Bathroom Vanity Painting Treatment Tutorial

Top of the mornin’ to ya! I’m feeling pretty chipper today, knowing that we have GORGEOUS weather ahead of us this whole week. On the agenda? Plant the veggie garden! Nick is outside tilling as.we.speak. We’re a little behind, I know… but we like to break the mold.

SPEAKING of mold…

Just kidding. No mold that I know of.

So yo, I painted the vanity base in the upstairs bathroom, and did a little ‘treatment’ to it that turned out fabulous. But before I break it down, let’s review and reminisce together over the progress photos of said vanity. Cue the music (think Enya).

As you can see, we extended the vanity to fill the whole wall and maximize what limited space we have. This added tons of storage, and well… it just looks better. We also built a butcher block counter (tutorial in the works!), installed a new faucet, and vessel sink! This is where we left you last…

Since then, I primed the g-awful putrid green walls, because it was cramping my style and preventing me from enjoying our sweet vanity to the fullest. Still haven’t decided between white walls and light gray, but there’s no rush just yet. I’d much rather live with streaky primer for a time.

After sanding the base baby’s-butt-smooth, I dry brushed on some BRIGHT RED paint… being as careless as possible and leaving wood showing through here and there.

I’m not a red kinda girl, and for a split second, I thought about leaving it (!!!).

But instead, I dry-brushed on some gray (leftover from my hallway stencil project), and left some of the red peeking through here and there.

After letting that dry, I went at it with some 100 grit sandpaper. I just wanted to smooth out any brush-strokes and rough up the edges and corners where ‘normal’ wear and tear would happen on an old piece of furniture.

I took a rag, dipped it in Rustoleum Golden Oak Stain, and wiped it on to make the spots where there’s exposed wood look more aged, and just generally make the whole piece look more weathered and authentic. Then I wiped the stain off with a dry cloth.

I love how the the butcher block countertop is so glossy and chic, and the base is so rugged. Contrast at it’s finest!

I’ve got an idea for the backsplash that I’m 95% crazy-excited about, and 5% terrified that it’s not going to turn out as planned. How’s that for a cliff-hanger?

We’re loving how the bathroom is coming together, and I’m so glad that the construction part is over with so I can participate! And Nick is enjoying the break and spending his time in the garden and chillin with the babes… SO CUTE.

To catch up on our bathroom vanity progression, check out these posts!

Extending the Vanity

Installing a Faucet

Vessel Sink