Cosmetic Bathroom Refresh
A cosmetic bathroom refresh swaps every visible finish in a single bathroom in four to five working days — new vanity and countertop, new toilet, new mirror, new fixtures on existing rough-in, fresh paint top to bottom, full re-caulk, and a regrout of the existing tile — without touching the tile itself or moving in-wall plumbing. Starting at $8,000. The package for the bathroom that works fine but has a 2008 vanity, a wobbling old toilet, a discolored mirror, brushed-chrome fixtures that have gone matte, a paint job that has yellowed near the ceiling, and tile that is still solid but needs the grout pulled back to clean. Handis runs the project end to end; the licensed Washington L&I plumber subs in for any in-wall valve change or off-set drain rerough, and a licensed electrician subs in if a new sconce or fan circuit gets added.
Scope
What a Cosmetic Bathroom Refresh Includes
A cosmetic refresh is the most cost-effective way to update a bathroom that still has structurally sound tile and waterproofing. Every visible finish gets swapped, the existing tile is brought back with a deep regrout and re-caulk, and the package finishes in four to five working days for a single bathroom. The scope is fixed so the quote is fixed; the only adders are condition-driven (a cracked toilet flange, a corroded supply nipple, soft subfloor under the vanity). Handis runs the work; the licensed plumber is on site for the half-day the toilet pull and supply work needs.
New Vanity and Countertop
Pull the old vanity, scribe the new cabinet to the wall, plumb to wall and floor, install the new countertop (quartz, stone, or solid surface), drop the new sink (under-mount, top-mount, or vessel), and trim with a new backsplash if specified. Standard widths from 24 inches (single sink) to 60 inches (double sink); larger custom widths quoted separately.
New Toilet
Pull the existing toilet, inspect the closet flange for cracks or corrosion (a problem we find on roughly one in four older toilets), set a new wax ring, install the new bowl and tank, supply and stop, and seat the bolts. The licensed plumber takes over if the flange needs replacement or the drain has issues.
New Mirror, Light Fixture, and Accessories
Standard or custom-sized vanity mirror (wood-framed, frameless, or with built-in LED), single or double sconce, towel bar, robe hook, toilet paper holder, hand towel ring. Lamp swap on the existing light fixture is in scope; a brand-new fixture on a brand-new circuit needs the licensed electrician.
New Faucet and Showerhead on Existing Rough-In
Direct swap of the faucet at the sink and the showerhead at the shower wall on the existing rough-in. If the existing in-wall valve has to change to fit the new trim (Delta to Moen, single-handle to dual-handle), the licensed plumber takes the half-day to swap the valve cartridge and rough.
Fresh Paint Top to Bottom
Cut and roll all walls and ceiling in two coats of a mildew-resistant bathroom paint (Sherwin-Williams Emerald or Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa). Trim re-painted if specified. Doors get the same treatment if in scope.
Full Re-Caulk and Regrout of the Existing Tile
Strip every old caulk bead at the tub, shower, vanity, and toilet base back to clean substrate, treat any visible mildew with hospital-grade quaternary ammonium, and lay fresh 100% mildew-resistant silicone. Grout — every line — gets cleaned, color-restored with a grout colorant, or refreshed with a thin-coat over-grout where the original is sound but stained.
How a Cosmetic Bathroom Refresh Runs
Seven sequential days from the on-site walkthrough through the punch-list sign-off — the actual calendar we run on every cosmetic refresh, with the licensed plumber on the right day and the electrician on the right day if scope warrants.
On-Site Walkthrough and Product Confirm
A Handis project lead walks the bathroom, measures the vanity opening and the existing rough-in, confirms the model numbers for the vanity, toilet, mirror, fixtures, and paint colors, and locks the calendar. The licensed-plumber day and any licensed-electrician day get pinned on the calendar so every party knows their slot.
Demo and Protection (Day One)
Plastic-zip floor-to-ceiling at the bathroom doorway, runners down every hallway. Pull the old vanity, mirror, accessories, toilet, and light fixtures. Vacuum and trash-out at end of day. The existing tile and waterproofing stay in place.
Licensed Plumber Half-Day (Day Two Morning)
A licensed Washington L&I plumber arrives, swaps the in-wall valve cartridge if the new fixture needs it, replaces the closet flange if the inspection on day one flagged it, and pressure-tests the new supply connections. The plumber pulls their own permit for any in-wall work as the responsible licensed party.
Vanity, Top, and Cabinet Install (Day Two-Three)
Scribe the new vanity cabinet to the wall, plumb to floor, set the countertop, drop the new sink, run the supply and stop, hook the drain. Backsplash and side splash installed if in scope. The vanity is the longest single-piece installation in the package.
Toilet, Fixtures, and Accessory Install (Day Three-Four)
New toilet set on a fresh wax ring with new bolts, supply and stop connected. New faucet at the sink, new showerhead at the wall. Mirror hung dead-level with the new vanity centerline. Towel bar, robe hook, toilet paper holder, and hand towel ring mounted into studs or rated heavy-duty toggles.
Paint, Regrout, and Re-Caulk (Day Four-Five)
Two coats of mildew-resistant bathroom paint on walls and ceiling. Full re-caulk of every wet seam in 100% mildew-resistant silicone with the proper cure-time notice on the door. Regrout of the existing tile — color-restore or over-grout depending on the original condition.
Punch List, Final Clean, and Sign-Off (End of Day Five)
Walkthrough with the homeowner against the original quote line by line. Final clean — wipe every surface, polish the new mirror and fixtures, vacuum the floor a final time, pull the protection. Cure-time notice for the silicone left on the bathroom door. One-year project warranty documented and emailed.
Cosmetic Bathroom Refresh Pricing
Package pricing depends on bathroom size, vanity width, countertop material, and product selections (toilet brand, faucet line, fixture grade). Licensed-plumber half-day is included in the package base; licensed-electrician day is an adder when a new circuit is in scope. Multi-bathroom and multi-unit projects qualify for volume discount. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us the bathroom and the product lines you like — we will send the full package quote.
Why a Cosmetic Refresh Reads as New
A cosmetic refresh delivers the biggest visual change per dollar in any bathroom-update scope. The room looks completely new and yet the existing tile stays — tile is the most expensive line on any bathroom remodel, and skipping the tile demo and re-install cuts the project price in half while keeping a finished room. The trick is the regrout and the re-caulk; a deep regrout makes a 15-year-old tile floor read as new the same way the new paint and new vanity do, and a fresh re-caulk stops the dark mildew line that gives away an old bathroom faster than any other tell.
Tile stays — the dollars go to what shows
Tile demo and re-install is the most expensive scope in any bathroom-update project. When the existing tile is structurally sound (no cracked tiles, no soft spots on the floor, no waterproofing failures behind the wall), keeping the tile is the right call. We bring the tile back with a regrout, a re-caulk, and a deep clean — and put the dollars into the vanity, the toilet, the mirror, and the fixtures, where the change is the most visible.
Licensed plumber on the right day, not every day
The plumber half-day is the morning of day two. They handle the valve change, the closet flange if it needs replacement, and the pressure test. The rest of the install — vanity, sink drop, fixtures, accessories — is Handis scope. You see the plumber's hours on the quote line by line so the package price is honest.
Mildew-resistant bathroom paint, not flat wall paint
Sherwin-Williams Emerald and Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa are the two paints that hold up in a high-humidity bathroom; flat builder-grade paint goes mildewy on the ceiling above a shower inside a year. We carry both lines, both finishes, and color-match what you have if you want to keep the existing palette.
Full re-caulk in 100% silicone, not a touch-up
Every wet seam — tub, shower walls, shower pan, vanity to wall, vanity to backsplash, toilet base — is stripped to clean substrate and re-caulked in 100% mildew-resistant silicone (GE Supreme Kitchen & Bath or DAP Kwik Seal Ultra) with the proper 24 to 48-hour cure-time notice left on the bathroom door. We do not patch over an old bead.
Insured, background-checked, one-year project warranty
Handis carries general liability and workers' compensation; every technician has cleared a background screening. The one-year warranty covers our scope — install, paint, caulk, regrout — and the licensed-sub portion carries its own Washington L&I-trade warranty, also named on the quote.
Estimate
Tell us the bathroom (master, guest, hall), rough square footage, the vanity width you want, your product preferences (toilet brand, faucet line, mirror style, paint color), and any condition issues you already know about — wobbly toilet, mildewed grout, soft floor. We send a written quote with every line and the plumber and electrician hours named.
What Our Customers Say
Recent cosmetic bathroom refresh reviews from verified Seattle-area customers.
Master bath refresh. New 48-inch vanity with quartz, new toilet, new mirror with built-in LED, brushed-nickel fixtures, fresh paint, and a deep regrout of the existing tile floor. Five working days. The plumber came in for the morning of day two, did the valve change and the flange replacement, and was out by lunch. Punch list signed off Friday at 4.
We were ready for a full re-tile and Handis talked us out of it — said the existing tile was still solid and a regrout plus a re-caulk would get us 90% of the visual without the tile demo and three extra days. Saved us roughly $4,000. Six months later the floor still reads as new and we are putting the saved budget into the kitchen instead.
Guest bath in a 1990s build. Old oak vanity, beige toilet, gold fixtures. Now a white shaker vanity, white toilet, brushed-nickel fixtures, white paint, and the original tile color-restored. House finally feels current. Five days, the daily calendar on the quote was accurate to the half-day.
Cosmetic refresh on the master plus a smaller hall bath in the same week — they did them in sequence so the plumber and electrician each came in for one consolidated day across both bathrooms. Volume discount on the second bath. Eight working days total, two bathrooms updated, one project lead.
The cracked closet flange caught me by surprise — old toilet was wobbling at the front bolts for years and apparently the flange had been failing the whole time. They showed me the photo, quoted the brass-flange replacement as a written change order, and the plumber swapped it the same morning. Total cost still came in under what one specialty contractor had quoted for the toilet alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis cosmetic bathroom refresh — scope, product selections, plumbing handoff, scheduling, and what is in or out of the package.