Introducing Our Guest Bathroom

Hey heyyyyyyyy everybody! Guess what the introduction of another bathroom in our house means...
Another 80s Oak Cabinet Redo!!!!!

I showed you some great before and after cabinet photos here and here. Then I showed you an oak redo in the dining room and another one in the downstairs bath.

But there was one more slim shady creepin' around the house 80s-oak-style. And, today, you get to meet him.

When checking out a house as a potential buyer I am happy to see things like outdated cabinetry, dirty carpet, ugly decorations. These things that can bring the price down and aren't a big deal to change. Plus, you get to put your own spin on the house when you redo it.  And with minor things like these, the house is still liveable while you update it.

So, setting foot in a house with three separate rooms with 80s cabinets and even more outdated hardware was exciting to me rather than a turn off.

To the left is what it looked like when we checked it out and the right is the after photo.

My first step in changing this bathroom was actually not an improvement.  I thought the proper way to get paint to stay on cabinets and furniture was to paint it whatever color I wanted and then put a similar colored stain over it.  I have learned that is not what actually needs to be done.

Oops! My "update" may not have actually helped. For some reason, the "update" stayed that way for about a year until I learned the proper way to transform oak cabinets. Finally, I was ready to make my mess up magnificent, ditch my funky medicine cabinet, and change out a countertop that someone designed at a disco party. 

First up, the Old Yeller countertop was exchanged for the crispest white countertop in town with the expertise of my amazing handyman.

(Please ignore all of the other obvious updates in the after. They are going to get their own time to shine in just a minute).

Next, I was able to turn those streaky looking cabinet buddies into fancy brown dudes. 

Next up were the mirror and the sconces.

The old mirror came down. Somehow my magician handyman was able to get electricity to the sconces and tie it into the light box with hardly any trouble. There was a little patching from the old mirror. And, tada, we were now here:

Here is a closeup of the sconces and the mirror. The mirror was a thick, heavy frame that fit perfectly in the space and I loved the design! 

Once again, ignore whatever parts of the bathroom that I have not addressed yet.

The faucet switcheroo- also thanks to my handyman.

I painted a new painting.

I painted the walls from a yellow to a blue-ish green-ish turquoise color.

There are a few steps left and one of them is my favorite part of the bathroom. So, I will be back tomorrow to finish off your introduction! I also have a little price breakdown action for you! 

Introducing... Our Half Bath!

Since I've been posting about bathrooms for the last couple of days I figured I would keep this bathroom train rolling and introduce my half bath. Waaaaahooooo!!! Who is excited!?! And guess what? I am not even going to give it to you in Chronicle form. I am going to show you the before and after in one single post. Can you even imagine!

Here is a glimpse at the finished product:

Unfortunately, this is the only photo I have of our bathroom before we changed it.

Bathroom changeover list:

• That bathroom was like a dungeon so I had my handyman Dave add an extra light to the ceiling. I spraypainted the can light covers to change them from a dingy off-white to a bright white.

• Painted the 80s oak cabinets black. First, I primed it with Glidden Gripper in gray. Then I painted it the blackiest black color I cound find.

Here is a closeup I had of the vanity from another bathroom we changed out. They were identical.

• The hardware was changed out for something more my style.

• We had Handyman Dave (HD) change out the yellowed counter for a nice pure white one.

• Mister HD changed out the faucet.

• We took out a towel bar that was meant for serious towels (not hand towels). And, I put up a hand towel bar next to the sink.

• The builder grade mirror came down and was replaced with a framed one that I bought at Hobby Lobby. Here is a little Hobby Lobby secret: a lot of their stuff is 50% off every other week. So, if you see a mirror you like and it isn't marked down just wait a week and buy it then. You do run the risk of someone else buying the mirror who doesn't know about the 50% off secret!

• We de-popcorned the ceiling. One day I may share that whole process with you. Our house is about 60% de-popcorned and that is about all we can handle for now. It is pretty hard work!

• We changed the carpet to tile. Carpet in front of the toilet is not my idea of a good time.

• We changed out the door knob and hinges from brass to polished nickel.

• Art was added.

I painted the art on the left. When we first moved in we painted the area around the sink a dark rose color. So, I tied the gray and rose color together with the paintings. The rose color left the wall, but kept its spot on the paintings.

Here is a closeup of the framed pictures on the right.

I found a bunch of cool old pamphlets and advertisements in an antique shop. I cut them all to pieces, framed them individually with black constructions paper and glued them onto some cardstock. They were meant for the kitchen but happened to be the right size for the bathroom. Now, people get to read about the weird ways that people thought about bananas in the 1960s while they take a trip to the baño.

How about a couple more after photos:

Sorry that they look completely different. One was taken with a flash and the other wasn't.

The photo below is a better representation of the real deal.

For a while, this was one of the only rooms in the house that I called completely finished. But it has recently made its way off that list. Now, I am ready to change up the art again. I want something a bit brighter. And you know I will let you in on it when it happens!

And a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my best (and most pregnant) friends!!!