TL;DR
Sheena Tobin refreshed her 1980s primary bathroom for about $250, using a paint marker and ruler to draw evenly spaced lines that suggest wood paneling. The update took an entire summer, and Tobin said the room now feels peaceful and more welcoming to her family.
Sheena Tobin used a paint marker costing under $7 and a ruler to draw evenly spaced lines on the walls of her family’s 1980s primary bathroom, creating the appearance of paneling as part of a refresh that ultimately cost about $250. Apartment Therapy reported the project as a lower-cost update before a planned future gut renovation; the drawn lines are an illusion of paneling, not installed woodwork.
Get business pricing on tools and workshop supplies
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
Tobin said the bathroom’s old light fixture, mismatched countertop and poorly applied cabinet paint made the space feel out of step with the rest of her home. Her children disliked the room and, she told Apartment Therapy, would not go into it. A full renovation was not in the budget, so she aimed to improve the bathroom while keeping spending low, initially targeting about $150.
For the walls, Tobin chose Sherwin-Williams’ Maison Blanche as her color reference and had Valspar match the shade. After painting, she used a paint pen and ruler to mark out regular lines intended to evoke wood paneling. Apartment Therapy said the marker cost under $7. Tobin acknowledged that the effect is visible as drawn lines up close, while from farther away it reads more like paneling.
She also changed the cabinets to a gray-green based on Sherwin-Williams’ At Ease Soldier, again using a Valspar color match. Rather than paint over the existing finish, she first worked to remove some of its thick paint. Tobin told the publication that this added effort but improved the result. The project finished at about $250, above her original target, and took an entire summer.
A Low-Cost Alternative to Installed Paneling
The project offers a specific example of how a homeowner used a drawn detail to suggest a more expensive finish without installing wood panels. The marker was only one part of the work: the room also needed painting, cabinet preparation and a new cabinet color. The reported total was about $250, rather than the initial $150 goal, so the marker’s price should not be mistaken for the cost of the whole refresh.
The change also addressed a practical household concern. Tobin said her children had avoided the bathroom before the update and reacted positively when they saw the cabinets being painted. Her account suggests that a modest cosmetic project can change how a family feels about an existing room, while leaving the underlying space in place for a possible later renovation.
Popular right now
De’Longhi Classic Matte Black Espresso Machine with Milk Frother
Vitamix Touch & Go Advance 32-Ounce Bar Blender, White
De'Longhi Magnifica Duo Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother, Silver
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Refresh Before a Full Renovation
The bathroom was in a home dating to the 1980s and had been updated over the years, but Tobin said its finishes did not suit the rest of the family’s home. She planned a future gut renovation, but the household did not have the budget for that work at the time of the refresh. The near-term goal was to make the room more pleasant without replacing it wholesale.
The design idea came from a living-room image Tobin saw online. She was drawn to its soft white color, which related to the bathroom’s existing countertop, and to its paneled walls. Rather than buy and install wood paneling throughout the bathroom, she translated that visual feature into painted lines. Apartment Therapy’s report describes the method and outcome through Tobin’s account; it does not provide independent testing of the finish’s durability or close-up realism.
Durability and Renovation Plans Remain Unreported
The report does not specify the marker brand or type, the exact preparation and sealing methods, or how the drawn lines hold up to the bathroom’s moisture and routine cleaning. It also does not give a detailed cost breakdown, so the amounts spent on paint, supplies and cabinet preparation cannot be compared separately. Tobin said she hopes to do a gut renovation in the future, but no timing or plans for that work were provided.
The description of the paneling effect comes from Tobin and the Apartment Therapy report. The article does not establish that the lines look like installed woodwork at close range; Tobin specifically said the drawn effect can be seen up close.
A Full Bathroom Renovation May Follow
No next renovation date was reported. Tobin’s stated plan is to undertake a gut renovation in the future, but for now the bathroom has been refreshed rather than rebuilt. Whether she proceeds with that larger project, and what changes it would involve, remains unknown.
For readers considering a similar cosmetic update, the reported sequence was to paint the walls, use a ruler to guide the marker lines, and update the cabinets after removing some of the old thick paint. The account does not give product-specific instructions or performance guarantees, so its result should be understood as one homeowner’s experience, not a tested method for every bathroom.
Key Questions
How much did the bathroom refresh cost?
Tobin told Apartment Therapy the project came to about $250. Her initial target was around $150, so the final cost was higher than planned.
How did the paint marker create the paneling effect?
After painting the walls, Tobin used a ruler and paint marker to draw evenly spaced lines. The lines suggest paneling from a distance but are not installed wood panels.
What paint colors did she use?
Tobin used Valspar color matches based on Sherwin-Williams’ Maison Blanche for the walls and At Ease Soldier for the cabinets.
How long did the project take?
Apartment Therapy reported that the refresh took Tobin an entire summer. The source did not provide a more exact start or completion date.
Is the bathroom’s full renovation scheduled?
No schedule was reported. Tobin said she plans a gut renovation in the future, but the timing and scope remain unclear.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
