One truism in real estate holds: the resale value of one of the most important rooms in a home, is that of the bathroom. A bathroom can be a deal breaker for many sales. These days, with the housing market on rocky grounds, and with home sellers reluctant to dish out thousands into up-scale, expensive renovations, there's a fresh eye looking to the cheaper and less time consuming option of refurbishment.

Refurbishing involves making use of what you already have in a bathroom. Beginning first with the walls. A great way to spruce up and liven up any space, including the bathroom, is with a fresh coast of paint. You'll want to choose a color that ties in the new look and feel of your bathroom- something that'll keep the space light and bright and welcoming.

If you have older bathroom cupboards that are looking somewhat down trodden you might consider re-surfacing them. If they are wood, you might also re-stain them. Another consideration is to paint over the existing surface. In this case, you'll want to make sure you use the appropriate base of paint, and that you've properly treated, or sanded the cupboards before hand. You can then add new hardware to your re-surfaced cupboards. This punctuation will help update the look and feel of your bathroom.

Replacing the existing counter-top can be a great way to modernize your bathroom, and usually as there's little counter space in a bathroom this will not set you back that much. Granite, or granite looking countertops are universally popular, appealing and are easy to fit into many different decorating schemes.

If you can't seem to fit your existing lavender sink, bathtub and toilet ( circa 1965) into your modern refurbishment, you might want to consider replacing these fixtures. Otherwise, you can try to work around these retro elements and tie everything else back into them. The later, will of course be the cheaper way to go, although it may present more of a design challenge. But, set a budget and see how creative you can be with your financial limitations.

Some other important details to attend to are the vanity, the lighting fixtures and the floor. You might consider re-placing all of these, or if you're on a tighter budget think about re-vitalizing them.

Accessorizing once you've re-established the bones of your bathroom, can be great fun. Here, you can really tie everything into your "new" bathroom. Think about adding some color coordinated plush towels and designer soaps. You might also find some nice photographs to have framed and then carefully hang them. Also new window treatments and a shower curtain can work wonders to pull everything together.

There's truly so much possible with any space, and within any budget. So don't hesitate to put your creative energies into a bathroom refurbishment that'll surely boost the resale value of your home.