If you are looking to update your bathroom with a unique touch, consider a painted black vanity. The sleek look adds a neutral, yet modern feel to any bathroom. The vanity in my master bath is large, and I was skeptical about painting it, but once finished, the black color was the perfect choice to update this 90’s bathroom on a small budget.
Thank you to my friends at General Finishes for providing paint for this project! All opinions are my own.
Sleek Black Vanity Makeover
We built our home in the late 1990’s. Now that we are well into the 21st century, the yellow knotty alder was looking dated, tired, faded, and in desperate need of an update. Not having the budget for a full gut (I was actually quoted 16K for a complete remodel), I decided to tackle some of the updates myself.
(Before)
(After)
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Here’s a run down of the process (see pictures ahead)
Sleek Black Vanity MakeoverAffiliate links included for your convenience. Click here to read the full disclosure. After wiping down the piece and removing the doors:    Step 1: Cover knots. See this post –>How to Fill Knots on Wood    Step 2: Give the entire piece a light sanding and apply a coat of primer (my favorite primer!)    Step 3: Apply 2 coats of General Finishes Lamp Black . I waited 1-2 hours between coats. This paint dries very fast, which is great and a little goes a long way.    Step 4: Apply 2-3 coats of General Finishes Top Coat (I used the flat finish) and made sure I lightly sanded between each coat. Don’t skip this step. This is what gives the sleek, smooth finish.    Other supplies: I used these sanding pads, foam brushes, and small foam rollers to get the job done. |
Black Vanity Makeover: Process Details
This master bathroom has come such a long way from the 90’s basic builder grade knotty alder.
As you can see, I didn’t feel the need to empty out all of my junk belongings out of the vanity. I simply pushed everything back far enough out of the way, then removed the doors. And yes, I know, it’s a mess in there. Feel free to drop your bathroom organization posts in the comment section 🙂
To start the project, I covered the knots on the entire vanity (you can see the little patches in this photo), then applied a coat of primer as seen below.
Once everything was dry, I followed with 2 coats of General Finishes Lamp Black. I was worried about going so dark, but I really love how it turned out.
To get the smooth/sleek look I gave the entire piece three coats of General Finishes Flat Top Coat.
If you are an observant reader, you may notice that the light fixture from the ‘before’ photo is not the same as the after. That is because it got a little update a while back. You can see that post here if you are interested. It’s a popular one!
The walls in this bathroom also went from beige to grey. If you follow me on Instagram, you may be familiar with my feelings about painting. I understand the need for it, but I really hate doing it. However, I recently came across this awesome little tool. See this post for my $2 secret to painting walls FAST!
The Mirror Frame
The bathroom mirror got a frame, too! And this one was so much fun because it took virtually no tools. This is the perfect little update to any builder grade bathroom mirror. So much easier than replacing the mirror. I have done it in two of my bathrooms and it really makes a statement with very little expense. See my DIY Stick on Mirror Frame for details on this project.
To finish off the black vanity, I switched the knobs from the old wood ones, to these fun gold drawer pulls and knobs. You can the drawer pulls here and the round gold glass knobs here.
Ready to go Black?
I hope you are motivated to go with a black vanity! It really is so sleek. I highly recommend it! :). This bathroom will be all finished soon. I would LOVE to share the reveal with you, so make sure you join my email list to stay in the loop! As an email subscriber, you will also have access to my resource library of free plans and printables! Let’s be DIY pals!
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Let me know if you have any questions about this project in the comment section. And hey, why not share this post with your friends?
I love this, Janice! The black vanity looks amazing! You are so talented my friend!!
Thank you Amy!
Looks great! We just painted our vanity black too and we love it! Thanks for the info on framing the mirror! Our next project!
Yay! Thank you sandi! Good luck on the next project 🙂 Framing the mirror will be easier!
I really enjoyed your article! I remodeled our bathroom in the 1980s, and now we are ready for a redo. We have a black vanity in are lake house. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Glad you liked it 🙂
Where do you recommend get a vanity built like this one?
Try any custom cabinet shop.