Our upstairs bathroom, which is the main bathroom in our house, is on the list…
Bathroom Vanity Makeover
I could not leave you hanging after our attempt at a bathroom vanity makeover went so very wrong. You remember when we got a new top, disconnected the water, took out the old faucet and sink, and then the new one didn’t fit? Yea, that’s the story of most of our renovations ~ problems! But thankfully we did find a new top that fit after a quick 2 day search and put the bathroom back together in no time. This was supposed to be a quick and inexpensive makeover and mostly it was, but the best part is that we got rid of our oh-so 80’s shell sink, standard oak cabinet color, and dated gold faucet and replaced them with this.
I’d been waiting to makeover this bathroom since the day we moved in 3 years ago. You need to note, that if you have one of these in your house – it needs to go. No questions asked, just take it out!
And if you want the real before, here it is. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This pic is actually from before we moved in and I was cleaning. Apparently to some tunes from the boom box 🙂
Oh my gosh we had a wooden toilet seat. Two things you do immediately when you move into a new house: 1. Change the locks 2. Change the toilet seats.
I had taken out the old sink, put the new one on top and it didn’t fit. I ran out to all 3 of the thrift/reuse places we have in town and thankfully found the size and color I needed. I was going for pure white. We ran a think line of caulk under the back edge, placed it on top of the cabinet and that was about it.
Here is the sink at the store I found it. Priced at only $15, I couldn’t pass it up. Just the price I was hoping for. Now you know you can have a new vanity top for el cheap-o. New ones with granite and under mount bowls are in the $175 range. You can find all kinds of gently used home improvement supplies at places like Habitat for Humanity or the local architectural salvage shop.
And we put on a new faucet too, since this was a head to toe vanity makeover. I found this one on Amazon, it was such a steal, I’d been eying it for months. It’s the Peerless WAS00X Two Handle Centerset Lavatory Faucet with Drain Assembly in Satin Nickel.
The cute black and white toothbrush cup is from West Elm and the soap dispenser is from Target.
The repainting of the vanity was done quite a while ago when Dan went out of town. I’m a surprise makeover kind of girl 🙂 Here is the post about that. I painted the vanity with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in graphite. It got 2 coats, slightly watered down and 2 coats of water-based polycrylic in semi gloss. These are very accurate pictures of the actual color.
The inside of the vanity is the same original color it was. It is true you can paint those builder grade cabinets!
New paint, new vanity top, and new faucet add up to a total bathroom vanity makeover, that I am very happy with. Total cost of this makeover was $114 if you were to buy the items new or didn’t have them.
- Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite $38
- Polycrylic $16
- Faucet $40
- Vanity top $15
- Spray paint for handles $5
The only items I got specifically for this project were the chalk paint, the faucet and vanity top, so it cost me about $93. Not bad considering new cabinets are around $200 alone. Plus I’ve used the paint on a bunch of other projects already. This project was to be a quick and inexpensive upgrade. Although it’s not my ideal renovation, since I think the vanity is too large for the room, it will do for now.
You can see we still have to put the baseboards back on. I’m not sure if I’ll do that before or after we fix the floor. We still have to replace some of the hex tile. See the latest on the floor here.
This is where things are with the bathroom mini makeover plan:
Paint and seal the vanityMore on that hereSpray paint the mirror and sconcesMore on that herePrime and paint the window frameMore on that hereMake a roman shade for the windowMore on that hereGet some kind of covering for the window glassMore on that herePut up a shelf and some art on the wallsMore on that hereRe-do the towel hooksMore on that hereGet a new rugSee the rug that I found in the attic (free!) hereFinish cleaning off the floor adhesive- Replace broken floor tiles
- Replace baseboards
Prime and paint the ceilingMore on that hereReplace the vanity topMore on that hereSelect and get a new faucet for the vanityPaint the heat vent coverMore on that here- Paint and seal the door frame
- Strip and seal the back of the door
- Restore the doorknob
Lots of items checked off the list, just what I love!
Sharing with the Best DIY Projects of July at Beneath My Heart and Before & After DIY Contest at Pretty Handy Girl. This project was featured as a “Best DIY Project Highlights” at Beneath My Heart and as a runner up in the Before and After Project at Pretty Handy Girl. Thanks Tracy and Brittany!
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You did an incredible job on your vanity makeover. It makes a huge difference in the look of your bathroom.
Your new vanity looks fantastic!! I love that you went with black…and finding that new vanity top…what a great find at a steal of a price.
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for the note. Yea it was a deal, I’m glad for that. Glad I found your blog and all your great projects. I look forward to being in touch!
Congratulations! The new vanity top – what a deal! It all looks good and I love the toothbrush cup. However, I learned just a couple of years ago that toilets send spray out about 6 feet when they are flushed. I immediately put mine in the drawer. I was shocked – never knew that before. I came over from Beneath My Heart.
What?! A $15 vanity top! Girl, you know how to score some deals. I love your bathroom makeover. Great job!
Did you sand and prime the vanity prior to painting the vanity? I read the tutorials online and they all indicate it’s key for the professional and long lasting finish.
Hi Ashley,
No I did not sand and prime the vanity because I used chalk paint on it, which sticks to any surface without priming. I sealed it with 2 coats of polycrylic and it has held up very well.
What Is polycylic. I live in Australia and haven’t heard of it.
Hi Elaine,
Polycrylic is a top coat to be used to seal furniture projects specifically. Maybe they don’t carry it in Australia and have something different. Hope this helps.
I chuckled when I saw the wooden toilet seat- as the older lake home we bought has one in the bathroom and STILL is there- my husband loves it…. I am finally going to try and update the bathroom which has the wooden toilet seat, metallic wallpaper and the same lovely oak cabinets with white knobs and a vanity top that runs all the way from the sink to over the toilet- it does get more narrow as it gets closer to the toilet. Since we would like to keep costs down for the remodel- will probably paint all the cabinets- get new hardware, new flooring- new toilet ( no wooden toilet seat ) BUT- my husband doesn’t want to part with the long connected top vanity- I see no way to update this except to remove it. Any ideas ??? Thanks- MD