Painting Your Bathroom Vanity
Whether we like it or not, we and the things we own grow old. In a few years, our new car’s engine will begin to knock and sputter, the state-of-the-art laptop will become obsolete, and the polished bathroom vanity’s paints will fade. Fortunately, there are mechanics who can fix the car, upgrades to laptops, and paints to refinish the vanity.
Repainting an old vanity is an easy enough job even if your DIY skills are only average. The only thing you need is the right attitude, a can do spirit that says, yes I can. Actually, there are a few more things you’d be needing –degreasing cleaner, flexible sanding pads or wet-dry sandpaper, screwdriver, paint brush, blue masking tape, and drop cloths. And don’t forget the paint.
Before buying your paint, find out if the existing paint is alkyd or latex. While there is no problem painting new alkyd over old, latex paint will not adhere well with alkyd. If you insist on using latex, you will need to coat the existing alkyd with a suitable primer. One quick way to determine if the old paint is alkyd or latex is to clean a surface of the vanity, then saturate a rag with rubbing alcohol and rub it vigorously over the surface. If some of the paint comes off, it is latex, otherwise, it must be alkyd.
You can begin your painting project by removing the doors along with their hinges and the drawers. Remove all dirt and grease from the surface with the degreasing cleaner and warm water. Roughen the surface slightly with your sandpaper, then rinse and allow to thoroughly dry.
Tape surfaces you do not want painted on that are adjacent to those that need painting. You can now begin with the painting. Start with the primer if you need to prime the surface. Just be sure it is compatible with your chosen paint. Allow all primed surfaces to dry before beginning to apply your paint.
Apply the paint either with a brush or roller in light coats, avoiding heavy lumpy coatings. Allow the paint to dry for at least eight hours. When dried, lightly sand the painted surface with fine sand paper. This ensures that your second coat will stick to the first more firmly. When done sanding, carefully wipe off all dust, then proceed to paint your second coating.
Remember to paint the doors and drawers you removed. Wait until all painted surfaces are dry before re-attaching them to the vanity. You can retouch any minor scratches that may result from this.