If COVID hadn’t happened, I would have finished the boys’ bathroom in days and not months. I took the cabinet doors off in January 2020, but the world stopped on March 13th and I was thrust into a school/work juggling act along with thousands? millions? of other parents. I’ve worked from a home office for almost 15 years, so working remotely was nothing new, but working (a lot I might add) while homeschooling during school closures, then helping with disastrous virtual school, more homeschooling, feeding everyone, cleaning the house, and not touching my blankety blank face…yeah, that was new.
I can’t remember when I felt a desire to look on Instagram for bathroom ideas, but I have a feeling it had something to do with the question, “Mom, when are you putting the doors back on?” It had only been five months…
Bathroom during painting 
Bathroom after wall painting
I discovered something called chalk paint: maybe you’ve heard of it. Chalk paint is all the rage in the furniture painting world because it’s easy to apply, and requires little to no prep work (but I’ve learned sanding and priming never hurt…). I found a local gift shop called Stylish Patina that is a retailer for a variety of chalk paints, and I tried Jolie Paints since it jumped out as the most eco-friendly (water based, non-toxic and low fumes).
Let’s Get to Work
I chose to mix 1:1 Jolie’s Gentelman’s Blue and Navy and let me tell you – that moment I started brushing on a deep blue paint was really scary. No going back! But I was AMAZED how smooth the paint went on and how easy it was to get a good first coat. My artistic son got in on the action, another reason I wanted a safer paint.
The Finished Result
Because I was painting bathroom cabinets, which are subject to humidity and tough usage (thanks, boys), the salesperson recommended I top coast with Jolie’s glossy varnish.
Helping with the Jolie varnish
Because the room doesn’t get a lot of natural light, it’s tough to get a good picture that will do the space justice. But even in less than ideal lighting I think you can see the improvement. I was so excited by this new found love of chalk paint, I decided to paint the cabinets in our downstairs powder room and a vintage child’s desk. Someday we’ll replace the countertops, or maybe we’ll demo everything and convert a cool antique dresser into a vanity. But until we can do the more $$$ and time intensive things, cabinet painting is the biggest bang for your buck!
Thanks for checking out this easy DIY bathroom makeover. I hope it inspires you to try out chalk painting if you’re looking for a quick update that doesn’t break the bank!
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