can be a deal-breaker. Other big-ticket items, such as the furnace and water heater, don’t receive attention until the house inspector shows up, she says. By that time, the buyers have already fallen in love with the place.

But bathroom renovations get costly fast. In the south Atlantic region, for example, the average price of a midrange bathroom remodel in 2007 was $14,445, according to Remodeling magazine. But a few nips and tucks costing far less can go a long way to refreshing a bath.

Easy fixes

Anything you can do to make the room feel fresh and new can make a difference, says Arlington, Va., designer Melissa Broffman. “Simply switch out an outdated fixture or pop in a fresh shower curtain. The change doesn’t have to break the budget.”

Los Angeles designer Lytel Young is host of HGTV’s “Save My Bath.” “There are three important things in a bathroom,” Young says. “Clean, simple and orderly. That’s the key for every budget, whether it’s $500 or $40,000.”

A fresh coat of paint and new lighting are easy improvements that have an immediate impact, he says. A combination of natural and artificial light is optimal, Young says. But for bathrooms without windows, sconces on both sides of a mirror plus an overhead fixture on a dimmer will do the job.

Evers’ recipe for a quick fix: Take a few hours or hire a handyman to re-caulk around the tub and shower. Replace dated, inadequate light fixtures. Rip out the old-fashioned medicine cabinet (“they holler outdated at you, plus they’re not big enough”) and replace it with a mirror as large as you can make it. (“It will double the size of the bathroom visually.”)

Picking and choosing

If you’re not going to do a full remodel, be careful about what you choose and how much you spend, cautions Herbert Stanwood, senior project designer in the kitchen and bath division at Case Design in Bethesda, Md. To save money, you might decide to keep an old tub and tile that are still in pretty good shape. But remember that those older elements can suddenly appear much more tired next to a new vanity, countertop, mirror and lights.

If you’re concerned about payback, a chorus of experts advises, be conservative in your choices. “Don’t do anything that’s really trendy or oddly shaped,” Young says. “Two years from now you’re going to look at it and say, ‘What was I thinking?’”

You may adore turquoise and tangerine, but resist the urge to express it through bathroom tiles. Stick with a neutral base and bring in color preferences though towels and accessories that can be easily and inexpensively replaced.

Smart moves

Popular choices for today’s remodels include frameless glass shower doors, stone countertops and vanities that are kitchen-cabinet height, and water-saving dual-flushing toilets. And, in a reversal of a trend from 20 years ago, homeowners now want smaller tubs and larger showers.

“People don’t have time to draw a bath, but they still want to indulge themselves,” Stanwood says. “They want luxury. They want a really nice shower.”

Bathroom makeover tips

• Don’t use wallpaper or silk window treatments in a small or poorly ventilated bathroom.

• Oversize whirlpool tubs are increasingly outdated. Consider a deep soaking tub instead.

• When it comes to tile, go conservative. Busy patterns or trendy colors will look dated in a few years.

• Choose tiles that are “through-body ceramic,” meaning the color runs through the entire tile. In the event of chipping, the color will remain consistent.

• Avoid fluorescent lighting, which casts a harsh, unflattering light. Better to use incandescent lighting from a variety of sources.

• Don’t buy a pedestal sink if you lack storage space.

• Don’t install a vessel sink in a master bathroom. Put one in a powder room instead.

• Light-reflective polished chrome fixtures make a bathroom look bigger.

• Wallpaper makes a dramatic statement in powder rooms.

Price check

If your budget is $3,500 ...

• At this price range, you can consider updated tile, which designers agree gives the entire bathroom a new look, especially if the old tile is damaged or dated.

• Replace a sink or vanity for a fresh look and more storage. There are lots of sources for stand-alone vanities with stone countertops — from online, big-box and specialty stores — in a wide range of prices.

• Swap out a grungy shower door for a sparkling new glass door. The cleanest styles are frameless versions.

If your budget is $1,500 ...

• Bead board wainscoting is an affordable alternative to adding or replacing bathroom tile and contributes instant cottage appeal. Available in solid wood and engineered wood; pre-made panel systems are designed for easy do-it-yourself installation.

• Update a worn laminate vanity countertop with natural or man-made stone.

• Reglazing or resurfacing damaged or dated tubs and tiles with an acrylic coating is much less expensive than replacing them.

• Crown molding adds instant architectural interest in even the smallest space — especially in contrast to richly painted walls.

If your budget is $500 ...

• Paint is the instant freshener. Special effects will draw attention to the walls and away from old fixtures.

• Pull out the old medicine cabinet and replace with a large framed mirror.

• Update the sink and tub with new faucets, and change door pulls and other hardware.

• Replace builder-grade strip lights with light sconces on either side of the mirror.

• Buy new towels. Get two sets in one color and add two towels in another color. Update accessories, including waste cans, tissue holders, too.