A woman has revealed how she transformed her bathroom for just 100 UD dollars using a marker pen to create a modern tile effect.

Ashley French, 33, from Bradenton, Florida, moved into her new home in March 2021.

The property is the third renovation project she’s taken on with her husband in the last seven years and it needed a lot of work, leaving little in the budget for decoration.

“Right after we moved in, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of remodelling this house needed inside and out,” Ashley said.

“We were having to put a new roof on this house, along with replacing the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and fencing in the whole back yard.

“Our renovation budget was going to all the big-ticket items and it didn't leave me a lot of money to spend on the renovations needed inside.

“I really wanted to start remodelling the inside of the house but knew I couldn't spend a lot of money. I decided the bathroom would be an easy and affordable place to start.”

Turning to Pinterest, Ashley found a chevron pattern wallpaper she loved but worked out it was going to be around $100 (£70) just to cover the small section of the bathroom.

Instead, Ashley had to be inventive and purchased some marker pens.

She said: “I loved the wallpaper but when I looked into purchasing it for the bathroom, it was going to be about $100 for just the wallpaper.

“I really didn't want to spend that on just the wallpaper when I knew I also needed to purchase a shower curtain, rug, and wall shelves – so I decided I would try to recreate the look using a permanent marker.

“I knew it would only cost me $10-20 in permanent markers and that would allow me to purchase other items for the bathroom.”

Ashley started by drawing vertical lines in pencil every seven inches across the wall, using a level to guide her.

Once she was happy with the lines, she went over them in permanent marker.

For the vertical lines, she made dots every three-and-a-half inches across the wall and then joined them up

She said: “I used a ruler to draw from one dot to another dot on the neighbouring line to create the angled lines from one line to another. This created the chevron pattern. That was it!”

Ashley used two packs of markers on the wall costing $20 (£14) and she then bought a new shower curtain, bathroom rug and wood shelves, sticking to a tight budget.

She said: “I made sure I wasn't spending more than $25.00 (£18) on each item.

“To save money, I decorated the wall shelves and bathroom counter with decor and baskets I already owned.”

Ashley loves the finished project and thinks the bathroom looks so much more modern.

She added: “Before this project, this bathroom was outdated and boring. With the permanent marker faux wallpaper and just a few new items, the bathroom looks totally fresh and unique now.

“I absolutely love the look now. I think the permanent marker wall really looks like wallpaper.

“Because this outdated bathroom has mint green floor tile, I feel that keeping the wall, shower curtain, and rug in black and white makes the space look a bit more modern and trendy which I love.

“I am also very proud that I was able to achieve this look for only $100.”

Breakdown of costs

Shower curtain - Target, $25
Bathroom rug - Target, $20 (
Wood shelves - Amazon, $30
Markers - $20

A woman has revealed how she transformed her bathroom for under £70 using a marker pen to create a modern tile effect.

Ashley French, 33, from Bradenton, Florida, moved into her new home in March 2021.

The property is the third renovation project she’s taken on with her husband in the last seven years and it needed a lot of work, leaving little in the budget for decoration.

“Right after we moved in, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of remodeling this house needed inside and out,” Ashley told Jam Press.

“We were having to put a new roof on this house, along with replacing the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and fencing in the whole back yard.

“Our renovation budget was going to all the big-ticket items and it didn't leave me a lot of money to spend on the renovations needed inside.

“I really wanted to start remodeling the inside of the house but knew I couldn't spend a lot of money. I decided the bathroom would be an easy and affordable place to start.”

Turning to Pinterest, Ashley found a chevron pattern wallpaper she loved but worked out it was going to be around $100 (£70) just to cover the small section of the bathroom.

Instead, Ashley had to be inventive and purchased some marker pens.

She said: “I loved the wallpaper but when I looked into purchasing it for the bathroom, it was going to be about $100 for just the wallpaper.

“I really didn't want to spend that on just the wallpaper when I knew I also needed to purchase a shower curtain, rug, and wall shelves – so I decided I would try to recreate the look using permanent marker.

“I knew it would only cost me $10-20 in permanent markers and that would allow me to purchase other items for the bathroom.”

Ashley started by drawing vertical lines in pencil every seven inches across the wall, using a level to guide her.

Once she was happy with the lines, she went over them in permanent marker.

For the vertical lines, she made dots every three-and-a-half inches across the wall and then joined them up

She said: “I used a ruler to draw from one dot to another dot on the neighboring line to create the angled lines from one line to another. This created the chevron pattern. That was it!”

Ashley used two packs of markers on the wall costing $20 (£14) and she then bought a new shower curtain, bathroom rug and wood shelves, sticking to a tight budget.

She said: “I made sure I wasn't spending more than $25.00 (£18) on each item.

“To save money, I decorated the wall shelves and bathroom counter with decor and baskets I already owned.”

Ashley loves the finished project and thinks the bathroom looks so much more modern.

She added: “Before this project, this bathroom was outdated and boring. With the permanent marker faux wallpaper and just a few new items, the bathroom looks totally fresh and unique now.

“I absolutely love the look now. I think the permanent marker wall really looks like wallpaper.

“Because this outdated bathroom has mint green floor tile, I feel that keeping the wall, shower curtain, and rug in black and white makes the space look a bit more modern and trendy which I love.

“I am also very proud that I was able to achieve this look for only $100.”

Breakdown of costs

Shower curtain - Target, $25 (£18).
Bathroom rug - Target, $20 (£15)
Wood shelves - Amazon, $30 (£22)
Markers - $20 (£15)

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