Hello there! Do you have one of these outdated, boring vanity cabinets or something similar in your home? Or maybe you know someone else who does.
Did you know that it is easy to transform these cabinets from drab to fab with some decorative molding, some appliques and a little bit of paint?
This was my Mom’s 1970′s laminate bathroom vanity before I got my hands on it. Since she plans to move sometime this year and a full bathroom renovation wasn’t in her budget, she asked what I could do to improve the look of her bathroom vanity without spending a lot of money. She sent me off to Home Depot for some supplies and one Saturday afternoon I set out to work on her cabinet.
Here is what it looked like after I was done with it.
Isn’t it amazing what some moldings and paint can do for these plain, outdated cabinets? It looks so much better now, doesn’t it?
You may notice in the photo above that the door on the right is a little lower than the one on the left. This is an old cabinet that has been there for a long time and has seen some abuse.
I carefully lined up my molding, the knobs and the appliques so that they were straight, but the right door sags slightly. My Mom didn’t want me to bother to drill new holes to adjust the door and she said she was perfectly fine with the way it was, so I just left it alone.
Prepping for Paint & Moldings:
Since this cabinet is laminate, I made sure to first give it a good cleaning with Home Hardware’s Safe Prep solution. Then I lightly sanded it with a coarse sanding sponge to take down some of its glossy coating and give it some “tooth” so that the primer had something to stick to. After removing the sanding dust, I primed the cabinet and the moldings with two coats of bonding primer, letting them dry well in between coats.
Measuring and Placing the Moldings:
I measured so that there would be a even space all around the doors and marked where I would put the moldings and appliques with pencil. One thing that helps me is to use a pencil and a ruler to lightly draw out a box shape for the moldings right on the door. I then re-check my measurements to make sure the box is even all the way around and that both doors are identical. It is so much easier to erase a pencil line then to glue your moldings to the door only to find out they are not in the correct spot. Then you cannot easily remove them without making a huge mess.
For the appliques, I followed the same guidelines. I first measured the length and the width of my appliques. I then found the center of the door and measured down one half of the size of my applique. So if your applique is 8″ tall, measure up from your center mark 4″ and then down 4″ from your center mark to get the outside edges of your applique. Make a pencil tick at both measurements. Do the same thing for the width of your applique. You now will have marks to show exactly where to your appliques should go.
Easy peasy!
Attaching the Moldings and Painting the Cabinet:
To read up on how I miter cut my moldings to make a frame, please see my previous post Framed Storage Box {How to} here.
To attach the moldings and appliques, I used wood glue with the addition of some small finishing nails to give the moldings strength. As I was attaching everything, I made sure that my moldings and appliques lined up perfectly with my pencil marks before adding the finishing nails. It helps to pre-drill a small hole in the molding before pounding in your finishing nails. Also, for a professional looking finish, use a nail set to counter-sink your nail heads.
Once everything was dry I used wood putty to fill any imperfections and then I painted the cabinet with two coats of white semi-gloss latex paint.
This cabinet was transformed over a year ago and I just took these photos while visiting my Mom at Easter, so you can see that this cabinet has held up very nicely to daily use. It still looks freshly painted.
My Mom added two small crystal knobs from Home Depot to give her cabinet a little ”bling”.
I hope I have inspired you to make plans to transform your outdated cabinets too. You can easily update your outdated kitchen cabinets by adding molding and appliques as well. I would suggest though that you use a more durable paint for kitchen cabinets as they will be subjected to more abuse than a bathroom cabinet might be.
Adding molding and paint to your cabinets can help them look refreshed and new again for very little money. This transformation only cost my Mom $25.00 and it was very simple to do.
I also wanted to show you this cute little bamboo drawer unit that my Mom updated with some white paint. It used to be a light golden color but to make it fit in with her bathroom decor she painted it white. What an improvement!
I hope you have a great day.
Parties I’ve Linked Up To:
~ Thrifty Decorating – Thrifty Thursday ~ Savvy Southern Style – Wow Us Wednesdays ~ The Shady Porch – Rock n’ Share ~ Mrs. Hines Class – Show and Tell with Mrs. Hines ~ The Trendy Treehouse – Create and Share ~ Domestically Speaking – 112th Power of the Paint Party ~ The Shabby Creek Cottage – Transformation Thursday ~ Somewhat Simple – Strut Your Stuff ~ The Brambleberry Cottage – Time Travel Thursday ~ Miss Mustard Seed – Furniture Feature Friday ~ It’s a Hodgepodge Life – It’s a Hodgepodge Friday ~ Fingerprints on the Fridge – Feature Yourself Friday ~ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating – Flaunt It Friday ~ Hating Martha – Stinky Linky ~ My Romantic Home – Show & Tell Friday ~ The Craftionary – Friday Fun Party ~ Five Days…Five Ways – Feature Friday Free for All ~ Days of Chalk & Chocolate – Latest Greatest Friday ~ Redoux – Friday Feature Party ~ Tatertots & Jello – Weekend Wrap-up Party ~ Under the Table and Dreaming – Sunday Showcase Party ~ Homemaker on a Dime – Creative Bloggers Party ~ Sumo’s Sweet Stuff – Market Yourself Monday ~ Between Naps on the Porch – Metamorphosis Monday ~ Craft-o-Maniac – Craftomaniac Mondays ~ DIY Showoff – DIY Project Parade ~ Home Stories A to Z – Tutorials and Tips Link Party ~ Coastal Charm – Nifty Thrifty Tuesday ~ Vintage Wanna Bee – Talent Tuesday ~ A Stroll Thru Life – Tabletop Tuesday ~ Not Just a Housewife – Show Me Whatcha Got ~ Southern Lovely – Show and Share ~
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34 comments
3 pings
Suzanne
April 19, 2012 at 1:42 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Great Job! It is completely transformed!
