Meg’s Bathroom Reno – The Vanity

*This post contains sponsored content. Though we were compensated with product, all ideas and opinions are 100% our own! We chose to be Brand Reps for CeCe Caldwell because we love her products!*

Y’all. I cannot tell you how many times I have to tell myself, “This is an investment property. This is going to be another rental. It’s not my forever home.” I say it again, and again, and again. When we PCSed to Bragg, we bought our second home. She’s got good bones, a solid roof, good foundation, but she hasn’t been (cosmetically) touched since she was custom built in 1980.

She needed work.

I like power tools.

It  was a good match.

The most difficult balancing act has been making the “wow” changes without spending the “wow” money. Our hall bathroom – which is our boys’ bathroom and our guest bathroom – needed a big change. There were two things that would change the space dramatically – replacing the single, tiny shower with a full tub/shower combo, and changing the cabinet/vanity.

The Before

I wanted a quartz countertop. It was a non-negotiable for me. I knew that to rip out the cabinet and countertop and replace it was out of the budget.  I also knew if I found a good remnant that fit the look, that would only leave about $100 in my cabinet/vanity budget.

I had to find a way to make the cabinet work. The size was good, the interior was great for storage. The layers of (oil-based) paint weren’t so good and the hardware was a definite no-go.

I was soooooooooooooo excited to try out CeCe Caldwell’s newest color “Duck Blue”. It was exactly what I was wanting for this space and I knew it would breathe new life into this piece. If I was using latex paint, I would have to sand down the oil-based paint, put an oil-based primer over it, and then paint layers of latex paint followed by layers of poly. That’s a lot of work and a lot of fumes for a small space. Not to mention, I had about three days total to finish the cabinet between when the drywall crew would be done and the tile guys would be in. CeCe Caldwell to the rescue!

With CeCe Caldwell’s I cleaned the piece and did very light, very quick sanding over the oil-based paint. Seriously very little work, very little time. After wiping the dust off and removing the doors and drawers, it was ready for paint.

I did three coats on the entire piece – allowing it to dry a 2-4 hours between each coat. I had the entire piece painted in a day. Next up was light distressing and sealing.

Two sanding blocks – use medium along the edges and a very fine grit over everything else.

All edges are distressed allowing the original white and some wood to show through.

Using two different grits allows for dimension over the entire piece but still a smooth finish.

I used the same technique on the base as well. After wiping away the sanding dust with a dry brush, I went back over everything with a just-barely-damp cloth to make sure that all of the dust fibers were gone. I wanted to have a smooth surface when I applied the CeCe Caldwell Endurance finish.

Once that had completely dried I moved onto the sealant. Because this is in a bathroom with so much moisture and steam, I did not want to use a wax finish. Also, because it will be a rental property when we move, I wanted to be sure that I wouldn’t have to go back over it every couple of years with wax to keep it at its best. The right choice for this piece was the Endurance finish. The application for this is very similar to a water-based poly without the harsh smell.

Take a clean and good quality brush and begin a light coat of the Endurance.

You do NOT want to let the finish sit in a pool along the edges.

Go back over with your brush and lightly work it along the wood making sure there aren’t any pools of finish left and no air bubbles.

I did a total of four coats – one each morning, one each night, over two days. I wanted to be sure it had a strong finish that would hold up to the bumps and thumps that happen in a kids’ bathroom.

The next step was hardware. I am using mixed-metals in this bathroom – brushed nickel (because … kids) and worn iron. I tried both metals as hardware for this piece and loved how the iron gave a nice contrast to the delicateness of the Duck Blue.

Cup Pulls for the drawers. (I had to put new screw holes into the drawers).

Worn Iron knobs for the doors. (I used the same screw holes for the knobs and hinges).

(Y’all. That floor. That was THE floor in the late seventies/early eighties. I just … I can’t.)

I could not WAIT for the countertop, faucet, and sink to go in!

And there she is. From old and drab to refreshed and fab. Keeping the cabinet and refinishing it with high-quality, Natural Chalk + Clay paint made a world of difference. If I hadn’t been able to refresh the existing cabinet, I never could have afforded that beautiful countertop.

So excited! I can’t wait to show you how I added the Board & Batten to the bathroom next.