Last Updated on September 24, 2019 by lindseymahoney
Week 3 of the Half Bath Renovation Challenge and we are making some good progress! This week is all about half bath paint projects!
I want to apologize for missing the update post last week! Work got crazy and then I jetted off to Tulum for my friends bachelorette party where there was little wifi (and little motivation to do anything other than sitting on the beach and drinking a Pacifico).
The sunrise in Tulum
But back to the challenge!
The prep to get here was a little brutal, but it was worth it. Once the wallpaper and glue were gone, I had to patch a number of holes & nicks that were hiding under the wallpaper and sand them to make the walls as smooth as possible. Once the chair rail was off (since we had to remove the wallpaper underneath), I decided that I preferred them off of the walls for this renovation.
Project 1 | Paint the Walls
I mentioned before that we are planning on selling our house in a few years, so resale value is always in the back of my mind. Our home primarily has shades of grey and white on our walls so I wanted to punch it up a bit with paint in this small half bath. While Hale Navy is bolder, dark blue will appeal to many buyers.
HALE NAVY: This color is from Benjamin Moore and I love it! I didn’t want to pay the Benjamin Moore costs so I had this color matched at Home Depot. Since I painted bathroom walls, I purchased a gallon of semi-gloss Behr paint and had plenty left over after the 2 coats.
Without fail, whenever my husband helps with painting a room, he always asks, “do you think we could get away with one coat?” and my answer is always, “NO!”
I applied the first coat of paint to the walls and found that it was the perfect visual example for Chris to see all of the missed spots when you only apply one coat.
The visual was effective!
Here is how the half bath looks once both coats of paint were applied.
Project 2 | Baseboards & Trim
Next was a quick 2 coats of fresh paint on the trim so we could get the toilet assembled and working again. We have been using the same color palette throughout the house so we were able to use leftover paint from other projects. It is called Bit of Sugar and is a high gloss paint.
What a difference a coat of paint makes (baseboard on the left has a fresh coat applied)!
Project 3 | Mirror Refresh
The next paint project was to update the existing mirror by applying a fresh coat of white paint. I applied 1 layer of Kilz and then 2 coats of oil based white paint. I love when I get to repurpose materials I already own!
TIP: Be careful when washing out the paintbrush with oil-based paint. I used my usual method of cleaning brushes by pressing it in a circular motion on my hand under hot water and I immediately regretted it. The product is so thick and potent that it was smeared ALL over my hands! I spent 10 minutes or so scrubbing with dish soap and still had paint stuck to my hands for days.
Project 4 | Paint the Vanity
I began the vanity paint project by removing all drawers and doors and their hardware.
Next, I applied light sanding and thoroughly cleaned the surfaces to remove the remaining dust and grime. I applied one coat of Kilz and three coats of the oil-based white paint.
TIP: Oil based paint is better to use for furniture products because it goes on more smoothly than regular paint and is also more durable. The more durable a bathroom, the better!
There is still much to be done but we have made a big dent in our punch list!
Remaining Projects
- Finish painting trim
- Install toilet
- Install countertop
- Build shelves above the toilet
- Print hanging art piece
- Buy accessories
Thanks for checking in and don’t forget to stop by thedenverette.com to see Christie’s progress on her half bathroom!