Luz Rodrigues
April 19, 2012 at 2:36 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
It is a great job.I love it.
Sharon Hines
April 19, 2012 at 3:29 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Dang, girl! That’s an amazing transformation. The cabinets bare no resemblance to their 70′s self. Great job and thanks for sharing at Show & Tell!
Carrie
April 20, 2012 at 10:22 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Sharon, you made me smile really big! Thank you. :) Paint and molding makes such a huge difference!
gertie @ The Old Block House
April 19, 2012 at 8:49 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
WTG! My stepfather gave me some old kitchen cabinets and you’ve given me lots of inspiration. I love the appliques.
Carrie
April 20, 2012 at 10:44 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi Gertie,
I am happy to know that you have been inspired to transform your cabinets. Good luck and thanks for stopping by!
Carrie
Michele @ The Nest at Finch Rest
April 19, 2012 at 9:33 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Oh CARRIE!!!
You did a remarkable job!
I cannot even believe the difference your talents and hard work made – it is STUNNING.
VERY WELL DONE!!!!!
Carrie
April 20, 2012 at 10:32 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Awwww… thank you Michele! You’re a sweetheart.
Jen Lossing, The Consigner Designer
April 19, 2012 at 10:41 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Well I’ll be darned! What a transformation. I would have never guessed that they could look so good! Great job!
Carrie
April 20, 2012 at 10:32 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thank you Jen for your kind comments and for stopping by.
Carrie
Cristina
April 20, 2012 at 8:41 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
What a beautiful transformation! I love moldings and this shows why I love them!
SheilaG
April 20, 2012 at 10:16 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
You did a great job- I would have never guessed they were the same cabinet, love it! I just finished reworking our bathroom cabinet as well.
Carrie
April 20, 2012 at 10:33 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I am glad you like my Mom’s cabinet Sheila. I would love you see how you re-worked your cabinet. Did you also use molding?
Luz Rodrigues
April 20, 2012 at 10:40 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Está lindo,e o seu trabalho mais uma vez ……Love it.
Loribeth
April 21, 2012 at 10:26 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Looks wonderful! I just added an applique to my stock vanity cabinet, and it really does make a huge difference.
Carrie
April 22, 2012 at 11:51 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks for taking the time to comment Loribeth. I am sure your cabinet looks wonderful with its new appliques. They make a world of difference, for sure!
Jenny
April 22, 2012 at 5:34 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Brilliant! Those are my kitchen cabs and I hate how outdated they look. This is a great inspiration. Thanks for linking it up this week!
Carrie
April 23, 2012 at 9:20 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks for stopping by Jenny! I am glad you liked my makeover.
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions
April 23, 2012 at 12:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Fabulous job, Carrie! It looks like a brand new cabinet!
visiting from Met Monday : )
Carrie
April 23, 2012 at 9:11 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks Kathy for stopping by and for your kind comments.
Lauren@ Inside My Present
April 23, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Visiting from Sumo’s Sweet Stuff. You would never guess that vanity started out as it did! Great inspiration! I’m your newest follower, hope you’ll check out my site :)
Marty@A Stroll Thru Life
April 24, 2012 at 9:22 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Love the moldings and appliques, they totally transformed the cabinet. Great job, it looks amazing. Thanks tons for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty
Carrie
April 24, 2012 at 10:56 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I am so happy you liked it Marty! Thanks for taking the time to visit.
Claudine
April 24, 2012 at 12:50 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi, Carrie!
Great transformation!
Yes, I actually have a cabinet I picked up on the street for free…
I am thinking to renovate to use as paint storage.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Claudine
Carrie
April 24, 2012 at 3:52 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I am happy that you stopped by Claudine. Isn’t it awesome when we can find things for free? Your cabinet will be great for paint for the storage space it provides and then on the outside you can pretty it up and no one but you will know that it is for storing your paint supplies.
Carrie
sherry
April 24, 2012 at 2:33 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Carrie, you did a wonderful job! That’s an awesome transformation! I’m now following you and would love if you can follow me back. Tx
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
April 26, 2012 at 5:12 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Carrie, this truly is an amazing makeover! Your mom must be so happy with your transformation.
Thanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Hope to see you again this week. Be sure to stop in tonight and see yourself featured.
Blessings,
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Carrie
April 26, 2012 at 9:21 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I was so surprised to read that you had featured by bathroom vanity transformation. Thanks so much for featuring me Liz.
Jenny
April 26, 2012 at 8:30 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Your vanity is featured this week!
http://daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com/2012/04/features-and-my-new-favorite-thing.html
Carrie
April 26, 2012 at 9:20 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Jenny! I have been letting everyone know that I have been featured. Thanks for stopping by to let me know. :)
Anne
April 27, 2012 at 6:48 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Fantastic! Love the after – oh how I love that we can make over anything we don’t like and make it look fabulous!
Great job!
Carrie
April 28, 2012 at 6:49 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I love that we can too Anne. We can easily change things up when we get bored! Thanks for your sweet comments. I hope to see you again soon.
Meredith
January 20, 2013 at 6:48 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
What a fun a beautiful makeover! I have the same ones in my bathroom and am SO doing this. Thanks for the inspiration. Did you paint the sides of the base cabinet / and framing or is it just the doors? It was hard to tell from the pictures. Thanks!!
Carrie
January 20, 2013 at 8:47 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi Meredith,
Thank you for your wonderful comments! My Mom actually painted the cabinet after I left that day and I am pretty sure that she painted all of the outside of the cabinet including the sides, doors and kick plate. She did not paint the inside at all. Because of the bonding primer and paint that she used it held up really well to daily use. She is just by herself though so for a busy household the cabinet may need to be touched up once and a while.
Take care,
Carrie
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