How To Repaint Your Bathroom Cabinets

How To Repaint Your Bathroom Cabinets – Painting my daughter’s bathroom vanity has been on my to-do list for YEARS, but somehow other projects always come first, never getting completed. As we continue the master bathroom addition, my girls bathroom is the only bathroom left untouched. I finally decided to put this project at the top of the to-do list and get it done before my oldest daughter got back from college for the holidays. Now I’m kicking myself for not doing this years ago because it makes such a difference in how the space looks! By using the right painting and painting tools, you’ll never know it was DIY and not a job I hired to do professionally.

From a distance it doesn’t look too bad, but the black cabinets combined with the black armoire give the room a really dark feel. And up close you can see that the closet doors are a hot mess with a lot of wear and tear from the previous owner:

How To Repaint Your Bathroom Cabinets

With just a gallon of paint, the right tools, and a little DIY, I say hello to my freshly painted, shiny, light women’s bathroom!

How To Paint A Bathroom Cabinet Or Vanity Unit

While it might seem like a daunting task, with the right tools and knowledge, it’s a project even a novice can tackle. If it’s a project you’re thinking of doing, this post will give you a step-by-step guide on how to do it! Let’s go…

The first step is to remove the dresser doors and drawers and any hardware so that what’s left is the frame:

Be sure to take pictures or notes and label the hardware you’re removing so you know what’s going back when it’s time to restore your vanity.

Lots of people paint in the basement or garage, but unless there’s a lot of sanding involved, I prefer to set up a shop where I have good natural light and a TV 🙂 (I don’t mind painting a bit if I can eat too much – watch Netflix while you’re at it) !). My highlight is our bonus room at the top of the stairs as there is a large open space for us to use. I laid the fabric on the floor and made a folding table covered with a second fabric to place all the closet and cupboard doors.

Coffee, Caramel & Cream: How To Paint Your Bathroom Vanity

Preparation is important and starts with cleaning all the areas you are going to paint. Even if your closet doors don’t look dirty, you might be surprised what you can get out of them with a good cleaning! There are several products you can use, but I use a small leave-in TSP such as . Using a clean cloth dipped in the solution, rub all void areas thoroughly (don’t forget gloves and eye protection).

If you are replacing cabinet hardware and the new hardware is in a different location than the old one, now is the time to fill in the old holes. I also usually pushed wood filler into the holes on both sides and removed the excess filler:

If your cabinets have marks or scratches, fill those in too. After the wood filler is dry, sand the filled holes, cuts, and scratches thoroughly:

Sometimes you will find that the holes in the hardware need a second coat of wood putty to sand it down completely. Also lightly sand (I use 220 grit sandpaper) all the areas you will be painting, including the vanity frame, doors and drawers. Sanding is an important step to help the primer and paint adhere, especially if your cabinets are as shiny as mine:

Diy Bathroom Vanity Makeover

After everything is sanded, dust off the sand and wipe down all surfaces with a clean microfiber cloth. I finish off my prep by cleaning all surfaces using a liquid degreaser which cleans up any remaining dust particles and is an added guarantee that you will get good primer and paint adhesion.

The next step is brushing and wrapping in a bonding primer. Since my bathroom vanity was previously stained and coated with a high-gloss polyurethane, I chose Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond Primer formulated to adhere to hard-to-bond surfaces. It really sticks to anything – I highly recommend it! one that I’ve used a few times is a good choice! I started by rolling the back and sides of the vanity door so that the door was placed on four legs to lift it over the table I was painting on. When it was completely dry, I turned the door over to paint the front, using a brush and roller combination.

Having the right tools makes all the difference in this step and in every other part of this project. If you’re guilty of spending days thinking about paint colors, but then grab the nearest brush and roller from the shelf to use, think again the next time you have a painting project. Investing in high quality tools will save you from getting a lot of brush marks and lint from using cheap products and can ruin your final finish. Ever since I took a painting class with Jeff as a newlywed and we were told Purdy had the best brushes and rollers, it’s what I’ve always used – I still own and use a few Purdy brushes I bought 20 years ago:

Then I quickly roll out any flat areas using a small tray like this (Note: make sure to use a ¼” roller instead of a ⅜” roller – you’ll get a smoother finish!):

Tips For Painting A Bathroom Vanity {& Our Playroom Bathroom}

While you don’t have to rush from blending to rolling, you’ll get the best results if you lean in before the brushed paint dries. And don’t forget to put an empty frame too:

After letting the main door front dry overnight, lightly sand any sharp surfaces (I like to use a sanding pad like this one) and dust off the sanding with a microfiber cloth or cloth. Then it’s time to paint! As a primer, start by buffing the paint to the back and sides of the vanity doors and drawers. Once it’s completely dry, flip it over and use a brush and roller combo on the front, as you would a primer. The key to getting a smooth finish is using the right paint, brush, and roller for the job.

For the paint, I used Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel in Semi-gloss, which gives the durable finish you want on a bathroom vanity. I chose Alabaster for my white paint color with just a touch of heat (quick tip: when choosing a white paint color, use cool white if your vanity is a cool color and warm white if your vanity is a cool color). warm). I use the Purdy 1.5″ Nylox Glide brush combo:

With a small ¼” roller to sleep like I do when I’m getting ready. A combination of a Purdy brush and a small roller creates a beautiful, very smooth finish:

Painting A Bathroom Vanity

In addition to painting both sides of the vanity doors and drawers, remember to paint the bathroom vanity frame as well.

Once you’ve applied a coat of paint to the frame and front and back of the vanity door and everything is completely dry, lightly sand any painted areas and repeat the process with a second coat of paint.

After the last coat of paint, let the doors and drawers dry for a day or two before attaching them to the dresser. If you are adding new hardware, drill new holes before replacing doors and drawers, and add new hardware last:

Replace all accessories connected to it. The false cabinet panels under each sink in my daughter’s bathroom have small trays that slope outward and hold toothbrushes and toothpaste for rebinding:

Bathroom Vanity Makeover

And the big door in the middle that looks like a closet is actually attached to the takeout basket, so I had to reinstall the freshly painted door in front of it:

It can take a week or two for the paint to cure to 100%, so treat your vanity to a little more TLC for the first few weeks, quickly cleaning anything that gets into it. Oh, and don’t forget to admire the difference a few hours of DIY can make in your bathroom:

I kept a tight budget for my bathroom renovation so I didn’t make expensive changes like changing the mirrors or lighting, but I made two other inexpensive changes that made a big difference. The first is that I changed the color of the date glass in the light above the mirror to . I was amazed at the difference it made!

I also painted the walls in the bathroom –

Before And After Vanity Makeovers You Need To See

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