Everyone needs to understand how to paint a bathroom vanity. They often look 'quite uninspiring and have no character out of the box.' If your vanity remains unchanged from the time you get it, your bathroom may not be able to reach its potential. Simply by a single brush of paint, you can expand the elegance of your bathroom by a notable amount.
The bathroom is no longer a place where we just go to wash. Up until today, we all love to waste time in front of the mirror, in the tub, or just sitting on the toilet reminiscing about the day — or will be — there. Well, it looks too plain, and you will not want to spend time there.
However, you have the power to alter the appearance of the bathroom. Start by painting the vanity. An easy one as it is more visible and big, and anyway it is probably the most “paint-able†feature. Most of the bathroom wall is tile in the first place. Since you need a bit of color, you have to put it on the vanity.
And dare we say, you accompany us on this step by step journey to paint your bathroom vanity?
What You'll Need?
- 80 to 150 grit sandpaper
- Paintbrush
- Screwdriver
- Primer
- Painters tape
- Cleaner (degreasing)
- A piece of sponge
- Enough paint
- Small painting roller
- Covers for floor and other items in the bathroom
- Small bowl or box to keep small items
- Whitewood filler
- Fan
Choose the Right Paint
The type of paint you buy will determine the outcome of your vanity restoration. Latex / water based paint or oil based paint are the two types of paints that you have a choice of. The latter is better because its smell tends to dissipate faster. Oil based and semi gloss paints have good leveling but take a long time to dissipate odor. Today, latex paints have leveling ability comparable to oil based paints. These paints are also rather durable. If you do not want to use either latex or oil based paints, chalk finish paint is your alternative. Unlike the first two, this paint kind doesn't require primer application before you can apply the paint. This way you save money and time.
Which paint brush should you use?
There are certain features to consider when choosing a brush for painting your bathroom vanity. One of them is that the brush should be a zero to low shedding variety. This way, it is able to keep the bristles in perfect condition while the painting is underway. The brush should also be capable of applying different types of paints. After painting your vanity, you may anticipate placing a coat of wax on your ancient furniture. You need such a brush which is not too tough and dirty at the same time leaving no traces of old paint. However, the Brossum 2-in-1 brush For Wax and Chalk does an excellent job. It also has an ergonomic handle so you can work longer without cramping your wrist.
Best Ways to paint bathroom vanity
Knowing how to paint bathroom vanity is all nice and well. However, doing the actual job requires patience, time, and precision that is almost military. You should set aside enough time; say about 3 days for it.
Here is a step-by-step process for painting a bathroom vanity:
Step 1: Choose a good place to do the job
You need to choose a good location with a lot of open space and natural light. Additionally, the space should have proper ventilation. The faster the doors and the vanity dry after painting, the more air that can get into the room.
When you select the space, lay a covering over the floor/ground so you don't get the paint on places you’re not wanting. Once you've painted the doors, you’ll want to put them somewhere. Lay a cover to prepare the place before.
Step 2: Bring in a fan
Cabinet paint has a strong lingering odor. Dissipating the smell quickly is not just the windows being open. To do this, you need to have exactly a working fan so that you pump it up as you paint. You will also need to keep the fan running 24 hours after painting.
After 24 hours if you have bought high quality vanity or cabinet paint, the strong smell should be gone and you will have your bathroom back. Or, you can have a standalone fan that you can plug into the nearest socket. Use a ceiling or wall-mounted fan for the bathroom, if you have one.
Step 3: Remove the cabinet doors and the metal parts
There’s never going to be paint on the metal handles and hinges that a professional painter would do. Truth is, even though you are a DIY lover there is still a part of you that wishes for the outcome to look great. So, remove the cabinet doors and get your screwdriver, then take out their metal parts. Take out the door handles and hinges. If your vanity has drawers, take them apart, hookless and handleless.
Step 4: Clean the vanity and the doors
No matter how much care you have given your vanity, it will still have dust in some places. Therefore, clean the doors and the vanity. That is why we put a cleaner in the list of things necessary.
Clean everything up after removing the doors and the metal hardware. Degreasing cleaners perform best. Once clean, wipe it clean with water, let it dry, it will be spotless on the vanity and doors.
So check the inside of the vanity carefully for any signs of mold or mildew. If there are any, then you will need a bleaching product in your cleaning solution. Mold is a serious indoor allergen and prefers dark and moist places to grow. In the bathroom, the vanity is an ideal environment for mold.
The most important thing to take away from this is that you should not let the cleaning solution dry because you are going to want to clean it off. You may need to consider that the paint you apply to the vanity may be affected. This is why it is better to clean one door at a time.
Step 5: Sand the vanity and the doors
If you touch your hands on the surface of the vanity and the door, you will sense they are very smooth. The problem with smooth surfaces is that they don't hold the primer or the paint very well.
