Let me just start out by saying that I waited WAY too long to do our bathroom makeover. Yep, I got ready for 4 years in that turquoise and yellow bathroom..what!?. Although this isn’t a huge bathroom renovation or big budget makeover..it is still quite the before and after if I say so myself!
The BEFORE
The AFTER
Because I didn’t want to paint all the cabinets (because I despise that), I decided to just try sanding down my base cabinets to make it look more natural and less ‘orange’. Not only that, but I thought by painting the tall cabinet white, it would make it feel more open and clunky.
NOTES
- I’m actually delightfully surprised about the cabinet. I sanded it down and just added 2 coats of matte polyurethane. SO MUCH EASIER.
- I really wanted to try adhesive faux moroccan floor tiles..but, womp womp, they didn’t work.
- I thought about painting aa floor pattern, but I knew we would be selling within the year and didn’t want it to look cheap.
01 :: Trim/Cabinet Color 02 :: Classic Gray Walls 03 :: Basket 04 :: Cabinet Pulls 05 :: Canisters 06 :: Faucet 07 :: Artwork 08 :: Light Fixture 09 :: Hardware
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Hi,
Love the cabinets! Could you give me some more info for exactly how you got that look?
I just sanded them (to remove the gloss/etc) and put a matte poly as a protectant :) That’s all!
is there a certain color of polyurethane u used. Can u post a picture of which one u used pls.
I think just Minwax Matte Poly? I did this in our old house so I dont have it anymore. But found it at Home Depot!
I have glossy oak cabinets and I’m curious what level of effort and elbow grease it took you to get your finish off ? Yours look great could you give more detail about your sanding process? What grit you used? Did you use an electric sander, etc.?
Thanks!
I cannot remember the grit, but I would say medium grit to start and could always do a fine one after. And yes, highly recommend a palm sander! I did that and then just did the corners by hand. The whole process was sooo much quicker than painting!
Girl, you killed it! I love that you painted they tall cabinet and left the vanity natural wood. It looks amazzzing! 🖤
Where are your vase and stems from? It all looks so good!
Michaels or Hobby Lobby!
Oh I LOVE this post! I desperately want to upgrade my kitchen cabinets without painting. I too would love a step by step post of the process. Your website is stunning.
Of course! 1. Sand (used a palm sander and by hand in corners) 2. Wipe dust off with water 3. Apply 2 Matte Polyurethane Finish Coats! https://www.lowes.com/pd/Minwax-Polycrylic-8-fl-oz-Matte-Water-based-Polyurethane/999918674
Looks great! I did the same with my 90s bathroom cabinet a few months ago. In my case painting would have been easier due to the cabinet shape but I like the natural look. I see you painted the wood trim, did you do that through the house or just the bathroom? I’m struggling with that in my own space.
Yeah, I’ve never tried it and it was so much easier than painting (win-win)! And yes, besides that the taller cabinet is the same white, all of our doors and trim in the house was also White Dove ;)
If you don’t mind me asking… what sheen did you go with the trim?
We do satin on all trim/doors/cabinets and eggshell on walls :)
I love your bathroom – it looks gorgeous! Was also wondering where you got your shower curtain. Love it!
Good ol’ Target!
Hi! This is gorgeous. Where is your olive stem from? Great work!
I believe Michaels or Hobby Lobby (years ago ;)
You did a great job, very inspiring! I have oak & don’t want to paint them & have to worry about it chipping off & looking bad! Did you use a filter on your after picture?
Thanks 😊
Thanks! I had to lighten the photo, simply because there is no natural light and didn’t want the lights above the sink on for pics (too blown out). But, it’s actually pretty spot-on in comparison to real life. If anything the photos gave it a very slight pink hue and more of a contrast with the wood grain..which didn’t seem as noticeable IRL. – These were oak and I thought turned out great, especially considering how much cheaper and easier it was than painting! – BUT, keep in mind that the other reason I couldn’t do the same sanded down look on the tall cabinet is because the side piece (going up to the wall to the right of the sink) was not real wood..so I had no choice but to paint the tall cabinet!
I love this! I noticed you have knobs in originals and drawer pulls in the after photo. How did you fill existing holes with the natural finish?
Good question! I did my best to simply try to match wood filler color. If you went in and looked for it, you’d probably see one or two, but most matched And filled well!
Beautiful! How did you get rid of the hole that the original knob was in??? For the cabinets I mean?
I just found a matching wood filler color :) – if you look close enough on a couple of drawers you can slightly see it, but to the unknown eye, it blends well!
It looks beautiful! How did you do the frame on the mirror?
That was already there when we moved in, I just painted it black :)
What did you do for painting the white cabinet? Did you do anything to remove/hide the oak grain?
Hi there, I pretty much did the same steps as this for the front and doors (since the side was just printed wood and cannot be sanded, just primed/painted). https://saffronavenue.com/blog/our-first-home/painting-kitchen-cabinets-our-process/. — If your cabinets are super ‘knotty’ you actually might need to add an extra step to cover them (with spackle or something).
This is FANTASTIC! I’m curious if you think it would work on a vanity with an espresso finish. Can I sand that off too?
Great work!
Hi there, You could try, just test is on the back of a door. Also, keep in mind that if you have any ‘particle’ board sides, you cannot sand that down. That is why I had to paint the tall cabinet (that tall side is not real wood but printed).
Hello, did you sand in between coats of the poly?
I did not ;)
I love this. We’re moving into a home soon that we want to update but not drop huge cash on for professional renos. This is the exact style I’m hoping for, and I’m ecstatic it’s going to be in our realm of possibility!! 😂 Thank you for sharing all of this info!
Aww, that is so exciting! Have fun with the process..you’ll be surprised how much paint can make a difference! We really didn’t spend much on this house ‘makeover’ besides paint!
I have the exact same vanity and long cabinet and it’s an amazing idea to keep them different yet complimenting. Love it !! Can’t wait to try the same. How long did you wait after wiping the dust with a wet cloth and applying the poly ?
Hi there,
I did it right away!