Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Priming & Painting The Bathroom

When we last shared our hall bathroom adventures, we had removed the old wallpaper and were left with this:

After1

Not only were the yellowed walls crying out for a fresh coat of paint, the mirror had some functional deficiencies. As in, John couldn’t see his whole face when he looked into it. Just about anything from the nose up was cut off, so while he could still perform is-there-something-in-my-teeth checks, if he was having a Something About Mary hair moment (uh, but not for that reason) he wouldn’t have even known.

Bathpainted1

Beyond having a too-small mirror, the other issue was that the light fixture drooped about 8″ from the area that it connected to the wall, so a larger mirror would be hard to cram into that space without bashing into the… legs?… of the fixture.

Bathpainted2

What did we do? We turned our frown upside down. Along with the light fixture. It’s definitely not a permanent solution, but that in-the-meantime 180 degree spin freed up a lot more space to hang a larger mirror that we grabbed at HomeGoods. We love the shape of the mirror and aren’t sure if we’ll paint the distressed silver-ish frame down the line, but for now it’s a huge improvement just to see full faces. Look how much more of John you can see when he’s standing in the same spot!

Bathpainted3

We also made a few other quick updates, like removing this wooden toilet paper dispenser that we plan to replace with a simple oil-rubbed bronze one.

Bathpainted4

Then it was time to do something about the blue trim that ran around the bottom of the room and the bathroom door frame, so we taped off the slate to protect it.

Bathpainted55

It took four coats (two of primer and two of paint), so this is after about two primer coats I think.

Bathpainted6

While we were priming and painting, we decided the vanity could use some primer and paint as well. It wasn’t great wood (sort of reddish and dulled/scraped in a few areas) and there was an odor issue. As much as I scrubbed it I couldn’t shake the scent, but I knew a nice coat of odor-blocking primer + paint would do the trick. I also thought it was a fun opportunity to bring some color into the room with a bright coat of paint on the vanity, paired with clean white walls. Sort of like this.

So on went the primer to the vanity as well as the trim (I did two coats of it on the inside as well, just to squash that smell issue once and for all). This picture is just of the first coat I think though.

Bathpainted7

Then it was onto those two coats of paint (this is coat #1). We used Simply White (OC-117) by Benjamin Moore in semi-gloss since we loved how it came out on the trim upstairs that we already painted.

Bathpainted8

We painted both the walls and the ceiling the same white tone (Simply White in an eggshell finish to allow the trim to look glossy by comparison). I cut in and John rolled.

Bathpainted10

Two coats and a day later, we had this…

Painted B And A

In person it’s a nice clean-feeling difference. And although white is certainly more classic than risky, we think it’ll be fun to bring in color with art and a brightly colored vanity instead of just defaulting to putting color on the walls.

Bathpainted12

We’d still love to update things like the light and the sink along with possibly doing a more major upgrade down the line (grasscloth wallpaper? tiled accent wall? pedestal sink?). So you could call this first take on the hall bathroom Phase 1, which will just be a combination of a few cheap tweaks to make it more comfortable to live with until we save some money for a more “deep tissue” update later on.

It’s definitely a far cry from what we started with a few weeks ago already…

Half Bath Before

Oh and you’ll notice in that second to last picture that we’ve started stripping some of the wallpaper in the foyer as well as attempting to de-blue all of the trim out there, but it’s taking forever (this time we discovered a second layer of wallpaper and of course that crazy trim takes four coats) so we hope to be back with an update on those projects someday. You know, if we’re not found hiding under the table muttering “blue trim…. blue trim… it’s haunting my dreams… it’s eating my soul…”

*****************************

P.S. Last night I quickly snapped this instagram picture on the way back from our evening walk, and it one captures the green undertone in our teal door so it finally looks like real life. Leave it to the ol’ cell phone to take a more accurate picture than the fancy camera. #nofilter #instagrambeatsDSLR

Exterior IG Shot

Comments

  1. Angie says

    Bet everything feels so much cleaner in there. Although all white in a bathroom can be a pain to clean, mostly the floors and baseboards though. That last picture is making me chuckle because the blue trim inside the house is washed out and looks exactly like your new front door color. You really do have a Technicolor camera (unless that was taken with your iPhone).

    Reply

  2. Vivian says

    Just sharing a discovery I made … Fuller Brush makes a spray grout cleaner that is phenomenal. Just spray it on, let it set a few minutes, then use a small scrub brush. Their floor cleaner is great too. Would make a great difference on those slate floors! I also hear that hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is great for grout … haven’t tried that though.

