bathroom makeover for $180 - PsIP

WestwoodDriveMel

We finished our bathroom - yay!  Before and after pics below:

before

after

before

after

So glad it's done!  Lots of work but much much better!

 

smallysmallz04

Very nice! I love the big window you have in the bathroom. I would die for a window in my bathroom!

Tygress_Luv111908

Looks great! Did you just frame your current mirror or did you replace it?

WestwoodDriveMel

Tygress_Luv111908:

Looks great! Did you just frame your current mirror or did you replace it?

Thanks!  We framed the mirror that was there - bought trim and cut it to size, painted it, and mounted it around the mirror.

Bluesmoothy

Tell me more about framing your mirror. I've been seeing this left and right on Pinterest, but there are many different approaches.

 My biggest questions about it are, how to deal w/ the metal strip at the very bottom of the mirror that holds it in place. Also, my mirror has these thick plastic brackets at the top. I don't know if the mirror itself is glued to the wall or not.

 

I'm dying to frame our huge ugly master bathroom mirror. The trim makes such a difference. The makeover is awesome!

starinyte

Bluesmoothy:

Tell me more about framing your mirror. I've been seeing this left and right on Pinterest, but there are many different approaches.

 My biggest questions about it are, how to deal w/ the metal strip at the very bottom of the mirror that holds it in place.

Yes, please, I would love to know how to work around that stupid strip. I haven't seen a tutorial yet that has dealt with it and I would love to frame my mirrors. Hoping OP has a solution?

SunAndRain

That looks awesome!  I don't eve want to tell you how much we paid to have our cabinets professionally refinished.  I am VERY impressed!

 Can you please share the steps and the paint brand, type and color you used?  DH is insisting we refinish our oak bedroom furniture instead of buying new and I fear a similar debacle that occured when we tried to DIY our kitchen cabinet refinishing.  Even though he insists he knows how to do it now!

 

everafterinnc

Awesome makeover! Did you replace the countertop or paint/refinish it?

StevieJo

You did an incredible job!  I'm totally inspired!  Give us lots of 'how-tos'!  I'm curious (like PPers) on framing out the mirror and how you painted the cabinets.

Antoe2007

What color paint did you use for the walls?

WestwoodDriveMel

Bluesmoothy:

Tell me more about framing your mirror. I've been seeing this left and right on Pinterest, but there are many different approaches.

 My biggest questions about it are, how to deal w/ the metal strip at the very bottom of the mirror that holds it in place. Also, my mirror has these thick plastic brackets at the top. I don't know if the mirror itself is glued to the wall or not.

 

I'm dying to frame our huge ugly master bathroom mirror. The trim makes such a difference. The makeover is awesome!

Well our mirror was a bit different because we did not have a metal strip at the bottom but instead had brackets on each end - 2 on the upper end and two on the lower end, which held the mirror in place. 

I had to email DH to ask how he mounted the mirror; here is what he said -

"For the sides I used some spare 1x's I had laying around and I bought the 1x bottom piece and the decorative cap which is actually just fancy door/window casing.

I didn't want an exposed mirror edge so I used the tablesaw and cut a rabbet, same thickness as the mirror, into the back of the left vertical piece of trim. I left the rabbet about 1/4" short of the wood edge in order for this thicker section to cover the mirror edge.

I glued the mirror (at the bottom only) with Liquid Nails Mirror adhesive. I installed the top trim, which also has been rabbeted so it can hold the top of the mirror to the wall, with nails into the studs. I then glued the rest of the trim directly to the mirror with Liquid Nails adhesive (not too sure if it was the Mirror adhesive or a Construction adhesive).

When you use the glue for the trim pieces you'll want to make sure to only put it on the outer part of the trim since when looking at the mirror you will be able to see the back of the trim due to the reflection. If you don't understand what I mean just hold a piece of wood on the mirror and you'll notice you can see the backside of it. Due to this reflection and seeing the back of the trim in the mirror, make sure you paint part of the backside of the trim prior to installing it."

 

 

I hope you can understand it more than I do!  So basically I think he completely removed the brackets and used the frame itself to support the mirror against the wall, except for the  very bottom which he glued to the wall - so maybe you could go this route and remove the metal strip completely.  Hope this helps! 

 

WestwoodDriveMel

SunAndRain:

That looks awesome!  I don't eve want to tell you how much we paid to have our cabinets professionally refinished.  I am VERY impressed!

 Can you please share the steps and the paint brand, type and color you used?  DH is insisting we refinish our oak bedroom furniture instead of buying new and I fear a similar debacle that occured when we tried to DIY our kitchen cabinet refinishing.  Even though he insists he knows how to do it now!

 

We used Behr Sweet Molasses in semi-gloss.  I love the color!  It's dark, smooth, and rich. 

WestwoodDriveMel

everafterinnc:

Awesome makeover! Did you replace the countertop or paint/refinish it?

We painted the countertop!  We used primer, acrylic paints, and a glossy protective topcoat (it was called Famowood, another brand is Envirotex).  Here is a blog post I wrote about the process - http://westwooddrive.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/bathroom-countertop-transformation/

 

WestwoodDriveMel

StevieJo:

You did an incredible job!  I'm totally inspired!  Give us lots of 'how-tos'!  I'm curious (like PPers) on framing out the mirror and how you painted the cabinets.

Thanks!  I replied above to how we did the mirror framing.  For the cabinets, we just lightly sanded, primed, and painted - used Behr Sweet Molasses.  DH took off the doors to paint them and then reinstalled them once everything was painted.  Oh, and we moved the location of the door knobs, so he filled that in with that putty stuff before priming. 

WestwoodDriveMel

Antoe2007:

What color paint did you use for the walls?

Well, we kind of made our own paint color - we first tried Glidden Progressive Taupe, but thought it was a bit too dark on the walls, so we lightened it up by mixing in white paint until we arrived at the color we were after.  We ended up using quite a bit of white.  Sorry I can't give you a specific color!

 

byrne15

love how the counter top turned out!

MsShowOff

Great job! Love the warmer tones you chose.

 

TheWop

Love it!  I think I have that exact same shower curtain!

rach83

Great job!!

**sunny**

WestwoodDriveMel:

Antoe2007:

What color paint did you use for the walls?

Well, we kind of made our own paint color - we first tried Glidden Progressive Taupe, but thought it was a bit too dark on the walls, so we lightened it up by mixing in white paint until we arrived at the color we were after.  We ended up using quite a bit of white.  Sorry I can't give you a specific color!

 

oh bummer I really like that color!

beachbum1980

love it!!! i also want to frame our mirror in our master. great job!

SoftSpot

That is quite the transformation for so little money!

WestwoodDriveMel

Lace&Josh:

That is quite the transformation for so little money!

Thanks everyone for the kind compliments : )    And yes, a little $ can go a long way, especially if you DIY!

mrs.vanillacafe

Great job!  It looks like we have the exact same bathroom vanity cabinets.  I'm planning to prime and paint ours later this spring.  You've given me inspiration to get it done.

Jerem2911

Great transformation!