cabinet facelift

If you’ve been following along, you might remember my bathroom project – from long, long ago. Okay, so this project is taking forever. I’m learning the hard way, that projects on a vacation home kind of drag…..

Anyway - as part of that project, I gave the builder’s stock cabinet a little facelift. To refresh your memory, here it is before. Sorry - bad angle, but you are all probably familiar with cabinets like these.

I admit there was a part of me that said “don’t even bother” and another part of me that felt skeptical about painting laminate. So I did one of the things I do best – research.

Zinser Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 primer was highly recommended for laminate. I’m pretty sure there are others that will work, but this one requires no sanding (I sanded a little, anyway) and it is supposed to have great gripping power.

I thought about painting it something dark (more rustic) but wanted to keep it pretty neutral, so I chose a soft off-white color (BM Muslin). It’s just slightly darker than the paint I used on the walls.

The part of me that tends towards traditional style probably would have left the cabinet like this. I really like that the new hardware adds a little bit of a rustic touch. Even so, this is not saying "cabin" to me.

So against every impulse in me that was screaming “Noooooo!!!!!”, I lightly sanded the painted surface, sanding it down to the wood is some spots. Then I used Minwax stain in Provisional which I brushed on with a foam brush, immediately wiping it down with a cloth. (Sorry – no pictures of this process. I was much too traumatized to be thinking of photos.)

I probably could have distressed it a little more - but really, this is all I could handle. This room is so narrow, it's really hard to get a good shot.

We’re going to be switching out the faucet, and framing the mirror.

Here it is in process – after my first failed attempt. (Please ignore all the piles of stuff you see in the reflection) There are lots of tutorials out on the web for framing a mirror – and when they say to use Liquid Nails – please, please, please use Liquid Nails. Not all glue is created equal!

After a minor melt-down that went something like
“I JUST WANT THIS PROJECT TO BE DONE NOW!!!!!”
(there may have also been a little stomping around)
We tried again, and this seems to be working – if it doesn’t, there will just be no frame on the mirror. I’ll let you know….

I’m happy with the finished cabinet. Of course, the cabinet I really want would be something like this -

Pottery Barn William Sink Console

But I am liking this change – a lot!

So now our bathroom is almost done – phew!

I am joining:
The Newbie Party at Debbiedoo's
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Power of Paint at Domestically Speaking

Thanks for dropping in!