    Reply

  3. Frannie says

    I also have an old house with old tile. I noticed your kind of grimy grout lines… sorry! :) I discovered this stuff called Stain Solver- you can buy it from their website or amazon. It’s an oxygen bleach and it is the only thing I’ve found that really gets the grout clean. I’m kind of obsessed with it- and I am not linked with them in any way. :) I have a toddler, and I use it on the grout while she’s napping. Eventually I will get the whole house done!

    Reply

  4. Stephanie says

    It looks so much better already!

    I just gave our 1986 half-bath vanity a mini makeover with new brushed nickel hardware and a bright, beachy blue coat of paint (Sherwin Williams “Rain”) and I love it! We originally planned to switch it out for a newer vanity next year, but I like it so much that it just might stay for a while.

    Reply

  5. Manda Wolf says

    Astonishing how much better just a coat of white paint can make things feel. Although I think it may be time to paint the grout until you decided what you are going to do with the floors.

    Reply

  6. Liz says

    Looks so much cleaner and brighter already. Do you think you’ll replace the slate floors with something else?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It really depends if we can salvage them or not. We love working with what we have, but if they’re too far gone (some are damaged and a lot of the grout needs help) we might have to replace them down the line. Will keep you posted!

      xo
      s

  7. Jeanna says

    I’m curious why you didn’t take out the commode for a bit? It would have given you more room for sure to get that painting done………. :)

    Reply

  9. Amber says

    I’m currently working on our guest bathroom, and doing similar low cost tweaks! Your painted cabinet gave me the right inspiration I need to paint mine. But I’m wondering, do you plan on doing anything with the tile grout? It looks a little dingy from years of traffic and use. I’m refurbishing mine with a grout refresher, but I’m wondering if you have ever done anything like that? Or just live with it until you can do an overhaul? Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, a ton of the tile itself is damaged in some areas and the grout is in deep trouble. Not sure what we’ll do with it but we’ll keep you posted! There are some awesome tips in this post from other grout-sperts (grout experts – that sounded better in my head).

      xo
      s

  10. Ethne @ Wom-Mom says

    Much improved. Can’t wait for color. That blue trim…terrible! Makes me think of the geese accents that went with that very color scheme in the ’80’s. My mom never did the blue baseboards and doorframes, but I recall yellow and blue wallpaper. Blech.

    Reply

  11. Jennifer says

    Looks great…very fresh and I can’t wait to see your next steps! I know you mentioned in an earlier post that you might consider keeping the floor if you can save the tiles. We have the same floors in our foyer and 1/2 bath. I used Rejevenate for Tile/Slate floors, along with a Rejevenate Grout pen, which comes in different colors and looks like a paint pen. While I’m not sure if we will keep the floors forever, it is amazing what it did for them, especially when guests ask if we put in new floors!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Unfortunately the foyer opens to so many rooms/closets/etc that we don’t want to spray since there’s a significant amount of overspray (and it would take us weeks to tape/seal everything off), so it’s all by hand for now…

      xo
      s

  14. Kristen says

    Two kids and one on the way. I like how you are realistic about balancing family time and work time. We are slowly reworking an older home…although not as fabulous as yours. Isn’t it crazy how much work it takes to just get to a blank slate starting point? I appreciate the real time posts…you still inspire me to do more!!

    Reply

  15. laura says

    hey there! Looking goooooooood! One quick question for ya . . .I am in the process of repainting ALL of my trim in my home too but mine is that deep ugly brown color all throughout (about the same color as your vanity used to be) – and it’s funny as I am getting ready to do the SAME bathroom & was trying to see where you stopped in yours. I noticed you only did the trim (for now I assume) to the inner door frame but what color is the door & did you paint that? That’s the part that I’m wondering about – painting ENTIRE door frames AND the doors???? Will they hold up or do you buy new doors? That just seems too expensive. Thoughts on what you do?? thanks guys – you rock!! xoxo

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We removed the door because we’d love to spray that out in the garage with a paint sprayer along with the other doors from the foyer. That definitely saves time when you have to do the trim by hand! All doors (even new ones) are usually painted wood, so if you do it well yours will hold up the same way a new painted door would :)

      xo
      s

  16. Dusa says

    Is it possible to see the light fixture without the light on (similar to your “before” pic?) I’m having a hard time imagining it upside.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sure, next time we do a bathroom post I’ll try to shoot it without the light and include that for ya (it’ll be dark but hopefully not too bad).

      xo
      s

  17. Kristen says

    The bathroom already looks a million times better! I’m excited to see what color you choose for the vanity. Do you think you’ll play it safe or go with a color outside of your comfort zone?

    Reply

  18. Arli says

    Wow, what a HUGE difference the white makes! Kind of clears the palate for whatever may come in the future. Looking great!

