Here's a look at the bathroom before the renovation. I have to admit I'm a bit embarrassed by these pictures. Have you ever walked into a room and realized for the first time that it is terribly outdated and in need of a major overhaul? I can live with something for years, then suddenly realize I need to dynamite the whole thing and start over. That's what happened with this bathroom...
I'll start by talking about all the painting and refinishing that I did for this bathroom redo...
Refinishing the Cabinetry
We started the renovation by gutting the whole bathroom. Every single item in the bathroom was replaced except one -- the cabinetry. After pricing cabinetry I decided to refinish what we had rather than buy new, and I'm so glad I did. Not only did it give me experience in refinishing woodwork, but I love the finished product! We designed and had our home built in the early '90s. The cabinets in this room were typical solid oak cabinets that were found in many new homes back then. Here's an up-close of the oak cabinetry before the redo...
I started the refinishing work by taking off the doors and front of the drawers and having them stripped at a local refinishing store. Looking back I think this was unnecessary. I could have just as easily sanded them down, but at the time I thought stripping them would be the best approach. I did sand down the box part of the cabinetry with my orbit sander and after the doors were stripped I also sanded them down. Here's a photo of the cabinet (without the doors and drawers) laying on its back after the sanding was completed...
I then put two coats of Kilz2 Latex Primer Sealer Stainblocker on the cabinet and doors using a small sponge roller for the flat areas and a brush for the curved areas of the door. Then I added three coats of Behr paint matched to the color of Valspar Seagull Gray -- sanding it lightly before the last coat. The paint looks white in the photos, but it is a beautiful light gray that goes with the tile we used around the bath. I also added new drawer pulls and hinges. (Update: I was asked in a comment if you can see the grain of the oak cabinets after painting. There is a texture to oak cabinets after you paint them, but to me it isn't obvious or distasteful.) Here's the finished product...
Mirror
As you can see in the first photo the mirror on the wall before the redo was just a flat sheet. I knew I wanted a framed mirror and searched high and low for one. I also priced the snap on frames that surround a flat mirror like we had. I couldn't find anything ready-made that I liked, so I bought a frame at Hobby Lobby (at 60% off). The frame was originally black, so I spray painted it a light gray and added a white glaze. The glaze is very subtle, but it lightened the color of the frame and added dimension to its details. After the frame was completed I took the old mirror and new frame to a framing store. They cut down the old mirror and mounted it in my new frame...
After the frame was spray painted gray and before the glazing...
Finished mirror...
Wall Paint
Nothing complicated here. I used Behr Paint -- Ultra Pure White. Clean and beautiful!
Wall Decor
I wanted a very clean, uncomplicated look for this bathroom, and I think I accomplished that in many ways, but the last thing I added was a pop of color in wall decor. I bought three small framed mirrors at Hobby Lobby. There were two turquoise frames and one mustard colored frame. I repainted one of the turquoise frames gray and replaced the mirrors in all three with a piece of fabric. The fabric added a splash of color and complimented the colors already found in the room -- gray and pink.
Linked to:
Saturday Night Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life
