Bless'er House

Master Bathroom Makeover: Painted Card Catalog Cabinets

~ 42 Comments

We are so close to being at the end of this bathroom makeover tunnel. I’m seeing the light and it is glorious! There are just 2 items left on my to-do list, and I can stick a fork in this room. Okay, that figure of speech doesn’t work at all in that context. But you get it.
One huge step for this space, which I had been putting off for too long was painting our builder grade cabinets. To be honest, I was scared. This wasn’t like a piece of furniture that I could take out to the garage and strip a bad paint job or give up on altogether if it didn’t go well. These were cabinets. There was no turning back if my DIY went awry.

But you know what I realized? I had nothing to be afraid of! It was all in my head. And if I royally messed it up, at least they weren’t our kitchen cabinets. (Hence why I considered this practice for that big space one day.)  Robert and I are the only ones who see these cabinets so no pressure.
Here’s how they looked before.

I’ll admit; they really weren’t bad at all. And they were at least on the more high end of the builder grade scale. But they had a reddish tint that drove me nuts. Red and I don’t get along usually.

I didn’t document every single step on this one since this was my trial run, but now that I’m the “expert” (definitely need quotations there), I’m sure you’ll be seeing one at some point. For now, you can check out this really thorough one about how to paint cabinets that Laura from The Turquoise Home posted. I didn’t follow her method completely, but it had some great tips.

I did learn a few things along the way that I know I’ll do differently next time though.

I chose some label drawer pulls that are the same ones I used on our faux planked coffee table in black.
I love how they can instantly give a piece that vintage flair; they help organize odds and ends; and best of all, they’re cheap for less than $1 each! Everyone’s happy…or at least I am.
Since our bathroom cabinets usually end up with grime on them from makeup or hair products or drips from face washing, I decided to laminate my labels with these Scotch laminating sheets that I picked up in the office supply section of Walmart.
Now they’ll be protected from all that messy business.
For our cabinet doors, I bought these hammered black ones that already have that aged, worn look I love.
For the paint, I chose Winter Gates by Benjamin Moore in semi-gloss.

I admit, I was nervous when I painted on the first coat of this color because I was worried it was too close to our wall color, Pediment by Sherwin Williams. But I like that it’s not dark so it brightens up the room.

Our bathroom feels so much bigger now!
That jewelry organizer I shared yesterday fits right in.
And the labels really help to organize our drawers. Although, we still have a two year-old who likes to do us the favor of rearranging it all for us. Ya know, just to keep things interesting. That little booger.
I still want a rug of some kind for the floor to break up all of the gray. It’s nice having this peaceful space to get ready, even if getting ready in the mornings can be chaotic.
I need another glimpse at the before shot of our bathroom from last year.
Definitely not as plain anymore, huh?
You’ll be seeing a little more next week with a full reveal and source list coming soon.
What do you think so far? Have you been brave enough to paint your cabinets before? Do you have any tips for tackling bigger cabinet spaces like a kitchen? Are you a card catalog pull junkie too?
If you liked this project, be sure to check out this one too: (Just click the image.)
Blessings,
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Comments

  10. Being Home says

    February 18, 2015 at 11:42 pm

    This is so gorgeous! Those pulls are perfect for the room and what a great idea to laminate them! Yep, totally lovin’ those card catalog pulls. I am going to definitely check out D.Lawless hardware.

    Great job! 😀

    Reply

  12. Kate says

    February 19, 2015 at 5:58 am

    The bathroom looks totally different and how nice! It is the fact that light brings more space in every room, especially those smaller. I really like it!

    Reply

  13. Lanita Anderson says

    February 19, 2015 at 9:02 am

    The painted bathroom cabinets look amazing…..what a transformation! I’ve never gotten “brave” enough to paint cabinets, but I have to say, after seeing yours, I’m feeling a little braver! They not only look great, they really changed the look of your master bath….to magazine worthy! I can’t wait to see the full reveal…..
    Blessings to you,
    Lanita

    Reply

  15. Christie Selken says

    February 23, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    This bathroom makeover really looks great! In fact, it is my favorite pick from last week’s Totally Terrific Tuesday Link Party. Be sure to stop by the blog tonight at 10pm to see your feature! I can’t wait to get my hands on those labeled drawer pulls, either. I am placing an order soon!

    Reply

  17. Sharon Erickson says

    February 24, 2015 at 11:22 am

    WOW! I am so in love with this! It makes me want to tackle my bathroom! It’s organized in a classy way LOL. I like that it’s labeled but the vintage feel doesn’t make it look like a standard label. Pinning and sharing! Thanks for sharing this at Totally Terrific Tuesday. I can’t wait to see what you have for this week!

    Sharon
    herorganizedchaos.com

    Reply

  18. Amanda says

    June 8, 2015 at 6:54 pm

    I love your house!!! I am planning to paint my master bath cabinetry in winter gates. This looks much lighter than I was thinking. Did you lighten the color at all? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Lauren says

      June 9, 2015 at 2:42 pm

      Thank you, Amanda! I didn’t lighten the color at all, but I think it looks a tad darker in person than it does in pictures since it’s a semi-gloss that reflects the light quite a bit.

      Reply

  19. Brenda says

    August 4, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    sometime next week I will be painting the massive vanity in my only bathroom I am not scared at all to paint them. I wish I could get a new one smaller this thing is huge but for now I am going to paint them I bought new knobs for it from a online store I love them a little big but I don’t feel like returning them shipping would be big. I will take pics when done I am also going to paint the walls not sure of the color yet my bathroom is lighthouses(I live at the beach) blue green grey white I am leaning towards grey with a small hint of blue but I will take pics when done your looks beautiful you did a great job!!

    Reply

  20. Angela says

    October 29, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Such an inspiration!!! Your cabinet and the paint choice look wonderful! Did you sand them first? I’m just worried, that when doing general bathroom cleaning, the paint may come off. Have you had this problem or does sealing it protect it from that? ***I’m a newbie***

    Reply

  21. Emily says

    February 23, 2016 at 11:53 am

    LOVE this and your daughter’s bathroom, too! I was wondering whether you finished/framed the window yourselves or did you hire that out? I love the look!

    Reply

  23. Ashley Olsen says

    October 18, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    HI. I just ran across your blog. I am labeling my bathroom cabinets and I wondered if you could tell me what the different labels say? I can’t read them all from the pictures. Such a great idea, glad I ran across it!

    Reply

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