    Reply

  21. Gaidig says

    Are those trees in front of the house new, or were they in the understory before, beneath the huge trees you took down?

    Also, huge improvement! I need to get going on removing some blue trim myself…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Those pretty dogwoods were always there, just hiding under the big trees. They seem to be happier these days since they don’t have to fight to get sunlight!

      xo
      s

  22. Lynn says

    I love the fresh kelly green in your vanity inspiration pic! It would look amazing with the gray floors and clean white. It gets my vote!

    Reply

  23. Kristen H says

    I feel your pain. I bought a condo where half the trim was a country version of pepto-bismal pink, and the rest was builder cream/yellow. It took FOREVER to paint, and I only had 5 inside doors in the whole place!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh man… we had one mauve room (trim and two doors) but we sprayed it. I bet painting it by hand would make you never want to chew bubblegum again. Haha!

      xo
      s

  24. Maureen says

    I like how your door looks in the instagram pic. I have to say I was a little shocked at the door color when you chose it, thinking it was a bit contemporary for your style house (don’t hate me!). For some reason I was convinced you would go with an emerald greenish color. lol The instgaram pic really does show the green undertone and really looks pretty.

    As for the bathroom, so far it looks really great with just those updates! And I love that green for the vanity. So different and clean looking!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Maureen! It’s so frustrating when we take photos and they don’t look like real life, so that instagram shot was a little photography miracle yesterday. Haha!

      xo
      s

  25. Paige says

    Very nice! I’m always amazed at what a difference a clean coat of white makes.

    I totally expected you to “pull a Sherry” and rip out the side splash too. After seeing how easy you made it look I went through and took care of those in my house. Especially the weird only on one wall splashes. I always wonder what are people doing in there that runs the risk of making THAT big of a mess! My two boys (okay 3 counting the hubby) don’t make a mess when washing hands without the side splash.

    Rock on!

    Reply

  26. kathy says

    Your new home is GORGEOUS. Looking forward to the post about re-grouting that icky bathroom floor tile. YIKES!

    Reply

  27. Caitlin says

    Hi Guys!
    Just a quick thing, and you might already know about it, but Home Depot sells a product called Grout Renew that works wonders on old grout. Looks like your little half bath could use some of this stuff :) We just did our bathrooms and the grout looks brand new!

    Reply

  30. Barbara says

    I think that fixture was supposed to go that way in the first place! Spray it OR bronze! And this obviously answers the question of “Who buys wooden toilet paper holders?” YUCK!

    The Simply White looks absolutely, unequivocally better, but that wall is SCREAMING for colorful art. With the white walls, white trim, white toilet, white vanity (and faux yellowy marble sink), you need a large pop of color so when you walk down the hall you’ll smile.

    I personally cannot live with bare walls. It’s against my very nature, and it would make me crazy. Please help this weird individual by hanging up something. Thank you. (Telethon for Blank Wall Phobics soon.)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! As soon as I paint the vanity I can’t wait to hang art. I feel like one should go first (chicken and the egg thing) so it can inform the other. Soon I hope!

      xo
      s

  31. Kerry says

    looking good! I just love that picture of Clara and John; what a wonderful feeling it is to watch your family walk home!

    Not to be creepy, but I totally had a dream about you guys last night! You all were out in California (where I live) looking to buy a new house, and we quickly became friends (of course!) I was struck by how friendly and warm you were (again, of course!) and Clara and I bonded over having names that start with the sound “C/K.” How funny!

    Reply

  32. Barbara says

    Oh! And I just noticed that awful faucet! Yeah, you need to 86 that whole set up quick!

    I would suggest if you are going with a pedestal that you need another place for storage. If you don’t have room for storage, don’t get a pedestal. I know. I didn’t think about that in my teeny bathroom and I had to bring in storage. It has to do until I can remodel.

    Reply

  34. Meredith says

    It is so nice to know that I am not the only one in the world having nightmares about trim painting. Just bought my first house and the whole first floor trim (including the cast iron baseboards) are painted a dingy sandy-brown color. Three coats of Behr Prem. Ultra Pure White paint later and I am still not happy with it..I feel like I will be painting trim forever!

    Reply

    • Theresa says

      No offense to Behr (I use their paint for walls), but there are much better paints out there for paint trim. My Benjamin Moore store recommended Cabinet Coat and it amazing. It’s so great I’ve finally decided to paint my cabinets. Seriously, go to a real paint store. Sherwin Williams, Ben Moore people are trained! They’ll help you find the right products. You might pay a bit more but it’s so worth it!

