One Room Challenge

Welcome to week 4 of the fall 2017 One Room Challenge! Over the next two weeks I will transform my downstairs half bathroom from a brown disaster to a room that is light and bright.

THE PROJECT PLAN

I will finish this project over the course of the next few weeks. This week my focus was on painting the cabinet white. I am so excited to share the results with you! The room is starting to take shape. All of the brown paint is gone!

The project plan by week is as follows:

Week two – sand, prime, and paint trim and window
Week three – prime and paint walls
Week four – sand, prime, and paint cabinet
Week five – remove existing toilet and add a new toilet
Week six – sew new curtain and add decorative elements to the space

PROJECT RECAP

In week one I presented my design plan. In week two I painted the trim and window. In week three I painted the walls. In week four I painted the bathroom cabinet. In week 5 my husband and I installed a new toilet and I sewed curtains for the window. In week 6 I began adding decor elements to the room.

Want to read more? You can catch up clicking the links below:

WEEK FOUR | GETTING STARTED

When we started this project, the bathroom was dark from a brown paint that was not right for the space. Last week I painted the walls a light beige/gray color named Toasted White by Behr. This is my starting point for this week:

PROJECT TOOLS

On the plan for this week is to sand, prime, and paint the cabinet. In order to make this happen, I needed a few great tools.

The paint that I am using this week is ProClassic by Sherwin Williams. This paint is an interior acrylic latex that self levels as you paint. This is left over paint from when I painted my built-in bookcase in my living room. (You can read that post here.) The self leveling component makes painting easy; it levels so you won’t see brush marks. This also means less sanding in between coats.

I am a huge fan of sanding blocks. We have an electric sander, but it doesn’t get into tight spaces very well. I have learned from the previous rooms that we have painted that using sanding blocks is the way to go. The cabinet I am painting is on the smaller side, but I still recommend picking up a few. The first sanding block is rougher; I picked up the roughest that was available. This gets the job done that much faster and with less effort.

I also picked up a fine sanding block. This one is 220 grit. This is a finishing block. I used this block to lightly sand some areas in between coats.

When it comes to getting a smooth finish, use a good brush. I only buy Purdy brushes. The one shown is my current favorite. It is 2 inch angled brush. It has quite a bit of paint on the handle. This just shows you how much it is loved. Invest in a good brush and you will have fewer issues with rough finishes and bristles will fall out less often. If you take good care of cleaning your brushes between uses, they will last you a life time. It makes them well worth the $12 price tag.

THE PROCESS

I started with sanding the cabinet with my extra course sanding block. Remember to wear safety goggles so you don’t get debris in your eyes. Next, I removed the doors from the cabinet. Removing the doors made it easier to get a better finish. I highly recommend not painting a cabinet with the doors attached.

There were screws for the door hardware inside the cabinet. I had to crawl in to get them off! My husband caught a glimpse of me under the cabinet. I am so glad he did because this is such a funny photo! I didn’t work on the entire project in a dress.

I am incredibly aware of how white my legs are. I could use a tan.

After removing the doors, I placed all of the hardware, including screws into a plastic bag. This made it easier to locate all of the tiny parts when putting the doors back on the cabinet.

Here is a shot of the cabinet before I started painting:

Side view of the cabinet:

Next, I cleaned the cabinet really well. I vacuumed the cabinet to remove as much debris as possible. I then used mild soap and water to clean up the remaining dust.

After cleaning really, really well, I primed the cabinet with Kilz primer. I used two coats to ensure that I had a good base.

After my primer dried, I painted several coats of the Sherwin Williams ProClassic acrylic paint. It took me five coats before the wood grain stopped popping through. It was a long, arduous process. But, it was worth it!

I had a curious puppy that was very interested in the blue tape on the floor. Mimi was responsible for pulling up all of the tape that outside the bathroom door. Every time I caught her picking at the tape, I would yell at her. She would get startled and run away. A few minutes later she would be back at picking at the tape. She is just so funny!

THE RESULTS

I have spent three entire weekends, back to back, working in this bathroom. I am finally beginning to see the room come together. All the time spent is beginning to feel worth it. The light walls and the bright trim make the room inviting…even though it is only a bathroom.

We have updated the outlets. My husband changed out the beige outlet and outlet cover. He did the same thing for the light switch. This little touch made such a big difference.

It took a little while to finish painting the cabinet as it took so many coats of paint.

I let the doors cure for a few days before putting the doors back on the cabinet. This is a good idea in order to ensure that the paint doesn’t smudge or chip. My husband surprised me with putting the doors back on while I was at work. I was shocked when I got home to see how great the cabinet looks. Overall, I am really proud how this cabinet came out.

One Room Challenge | Week 4 Half Bath Makeover