How To: Updating A Bathroom Vanity For Only $66

This past month, we have been updating a bathroom vanity in our home. It is amazing how just a new coat of paint and some new cabinet pulls can completely change the look of a vanity, or even a room in your home. I share all the steps I took to updating a bathroom vanity for only $66!

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We moved into our home two years ago this month. Our home is almost 30 years old so some of the rooms were really outdated when we moved in. You know, wallpaper in 4 rooms, paneling in the basement, the works!

When we found this home, I was really excited though because I love making spaces my own. Finding a home with a great layout is really exciting because updating over time is easy, in comparison to taking down walls and adding beams.

Steps to Updating a Bathroom Vanity

1. Remove Hardware

So, the first step I took with updating the bathroom vanity was taking off all of the hardware. I wanted to make sure to take off anything that could get paint on it.

I know some people tape off the floor and adjoining walls as well; however, I just use an angled paint brush and cut in with my strokes to avoid painting the floor and walls. You can find my favorite trim paint brush here. An angled trim paint brush makes all the difference when it comes to painting trim.

2. Sand the Vanity

Next, I sanded the vanity down so that any grease or polyurethane would be removed. You want to sand so that the paint can be absorbed by the wood; otherwise, it makes it very easy to scratch the paint off the slippery polyurethane surface.

For this project, I used 80 grit. This makes it pretty quick to get a coat of polyurethane off without using a ton of elbow grease. Sometimes sandpaper is really hard to keep a hold of with all the angles of the vanity and the doors; so, this 80 grit sandpaper block works really great!

3. Prime Vanity

The next step for updating my bathroom vanity was priming. I will be honest, priming furniture or walls completely annoys me! I usually skip this step, but when it comes to cabinetry where there is a lot of use and wear and tear I knew I couldn’t skip priming.

Since the bathroom vanity isn’t used as much as the cabinets in the kitchen, I actually used a middle of the road primer for the vanity. I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing this if it is a high traffic area like your laundry room, kitchen or a kid’s bathroom.

For this project, I used Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer with a mold and mildew resistant film, since the bathroom has a lot of moisture.

4. Paint the Vanity

When we moved into this house I really liked the columns that the house has seperating the sunken living room and the regular dining room. They are an ivory color. I wanted the bookshelves below them to be more of a white but not too stark in contrast that you would really even notice that they aren’t the same color.

It was 50 swatches of white before I found the perfect color. I have used it on all the trim we are slowly updating our house with, these bookshelves, this vanity update, to name a few…

Linen by Clark + Kensington is the winning color!

I had this paint on hand. A couple of years ago, I bought three gallons of this color so I would have it for various projects around the house and for painting all of the trim.

5. Funiture Wax

Furniture wax is good at creating a barrier between your paint and every day wear and tear on your furniture and cabinetry. I used furniture wax that I already had from another project.

I used Amy Howard Clear Furniture Wax to seal the vanity. I waited 24 hours after my last coat of paint before applying.

You will want to rub this on with lint free cotton fabric. I used an old sock. Make sure that you rub it in with a circular motion, so that it gets in all the nooks of the vanity. A little goes a long way with the wax.

Next, you will wait 24 hours for it to harden and then use a clean section of your cotton fabric to wipe it off.

6. Updating Bathroom Vanity Hardware

This is the fun part! I loved researching all the fabulous cabinet pulls that are out there. I found some really gorgeous ones! You can find my list of 10 most gorgeous cabinet pulls here.

As you can tell from the before picture, the vanity had ridiculously outdated pulls. So they were in serious need of updating. You can find the cabinet pulls I decided on here.

I wanted the vanity to look a bit fancier, so I added two additional pulls to the vanity.

Also, some of the cabinet pull holes that were previously there were not completely even. So, I fixed those holes. On the white cabinet, I could easily see that the old cabinet holes were now completely straight.

7. Paint the Hinges

So, normally, I wouldn’t waste the time painting the hinges. But for our custom vanity, I needed to reuse the old hinges.

The Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover Paint + Primer Spray Paint covered really well. The additional primer helped with the metal surface.

8. Reassemble

Lastly, I got the hinges back on and assembled. We are up and running again! At the end of any project, it is always nice to have your room back to fully functioning.

Conclusion

For only $66, I would say this was a total win. Not having to buy a new vanity is pretty much priceless in my book! I love a good project that totally changes the look of something old.

MORE TO COME: We are gradually updating the trim in the whole house. The painted trim is ready to go. I am holding off because I know that replacing the trim will lead to repainting the doors and door frames too. So, this project is a slow one! I don’t know if you have noticed this in your own home, but one project leads to another one… It is totally a vicious cycle. : )

Until the next time!

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