  36. sophie says

    Small fixes can bring big change! On a whim (and desperate to change something about the dated fixtures in our bathroom, which included heavy oak doors and a heavy 80s country style shelf), I picked up some high gloss red spray paint. Best decision I ever made. The vanity doors and display shelf now pop with colour against our white walls (and against the black tile floor). In one short spraying session we went from drab to energetic. Afterwards, we put some of our local travel photos on the wall. Our area of the country has many colourful painted houses, which adds to the bathroom’s energized ambiance.

    Reply

  37. michelle p says

    Love the progress in the bathroom! Bye bye blue trim! I have a question tho…is your vanity top off white or cream or is that just the lighting? I’m struggling with cream colored fixtures and wanting to use white paint in my bathroom. Cant really afford to replace fixtures and they are in great shape so they have to stay for now. Any thoughts?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s cream with sort of a faux granite pattern (gray veins). And the sink is shaped like a shell. HOTNESS. It definitely won’t stay for the long haul, but I’m hoping to make it slightly less crazy looking for the meantime. As for your room, I think cream and white can be layered to be really pretty so I’d go for it! Check out pinterest for white on cream rooms for inspiration :)

      xo
      s

  38. Jacklyn says

    Wow what great progress! It’s amazing to see how little things can make a huge difference. Do you have any tips or tricks for refreshing the floors/grout?

    Reply

  39. Chez says

    That last photo… your property is just spectacular! What a great and lush feel – and it seems so private. Congrats again on this new home and chapter! Watching you de-blue-trim is inspiring me as we just moved into a home with very creamy trim everywhere. It just makes the whole house droop a bit. I want crisp white trim everywhere (Simply White is my fav) – but the amount of trim (plus the interior doors) is so overwhelming!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sorry! I didn’t mention it in this post, but I love Zinsser Smart Prime (low VOC but still stain and odor blocking). I hear it’s getting harder to find though. Boo hoo!

      xo
      s

  41. Leslie says

    I sympathize with you and your task of painting the blue trim. All the trim in our house was either teal or orange. It is all white now! Good luck!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh my gosh, I think when the last piece of blue trim is painted I might drink a whole bottle of champagne. Haha! A backyard picnic sounds nice too.

      xo
      s

  43. Carla says

    This house is such a wonderful family home.

    The white in the bathroom looks really nice. Are you keeping the slate tiles? I’m a big fan of slate. It looks beautiful against the white walls. The grout should bleach out nicely.

    :)

    Reply

  44. Kathy says

    Hi,

    Is there a “Sue” the napkin (color scheme) for the new house? I imagine you will be using some of the colors from your last house since most of your stuff compliments that color scheme.

    I love the white paint in the half bath.

    Thanks,
    -Kathy

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So far we don’t have anything as “focused” as a napkin to base things on, but the general vibe we’re going for is “happy classic” – so we love the idea of glossy white trim, natural touches like wood floors and bamboo blinds, and classic stuff like chair rail, whitewashed brick, and pops of color to add in the whole happy thing.

      xo
      s

  45. Abby says

    Hi! I am about to tackle painting trim and am just so nervous about it…I trust your every painting move. Do you always use the same paint and primer? What type of paint, oil based? Do you sand? Or skip sanding and buy a good primer? My wood is just stained but dull. If you have time to respond…I would be oh-so-happy and much more confident moving forward!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      If your trim’s glossy I’d sand and then use a liquid deglosser and then use a good stainblocking primer by Kilz or Zinsser and then follow that with semi-gloss latex paint. If it’s chalky/matte like ours you can skip the sanding and deglossing and go right to priming.

      xo
      s

  46. Alli says

    Hey Youngsters! This may be a dumb question but I didn’t see it addressed in the post or comments. After you removed the wallpaper, did you have to do anything to the walls before painting? Like apply a texture? In some of the photos before you painted the walls some spots look a little rough. Just curious if painting was all you did to those spots!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Not a dumb question at all! I used the scrubby side of a sponge to wipe vinegar + water all over the walls (applied with a sprayer and then scrubbed off) which seemed to get rid of any small areas that had glue residue. Then when that dried, we went right into painting.

      xo
      s

  48. Maggie says

    What about that heater on the wall next to the toilet? I doubt that it’s to code, and as my son has a powder room with a similar heater on the wall next to the toilet, it can get pretty gross. If you remodel the bathroom, are you going to change that that? Such as a heat mat under the floor tile?

    Reply

  49. Steph Nelson says

    Looks so much better! Even if it just a stand in for now. I love big bold graphic wallpaper in half baths and I wish I had one to decorate myself!! :)

    That floor looks like it could use a deep scrub! I just read about mixing baking soda and hydrogen peroxide helps whiten and clean grout and tile.

    Reply

  50. Laura C says

    Much better! You guys are really starting to make a big impact on this new house, one “little” project at a time.

    Reply

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