Our guest bathroom was in desperate need of a makeover. From the pink wallpaper and sinks to the old laminate cabinets, everything needed to go. We weren’t ready to completely gut the bathroom and replace everything so we decided to do a budget-friendly DIY makeover!

The first step was to remove the wallpaper. We tried everything to remove it but quickly realized the previous owners had used a strong glue to adhere the wallpaper to the walls. So after some research, I discovered you can seal wallpaper and paint over it. Using the Kilz Sealer & Stain Blocker I sealed the walls and then painted them with Gray Screen by Sherwin Williams.

We went back and forth trying to decide if we wanted to paint the bathroom tile ourselves or hire a professional to do them. They sell a kit at the local hardware store but the process was very intimidating and time consuming. We ultimately decided to hire a local company to reglaze the tiles bright white and were so happy with the price and results!

The next project was transforming the bathroom vanity to look brand new. The existing vanity was original to the home and was your typical flat-panel, laminate bathroom cabinet. I decided I wanted to give the vanity doors an update by adding shaker trim.

Using ¼ Birch plywood, we cut the wood into 2.5 inch strips using the table saw. Then we cut the strips down to size using the miter saw. I applied a layer of wood glue on each trim piece and placed them on the vanity doors. I used 23 gauge pin nails in our air nailer and added two nails on the bottom, two in the middle, and two nails at the top of each trim piece to ensure they were secured to the vanity doors.

To get a seamless look on the shaker trim, I applied wood filler to the seams where the trim pieces met and then lightly sanded them.

Next, I applied a coat of bonding primer to all the vanity doors and the vanity itself so the cabinet enamel would adhere to it well. After letting it dry for 24 hours, I then added the first coat of the cabinet enamel in the color Deep Twilight Blue by Valspar. I highly recommend using a Whizz foam roller when painting cabinets or any kind of furniture. I applied a total of three coats to the doors and vanity and was so impressed with the quality of the cabinet enamel paint. It dried so even and smooth without any brush or roller strokes!

When it came to replacing the counter top we went back and fourth deciding whether or not to go with a natural stone or a more affordable alternative. After a lot of research, we decided to go with the more affordable option of a marble-look counter we found at IKEA. It was so affordable that we couldn’t pass it up. We followed the directions and the installation was relatively easy.

We decided to do a small strip of tile backsplash between the counter top and the existing wall mirror. I found a great deal on white picket tile at Home Depot and it fit perfectly in the space. For convenience, we bought pre-made thin-set and grout (which I highly recommend) and I knocked out the backsplash on my own one night before bed.

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I found some great deals on the square sinks, black faucets, and champagne-gold cabinet hardware. I would highly recommend using a hardware template when drilling the new holes in the cabinet doors for the hardware. The template made it so easy! The final touch was painting the existing wood mirror frame white to give a clean look to the space.

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Overall, we are so happy with our budget-friendly bathroom makeover! The entire makeover definitely took longer than we expected but it always feels so rewarding when you get to the finish line and know that all your hard work paid off. See detailed video of this renovation on my Instagram Page!