Bathroom Cabinet Makeover & Master Bathroom

OMG!  Whose idea was it to paint this cabinet anyway?!?  I posted about the new cabinet that I ordered for our master bathroom makeover here.  Unfortunately, it was not the white white color it appeared on the website so it didn’t go very well with our existing bathroom cabinetry. 

This was the worst. project. ever!  It is a fail and not one I am proud of.  If nothing else, maybe you can learn from my mistakes.  I thought I would use white paint that I already had on hand, but it was just not working out properly on this piece.  I don’t know if it is because it is a laminate surface, MDF, or just not real wood ~ whatever the issue, you could see the paint was not going on well.  This was even after I lightly sanded it.  So it was off to my local store to get some Annie Sloan chalk paint in Pure White.

I have had good luck with the Annie Sloan paint adhering just fine to most surfaces I have painted in the past, so I had high hopes.  Unfortunately, this was not even going on properly!  I was getting frustrated ~ to say the least.

I remembered I had just recently pinned something about a paint by Glidden called Gripper.  I figured this was my last resort and, with fingers crossed, got a can.  This actually adhered and allowed me to get some paint on. 

I finished up with a urethane to protect it, which makes me laugh now, because when I was putting the shelves back in place, they were scraping along the inside sides and took paint right off.  In fact, I think the paint made the cabinet expand and contract (the wet paint?) and it was a bit tight getting the shelves back in place.

I can not tell you how glad I am this gosh darn thing is done!

I decided not to replace the existing knobs but to use some Rub N Buff in silver instead.

My advice, if you are buying a piece that is laminate, buy it in the color you want it in.  If my husband hadn’t put this together when I wasn’t around, I would have returned it. Otherwise, find something that is real wood that can be painted.  If you have good luck with painting laminate, my hat’s off to you!  I will never do it again!

So, making the best of the situation, I accessorized with most of what I’d had on the middle section of the vanity.  I’m trying not to let the cabinet ruin the rest of the bathroom makeover for me.  What a train wreck this was!  I’m glad to see the end of that project!