Woman transforms rundown bathroom into dinosaur haven using bargains from B&Q and TK Maxx
Parents look forward to the day they can say goodbye to dirty diapers – so a frugal mom decided to help her little one with potty training by creating his own dinosaur-themed bathroom.
Dawn Sheppard, 42, decided to potty her three-year-old son after discovering their third child was out and chose a dinosaur-themed bathroom to help him out.
She told the money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “We moved to our forever home in July 2020 and it took a lot of work. At that point, I was pregnant with our third child and realized that I didn’t want to change diapers on two little people.
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“So I decided to add a dinosaur theme to our downstairs toilet to help our little boy with potty training. We’re a family who love dinosaurs, so I knew exactly what the topic was going to be. “
The first step was to get supplies, and Dawn managed it cheaply with bargains from online stores, B&Q, and Facebook Marketplace.
The bathroom before dawn
(Image: Dawn Sheppard)
At B&Q she bought green metal and wood paint for £ 15, followed by some emerald green metro tiles for £ 30.
Then she took advantage of a 20% discount at B&Q and got a toilet for £ 47 and a vanity and sink for £ 67. Next up was Portuguese tile effect vinyl flooring for £ 50 from Best 4 Flooring, and then it was time for the main attraction – the dinosaur wallpaper.
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Dawn grabbed two reels from World of Wallpaper for £ 12.49 each before heading to the Facebook marketplace for her best bargain – a brand new cooler cover for £ 30, despite the fact that it was originally £ 95.
Dawn’s dinosaur bath under construction
(Image: Dawn Sheppard)
Once Dawn had everything she needed, it was time to start. She said, “The toilet and sink in that room were gross, so I went over full steam to get them out of the house as soon as we got it.”
Dawn worked with a blank slate and got to work.
Dawn applied her B&Q green paint to the pipes to start creating the jungle theme and painted the door frame the same shade. The wallpaper was placed along the top half of the bathroom walls, neatly wrapped around the window above the toilet.
She added, “I’ve both wallpapered and painted many times over the past 20 years, so this part was easy.”
A wooden shelf was attached to the back wall, which was also to hold the toilet and serve as a solid base for the tiles. Then the vinyl floor was laid and cut to size. After that job was done, the tiles could be attached to the walls.
Dawn said, “I checked out YouTube about the tile and grout techniques. It was literally a labor of love as I was heavily pregnant and had to squeeze into the small room.
“My husband installed the sink and toilet as he learned these skills by watching his father over the years and asking family members for advice.”
Home design DIY makeover
At this point it was time to add the radiator cover, which Dawn said was “a bit of a chore” as it had to be cut, but that it “really got the room ready to hide the hideous radiator and pipes.”
To complete the transformation, Dawn turned the light switch into a fake ivy tendril and used dinosaur ornaments that she had previously purchased from TK Maxx.
A lime green dinosaur sits on the windowsill, a mint green one sits on the radiator cover. There is also a cream colored dinosaur on the wooden ledge above the toilet, next to it sits a dinosaur frame.
The finished project
(Image: Dawn Sheppard)
Extras include a matching green liquid soap dispenser, green towel, and small tufts of fake ivy scattered around. The two cabinets even have green handles.
By the time the project was complete, Dawn’s son was obsessed; She said, “He loved it. He saw it as his toilet and we needed his permission to use it! With gentle encouragement, getting him to use the bathroom was a pleasure.
“He went straight from the diaper to the toilet when he was two and a half years old.”
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