Bathroom Cabinets

Even though I did this about 6 months ago, I am just getting around to posting pictures. But don't worry, it only took me two years to get around to actually painting my cabinets, so I am ahead of schedule.

Here is what my bathroom cabinets looked like before:
In the photos they don't look too bad, but in real life the white of the cabinets with the white "marble-like painted swirls" countertop didn't mesh really well. They were two different whites. It made the room look washed out. Plus the cabinets were having pealing in places.

I decided to paint them black and give a little shabby-chic French style to them. I cleaned the cabinets (I am always very OCD about this first step, I don't know why, maybe because it's the only time I ever clean my cabinets) and took off the doors and out with the drawers.

I gave the cabinets a good sanding. Because I was going darker and wouldn't be needing the wood coloring, I did not sand the cabinets bare (I know, the professionals would be freak if they heard this, but we real people don't have the time for unnecessary stuff like that), just enough to make them smooth. Then I did a quick cleaning to remove the sand dust.

I added some wood scroll work on my two non-working drawers to give them more flare and a more French look for my French bathroom. I just purchased the scrolls at Home Depot and used wood glue to put them on.

Because I was painting the cabinets black, I did not need to use a primer. I taped around my work and I started painting. I find that painting the more intricate details first then painting the rest of the cabinets is more effective. Also, I had to paint a small area close to a mirror. The best thing to do with a mirror is to place some sort of Vaseline or even chapstick on the mirror. That way when you nick it with paint, it easily washes off. Something I had to learn the hard way.

After the first coat of paint life is a little discouraging. In your mind you picture some beautiful cabinets in the color you were imagining. Instead you find yourself with cabinets in a color that resembles a mixture of the color you are wanting and the color you started with. You almost want to lock the door and forget you even tried, but don't quit. If you painted your cabinets correctly, you didn't lather too much paint on the wood. Yes, this means that you will have to do several layers of paint, but it also means you won't have huge paint drips that run down the cabinet door (another thing I sadly learned from experience).

To give my cabinets the distressing look I wanted, I sanded them after each coat of paint had dried. This was difficult to do because you just get through painting the cabinet, seeing how nice a fresh coat of paint looks, and now you are going to destroy it?!! It sounds insane, but I not only like the shaby chic look, but have found it to go very well with 4 young boys.When you sand the cabinets, be creative. I usually worry about over-doing the sanding, but when I'm done I wish I would have done more. Just go and let the sander take you where you want to go. (Also, I would suggest investing in an orbital sander - best 10 dollars I ever spent). With previous projects, I've only sanded the outside edges, but with these cabinets, I let it fly in the middle also, giving it a worn look.

After getting my cabinets to look how I want, I applied several coats of Poly-urethane. This can be very difficult, don't shake the can, apply very gently, you don't want bubbles (I've made many mistakes).

Finish with putting the doors back on, drawers pushed back in. I like to put in new hardware, it gives it a nice new touch. And viola, you're done after many hours of ignoring your children and husband (when he's home) while dressed in old paint-stained pajamas, inhaling paint fumes all for the name of beauty and self-accomplishment.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:I have painted several other cabinets. The ones that we had in Athens, I actually did the kitchen ones, if I get around to it I'll post pictures of those also (don't hold your breath).