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I'm considering painting our very basic oak bathroom vanity. It's not a big cabinet and we really don't have room for anything bigger, nor do I want to mess with replacing it right now. However, I also don't want to try to paint it, only to have it look like a home-made project, kwim?
I'm thinking I would paint it a deep brown. I'm just completely and utterly over the whole oak look. Would that look stupid? Is it a dumb idea?
Tricky? Yes. Impossible? No.
You will need to at least sand to give the finish some tooth to grip the paint. Select a furniture grade paint if you can afford it and find it in your area or seal it after with a highgrade clear varnish like marine varnish. You will want to take the door off and paint it seperate from the base cabinet. Remove all hardware, etc. And be prepared that unless you sand and/or strip first and use a good sealant, it will likely chip where it is most used or touched.
If you Google around, there are MANY great DIY sites and blogs with step by step instructions and product recommendations.
That said, I LOVE painted furniture and I think a vanity cabinet in a bathroom is a great place to get started!
Good luck!!!!
I used liquid sander first instead of sand paper, used some thinned down black paint and painted right over the oak finish on our bathroom cabinet. The wood grain still shows and it is a nice espresso color. I think I saw that idea on one of the HGTV shows. It is a very forgiving method since it doesn't show any brush lines.
You will need to seal it though because it will scratch and wear off with heavy use.
This sounds like a good method, because I think I would be happy with the wood grain showing, I just want a darker color. Where do you find the liquid sander? I've never heard of that. Also, how did you thin the paint?Quote:
Originally Posted by MolieMuts
We have painted kitchen cabinets, they were once a dark wood stain and still are underneath. They were here when we moved in. They look like crap. It might have looked okay when they first did it, but kitchens (and bathrooms) are wet, dirty places and IME paint does not hold up well in wet, dirty places. IIWY, I would take out the cabient and put in a pedestal sink. They look nice and take up less floor space. We had to take out our vanity in the master bathroom to fix a pipe in the wall, so we replaced the sink with a pedestal. As long as all your plumbing is in good shape, it is easy to change out a sink. DH did ours after the contractor fixed the pipe in the wall.
We hired a painter when we moved in and he used the liquid sander on the baseboards and door trim. You can find it at Home Depot, I don't remember what the brand name is. It is strong smelling though, so you need to have good ventilation. I am not sure if I thinned the paint with anything or if it was just cheapo paint I bought at Big Lots. Another good thing was that it didn't take much paint, only one of those tiny cans. I did it in the boys' bathroom several years ago and it has held up really well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Indianamom2
To do it right I would rent a small compressor and hand-held paint sprayer from somewhere, maybe Home Depot/Lowe's does this? Practice on some boards or something before you start your cabinets though. When painting furniture do thin coats. I would seal it with a couple coats of Verathane when you are done painting.
I've done it, as have many over on GardenWeb. I'm running out the door now, but if you want a dark chocolate brown color, use BM bittersweet. Honestly, it looks great and many have told me so without my even mentioning what I've done. I would use primer though. Don't use a "varnish" if you're painting the cabinets white, since it can yellow over time.