I'm trying to remind myself that I don't always have to wait until finishing a DIY project to blog about it. I mean, let's face it, it's usually weeks or months from beginning to "end." And for my latest project (our master bathroom makeover) that's certainly the case. With that said, here's a progress update!
Back in July, I started painting all the walls. The old color was Tree Branch by Sherwin Williams (don't ask why I chose this color in the first place).
The new color is Colonnade Gray by SW. Bye bye, brown!
Maneuvering the ladder in the toilet room was one of the worst parts. But it doesn't feel like a dark cave in there anymore!
A few weeks after the walls, I worked up the motivation to start painting our vanity. Chalk painting is my go-to method for transforming cabinets without paying for brand new ones (see our kitchen makeover and hall bathroom makeover). This time, however, I got much more adventurous and ambitious with my technique than past projects. What did I have to lose? Anything would be an improvement over the orange-y oak stain.
My initial goal was to achieve some kind of aqua/turquoise color that would complement the walls and existing tile floor (which I'm not a fan of, but definitely not replacing it). After a great deal of experimenting on scrap wood with color mixing, layering and waxing, I finally came up with a winning combination.
- First, I painted on a layer of Annie Sloan Florence. This color is bold and beautiful. I want to use it again someday for a smaller accent piece, but for this vanity it made a good base color.
- For the second layer, I mixed together French Linen and Provence with some water to create a color wash and lightly brushed that on.
- I distressed the edges by wiping a damp cloth along the edges to remove some of the paint.
- Once everything was dry, I applied clear wax followed by dark wax, which was then wiped off to create an antiqued effect.
First coat...
Color wash...
Lightly distressed edges...
Antiquing with dark wax...
Of course, these were just the doors and drawers. I also had to do the same thing to the rest of the vanity, which was more tedious with all the taping. As you can see, I was too impatient/lazy to even take out our toiletries.
When this all began, I thought I might end up spray painting or even just replacing the hardware. But once I saw the end result from the chalk painting and waxing, our existing hardware color (an antiqued brass) was actually perfect for this new look. Score!
Since then I've also painted the wood panels of our jetted tub using the same process. And we've ordered a new all-white countertop with integral sinks from Home Depot, as well as two brushed gold faucets that should tie everything together nicely. My hope (at the risk of jinxing something) is that we'll have all that replaced within the next month and can officially check this master bathroom makeover off the list! Stay tuned...
