Easy Bathroom Vanity Makeover

Updating your Bathroom vanity is one of the easiest way to transform your bathroom interiors. A new vanity top with sink and cabinet easily costs more than $450. If you have the budget for it, then go ahead. But, if you are looking to makeover your vanity with a much smaller budget, then refinishing the existing cabinet and replacing the just the counter is the best option. In this article, I will show you how I transformed my red oak cabinet into something modern and stylish.

BEFORE

The house was built in early 90s with red oak cabinets, trims, baseboards and doors. Red oak is literally everywhere in the house. I am slowly transforming everything to the style I want and this time I am doing this vanity. How to paint over wood doors?

If you want to see the full reveal of this bathroom, Its here..

AFTER

Easy Bathroom Vanity Makeover

STEP 1

Remove the doors, hinges, knobs and thoroughly clean the surface with degreaser. Use a 180 grit sandpaper and sand all sides. Then, clean again to remove dust.

Note: Check the door knob screw holes. If the new handle you bought is same size as the existing, then you need not worry. But, if its not the same, then fill the existing holes with wood putty and let it dry before sanding. You can drill new holes while installing the new handles at the end. I bought brushed gold knobs from Ikea. It needed only one hole. So, I filled the second one and retained the top hole.

STEP 2 (optional)

If you like your counter, then retain it. But if you are looking to replace, then remove the plumbing first and then the counter. You will definitely peel some drywall off while removing the backsplash. So, patch that up with drywall compound. Below images show the patch after first coat of joint compound. Once it dried, I sanded it and applied a final thin layer to smoothen out.

STEP -3

Tape the edges of the cabinet and add two coats of primer using an angled brush. I use zinsser primer plus for most of my projects. This primer had good adhesion towards stained or glossy surfaces.

Next, paint with the color of your choice. The first coat might not seem much. But after second and third coat, the cabinet will start to look awesome.

If you have recessed panel door like this, then first apply paint with an angled brush on all corners/edges and then cover the remaining flat areas with a lint free roller. Remember to do thin coats. If you take too much paint on your brush or roller, you will get uneven finish.

STEP 4

This is the part that makes this cabinet unique. I bought 1/4inch thick 1 inch wide wood fluted trim moldings to create a pattern on the door front. Just like the cabinet, prime and paint the trims. Then tape them together and cut to the exact size of the recessed area on the door.

Now, glue the strips one by one on the door fascia using construction adhesive. After you align the strip, press down to allow the adhesive to bond well with the surface. I had some gap on either sides of the door, so I used round 1/4 inch dowels fill the space. They seem to match with the fluted pattern, it ended up being flawless.

Fill the edges with wood putty, sand them, apply primer and then give a final coat of paint. Finally, install the door knobs, door side hinges and attach the doors to the cabinet.

Install your new counter with a bead of silicone sealant and remember to caulk the edges for a water tight seal.

Cabinet looks amazing isn’t it?!!!! I love it. Final Reveal of the Bathroom makeover is here.

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