When you sand them, they have some roughness, which is perfect for the paint. Now, the sanding needs to be light, not so much that it eats all the wood. You can use 120 or 150 grit, but 80 grit will do. Wring out a wet piece of cloth, douse the vanity and the doors with it, and wipe off the dust.
Step 6: Fill holes with wood filler if there are any
Wood filler can be used to cover any nail holes on the vanity or on the doors. If you’re using an older vanity, you might not want to bother to put the handles and hinges back to where they were original. In that case, you need to put the filler in those old holes.
You will then need to scrub out any excess when the filler is dry. When it is like that you will see that it forms lumps on the surface but you need the surface to be levelled. Lastly, you can use a scraper to remove excess filler. Once done, take a light sanding under the entire surface so that it becomes even.
You may have to vacuum off the white dust if you did a lot of sanding. Hence, you require a vacuum cleaner. But if you worked on only a few holes, then use a damp piece of cloth to wipe all the dust away. As dust is very easy to spread and can spoil the result of your painting job, wipe everything with a damp cloth.
Step 7: Tape off the counter, floor, and walls
Protect any area that shouldn’t be painted from splashes and dots of paint. Tape off the walls, floors, and counter with your painter’s tape.
Once you begin painting, you will paint faster than without this protective tape. For those who don't paint, make the tape bigger to secure more area. This way, even the smallest splashes will not end up in places they are not wanted.
Step 8: Prepare your paint
Cabinet paints are available in most cases, ready to paint. But certain will need to be stirred to a point where it’s ready for painting. Paint you have to thin is rare, but if you do, it's easy. If you’re using water based latex paint, you’ll want to thin it with water. If you are painting with oil based paints, then use turpentine, or any other paint thinner product that is recommended for the paint you bought.
Step 9: Applying your coat of primer
The paint is most likely manufacturer specific in quality and volume. Even if it wasn’t painted, it may have been stained a certain color and maybe even had a coat of wax or varnish applied. You need a primer because this is why.
The best primers dry fast. They are also sticky, so they cover the old varnish, stain, or paint completely after the priming, so that you are done with the priming. You might not need to reach for a primer but you will need to apply 2 or more coats of paint for a better result.
It’s the same as painting as far as applying the primer. This means you therefore need to start with your brush from difficult to reach places such as the edges and any sunken areas available in the terrarium. Once you have applied the primer to the large part of the big surface(s), you can then use a roller to do the rest of the surfaces. You need to prime any surface you want to paint, including the interior of the vanity.
Apply the primer following the instructions above and allow it to dry overnight. To enhance the drying time, you can keep your fan running all the time.
Step 10: Painting the hard to reach spaces with a brush
The day after applying the primer you paint. Start with the brush again. With a brush, paint the hard to reach areas. It includes the corners and edges. Lightly dip the end of the bristles into the paint and apply a coat once they are halfway into the paint. This way you will not get beading or rolling paint.
Besides streaking everywhere, even with paintbrushes, there is a good style to avoid. Simply brush lightly over the area that you have painted. Any streaks should be taken care of now.
Step 11: Painting the vanity and the doors
Now it is time to start painting the larger surfaces and priming the edges and corners. You can use your roller so that you can do a faster job. Roller about halfway into the paint. Once you start rolling it over the surface that you are painting, then it will spread all over the roller.
You can paint in zigzag patterns but brush the roller over painted areas to spread the paint evenly. Paint one side first and let it dry, then flip the doors around to paint the other side. Keep your brush nearby so you can touch any areas that the roller misses.
Can you use a roller to paint a bathroom vanity?
Yes, you can. But you should refrain from using a large roller. Small roller, buy one and gently roll it and use it top to bottom or in zigzag patterns and then use it to blend the paint together. To dip the roller halfway into the paint, you should be careful. A roller leaves no streaks as it is unlike a brush. Roll the roller back and forth to distribute the paint evenly over the surface. Paint the vanity in zigzag patterns, then fill in the remaining gaps.
How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Bathroom Vanity?
Overall, you can spend between $590 and $1320 to paint a bathroom vanity. The bigger it is the more you will spend and vice versa. The cost can be calculated on an sq. foot basis. A square foot can cost between $4.95 and $11.00. Of course, if you will be doing the job yourself, you will spend less since you do not have to pay a pro. To determine how much it will cost you to paint your bathroom vanity, you need to get the measurements right. Starting with the cost of the materials, a gallon of latex, shellac, multi-purpose or oil-based primer should cost you between $8 and $10. Cabinet paint costs about $25 per gallon. As you can see, there are many dynamics to consider. However, you can use online calculators to estimate the cost of painting bathroom vanity.
Final Verdict
Follow the 11 steps that we have discussed here on how to paint your bathroom vanity to give your old bathroom a new lease of life. If you do everything right, you will get the same results that a professional would and save yourself a substantial amount of money in the process. You have also seen the estimated cost of painting the bathroom vanity. Whether you hire a pro or you do it yourself, you have seen how easy it is to give your bathroom a spanking new look.
