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Home › Decor and furniture

DIY update for the bathroom vanity (for less than $25)

June 30, 2014by Christina
An easy DIY upgrade for a bathroom vanity that makes a big impact, Anyone can do it with just a little bit of trim, caulk, and paint.
Project cost $22

We seriously needed to update the bathroom vanity. It had been bothering me for quite a while…the bathroom was the first room we started remodeling when we moved in (see the depressing before), and we went with a sink set from IKEA. 

They don’t sell it anymore, but it was everything you needed: sink base, sinks, faucets, and a great big mirror/shelf unit, and it was really inexpensive.  So that’s what we got.

I changed out the handles a while back, and while it helped, I still was dissatisfied with the look of the cabinet as a whole.  So I did this:

Painted-bathroom-cabinet (1) - Copy

Just adding simple trim to the front was a serious update for the vanity.

This is how it was before:

Bathroom Vanity (4)

The trim was made with 1/4″ x 2″ poplar trim pieces from the home improvement store.  The pieces were measured, and each end was cut at a 45-degree angle for a more professional look.  The cuts were made with a small miter box.

If you have a miter saw (highly recommend this one if you’re doing small projects), that is the best and fastest way to cut the pieces. If not, a miter box makes it quicker and easier.

Make the cuts one at a time to be sure they all fit snugly.  To make sure I had the proper lengths, I held each piece in its place on the vanity with double-sided tape after I cut them. 

Once they were all good, I removed them one-by-one and put them back up with hot glue.  I was going to use the super-strength glue, but it seemed excessive (and expensive) for this project since the pieces would also be caulked and painted.

After applying the hot glue, just press hard down the board to make sure the glue is spread out and it will be a tight fit. Hold for about 30 seconds.

Cabinet (8)

After gluing the trim on, caulk all the seams and corners, and then fill any holes left from previous handles or knobs. 

Since this vanity is laminate, it got 2 coats of primer.  Then paint.  Then the handles.  And now we like it much better.

Painted-bathroom-cabinet (4) - Copy

The handles got moved up to fit on top of the new trim.

The trim pieces only cost $12, and the quart of paint cost $10, so it was a really inexpensive vanity update too. (The handles were purchased previously, for just a few dollars from IKEA.)

Save it for later!

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Tags: bathroom, upcycling

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About Christina

I'm a full-time web developer with a dog sitting business, home renovations, and a blog on the side.

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  1. Leena

    Nice! This suits way better for your house. Amazing what you can do with bit of trim and paint.

    Reply
  2. Kerry / Burritos & Bubbly

    Wow, that looks great. What a difference!

    Reply
  3. [email protected]

    It looks so much more elegant! Well done!

    Reply
  4. Christina

    Thank you, ladies!

    Reply

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