How to Paint a Bath Vanity

Painting your vanity is an easy and practical way to transform your bathroom. However, before you can begin painting, you need to first prepare the vanity. The paint won’t adhere correctly to the vanity if you try to paint it as is, and you’ll end up with a subpar look.

Because you’ll need to remove the doors and hardware from an existing vanity, this is a good time to upgrade the knobs and pulls. For a complete makeover, add a new vanity top, faucet, vessel sink and backsplash.

• Stick to neutrals if you want to play it safe. Neutrals like greys and whites are among the most common color choices for bathrooms and look acceptable no matter what your lighting situation is.
• If you want a bolder look, pick out colors that naturally sit next to each other on the color wheel — for example, blues and greens tend to mix well, since they blend naturally.
• Try not to pick more than three colors. You can choose one neutral to balance a statement hue, and perhaps one additional color as a fun, bold accent, but any more than three colors will probably become overwhelming.
• Determine the sheen you need for your bathroom vanity. Semi-gloss tends to work well in areas that generate a lot of moisture, such as bathrooms. Satin is also durable and can be easy to clean, which is ideal for this area of your home.
• Make sure to paint your bathroom cabinet surfaces with a latex- or oil-based paint.

Some paint comes with primer built in, but you may still need a dedicated primer to deal with any surface problems on your vanity. The glossier the final paint will be, the smoother the primer needs to be. While flat finish paint hides surface imperfections, glossy paint highlights and accentuates any issues.