In this post I share about a cheap, easy, and quick update that I did to our home’s half bath. A little paint goes a long way in this dark, hidden bathroom tucked away in our 1980s-era home. Valspar Tempered Gray takes this room from gloomy to bright in just a couple hours. Continue to see full before and after pictures!
Tucked in the very back corner of our upstairs/main level is a half bath that we always forget about. While I’ve been busy the last few months updating the rest of the house, this bathroom sat untouched.
A few weeks ago I was in there and realized that this would probably be the main restroom that our guests used when we hosted Faith’s baby shower. It sits right by the side door that leads out to the patio, so I knew it would be the most accessible. This realization lit a fire under me to finally give this half bath the TLC it desperately needed.
The “before” picture below was after the trim was painted and caulked.
Another reason we rarely used this bathroom was because it felt very dark due to the the dark beige walls, black mirror, and outdated oak vanity.
I snapped this picture below right before I started slapping some paint on the walls (Valspar Tempered Gray). Again, I’d already painted the doorway and trim and replaced the brown hollow door with a white six panel door.
First things first. Let’s address that pink countertop. For the life of me I can’t figure out why a previous home owner shelled out money for pinkish granite for not just one bathroom but two (Hadley’s), but they did. Right now replacing these countertops falls about #20 on a list of pricier things we’d like to updated, and because we’re only going to be here a couple more years, you can bet those countertops aren’t going anywhere. At least they’re granite?
Err. Moving on.
I wanted this bathroom to feel very bright and airy, so I went with Valspars Tempered Gray in a satin finish. It’s my favorite wall color I’ve used in this house so far, and that’s saying a lot because I’ve used a ton of paint! If I would have discovered this color when we first moved in, I probably would have considered painting the whole house in it. I love it that much!
After I painted the walls with Valspar Tempered Gray, I gave the floor vent and toilet paper holder a quick update with some Rustoleum metallic black spray paint.
I’d had my eye on this frame from Target for a couple months, so I finally scooped it up a couple weeks ago as decor for this windowless room. My general shopping rule of thumb is if I can’t stop thinking about something for weeks or months that it might be time to go back and buy it. 🙂 I printed out some of my favorite landscape pictures I’ve taken from around the world and displayed them in this frame.
I painted the mirror with two coats of white American chalk paint from Home Depot and then lightly distressed it with sandpaper. Finally, I gave the mirror a quick layer of Minwax Finishing Wax to give the mirror a finished look and feel.
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I was terrified to paint the oak vanity because it’s such a permanent piece, so I read a bunch of tips I found on Pinterest and finally got to work.
I got started when I put down Hadley for her afternoon nap around noon, and I was screwing the hardware and doors back on after dinner at 7:30. By far this was one of the easiest and fastest projects I’ve done yet. I’d definitely overrated how difficult this project would be!
One coat down!
The pictures make the vanity look more greenish, but it’s actually the perfect shade of true gray. I saved some money by using paint I already had in the basement that I used to paint my master bedroom (another one of my favorite paint colors in the house). It’s Sherwin William’s “Dorian Gray”.
After taking the hardware and doors off, I gave the whole thing a thorough sanding with my block hand sander to get rid of the gloss, wiped the dust off, and then started painting. I gave it two coats with one light sand in between. Once it was dry I rubbed on one coat of wax and let that set for a little bit before putting everything back together.
It was that easy!
Do you see that we have a bathroom guestbook? You should totally get one too because they’re awesome! My family received one as a gag gift from my older cousin when I was in middle school, but it actually became the most incredible record keeper for our teen and college years. Every time our friends would come over they’d sign it, and I still enjoy going home and flipping through that book every once in a while. It’s hilarious to read!
My brother is a goofball and gifted one to both me and my sister this past Christmas, and we were pumped! Now I’m excited to have one to document our Army journey. A bunch of guys from the shower this past weekend made some hysterical entries that I gave me a good chuckle the next day.
For the rest of the decor I just threw together a few random things I had floating around the basement waiting for a home. 🙂
Here’s a before and after to show just how far a little paint can go!
Wall color: Valspar Tempered Gray
Vanity paint color: Sherwin Williams “Dorian Gray”
Matching rug & hand towel:
Burlap faux flower arrangement: Miss Lucille’s (Clarksville, TN local store)
Silver crown decor: Miss Lucille’s (Clarksville, TN local store)
Window picture frame:
Bathroom guestbook:
Sunflower floral arrangement: Hobby Lobby
Want to see our full home tour? Click here!
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo