I have been working really hard lately to finish up some projects I had committed to and this simple bathroom makeover is getting so close to being done! And yes, I’m calling this a simple bathroom makeover because most everything was kept and it was done by me, a regular diy’er, and others with little experience in this type of thing. The last few things left (new flooring/baseboards) are things that are out of my capabilities on such a large level so those are being hired out. But I’m extremely proud of what has been accomplished so far and thankful for all the help I have had during this process. This makeover has happened in two bathrooms at my church and is almost done in another two, but I’m focusing on this one for sharing purposes. They all are the same colors and style, but the women’s bathroom is more pleasant for pictures 😉 I seriously can’t believe how different it looks with just a few changes!
This is the before picture. Not horrible, but not terribly inviting and the lighting was not really pleasing for a bathroom. When I was asked to present design ideas for the bathrooms, I was told that the flooring was definitely going to change, but what other changes could I come up with. I sat down and really tried to think of what could be done easily, within my skills, and keep as much as was there as possible. I was inspired by bathrooms I had seen on pinterest and drew up this design:
My plan was to keep the existing cabinets but add new hardware and also wood to create a shaker style, add a new countertop, add a backsplash, new mirrors, lights if possible, fresh paint, and wood ledge to place items on. I also had some ideas for how to deal with the hand soap since the wall ones wouldn’t work for this type of set up. As you can see below, I did end up changing one thing on my original plan: instead of wood countertops I did a faux concrete on top of what was there. It made it so nothing had to be removed and saved a lot of time and money.
The very first thing an amazing group of volunteers did was paint the walls in Sherwin Williams Alabaster (SW 7008). Then the very first thing I did was buy some 2’x2′ and 2’x4′ lauan plywood boards and rip them down to 2.5″ strips. Then I lightly sanded the doors and used wood glue and my nail gun to put them in place. I used wood filler on the nail holes and in any seams that had a gap. Then I caulked around the edges where the wood met the doors because the doors were curved on the edges. This just helped fill in that space. Not a necessity, but I thought it made it look a little more finished.
Then came all the painting! If you are doing a lot of doors, make sure to mark which ones go where so when you go to put them back on it doesn’t take forever. We used an enamel paint in Sherwin Williams color Black Magic (SW 6991). I had a lot of helpers with painting these, as I do not have a sprayer. I found this tutorial useful for getting a nice finish even though we used a brush and roller.
I also added some trim to the side of the cabinets to continue that Shaker cabinet look.
The hardware added a lot to the cabinets! The top “drawers” are not really drawers, but adding the pulls (we used these) makes it look so finished. New knobs (here) on the doors also helped update the look and they all matched the sink faucets. My sweet friends installed all of these for me while I worked on the backsplash. It was such a big help!
The countertop transformation took a total of three days, but I felt it was easier and more cost effective than the wood option. I read so many tutorials and went for it. It took three coats to get it all covered and I’m happy with how it turned out. The picture below is after the first coat.
After the faux concrete was all dried and sealed I went to work on the backsplash. I used these inexpensive subway tiles and this grout. It was my first time working with a dark grout and I found that this stuff is messy! lol But it looks beautiful. I just suggest doing smaller sections to make cleaning easier. It seemed to dry faster to me.
When all of that was finally done, I added this pretty wood ledge. It is a 2″x4″x10′ with a 1″x4″x10′ piece behind it. I screwed the 1″x4″ to the 2″x4″ first and then used liquid nails and a nail gun to keep it in place on the wall. Oh, and I stained it with Minwax Early American and sealed with three layers of polycrylic semi gloss before putting it on the wall.
For the soap, we decided to go with soap pumps by the sink. It really takes the look up a notch and I totally did this hack where you add the hose underneath to connect to a large bottle of soap versus the small bottle that comes with these. This is the soap pump and the hose we used. They are working great so far.
The greenery all came from Hobby Lobby and I put one of the plants in a clay pot. I found a clear vase in the back for the fern plant.
I also added two 4″x6″ pictures frames so they can put in announcements or holiday themed printables, etc.
Lastly, the awesome electricians were able to wire in these lights (which if you wait for a sale, they have gotten as low as just over $30/each!) for us and the mirrors are from Target. They are the most cost effective for this type of metal mirror I have found, and I scoured the internet a long time! I am not sure when the flooring and baseboards will be done, but I wanted to go ahead and share this part of it. When that part is done, I will share a final reveal. I also plan to do a more in depth post next on my experience with the faux concrete countertops, so be on the lookout for that if you are interested. And always remember, a little change can go a long way in making a simple bathroom makeover.
