Bathroom Before + After

We have not yet moved from our Ottawa townhouse to our lakehouse (long story), so the lakehouse bathroom is empty and in need of accessories, artwork and even basics like soap and towels!  Frankly, I didn't even have a chance to scrub the floors or shower before snapping some photos of its makeover, but after showing you bits and pieces of its transformation last week, I was eager to show you the whole room.  Because it's a temporary fix until we renovate, I haven't actually replaced anything but the ceiling light fixture.  We'll be installing a new towel bar as well, but otherwise the cabinetry, flooring, counter, tile backsplash, vanity light fixture - even the cabinet hardware - have all been given a simple facelift.

The cabinetry was the first to be updated, with Rustoleum's Cabinet Transformations System, which you saw a sneak peek of on Friday.  The existing counter is a pale, mint-ish green with flecks of dark grey and creamy-white, so it pairs wells with the cabinetry (which is Rustoleum's Castle Grey, unglazed).

While I was removing the doors to refinish them, I removed the molding at the top of the cabinet for a cleaner look.  It was barely held on with finishing nails, so it didn't need much encouragement - just a little nudge.  I know other people add molding to finish off cabinetry, but I much prefer a simpler look.  Nothing I can do about the cathedral door fronts, but there's only the two so I'll just ignore them and invite you to do the same.

After I tackled the cabinetry, but before the doors were re-installed, the salmon pink walls and oak trim disappeared with a coat of Zinsser primer and three coats of Glidden Easy Flow paint, courtesy of Canadian Tire and our paint-the-lakehouse partnership.  In the townhouse I shied away from white walls in the only bathroom that still has a beige toilet because I worried it would make the beige "pop," but the creamier colour I originally chose only made the toilet look beiger.  This time I said beige toilet (and sink and shower) be damned, I want white walls.  I especially love white walls in a bathroom because it looks so clean and so much brighter.  I'll love the white even more once we get some bright art up on the walls.  We also removed the oddly placed towel bars and grab handles, plus the blinds and valence, so the walls are much less busy now.  I'll figure out a window treatment soon, but we live in the country so it's not super pressing.

Next I refinished the tile, which was arduous but turned out alright.



I decided not to buy new hardware for the cabinetry because I wanted this makeover to be cheap and even if I spent a few bucks per knob, that adds up to about $30.  Instead I used the leftover Rustoleum high heat spray paint that was rattling around in the can after I painted the fireplace doors and vents.  I just made sure to give the knobs a really good sand with a fine grit sandpaper (which resulted in a cool finish I was tempted to leave as-is), and gave the knobs a few thin coats of spray paint.  I love the matte black finish, especially against the grey cupboards.

Emboldened, I painted the vanity light too.  I hate this style of light but I don't know what kind of lighting I want for the renovation, and I didn't want to buy something I may not re-use.  I originally discarded the chrome plate it came with, but when Hubby scrubbed the paint a little during install, back on it went.  Hubby reasons that it ties together the matte black knobs and all of the chrome.  Okay, I'll buy it.

The overhead light is the one thing I did change, for the same inexpensive Ikea fixture that is now in the hallway, bedrooms and will eventually be in the kitchen, laundry room and half bathroom.  The cohesion makes me dopey-eyed happy.

Last up, we nailed in some white quarter round where the vinyl floor was curling up.  Not a pin-worthy change, but a tiny fix like this, that cost pennies and solved (okay, hid) a wear-and-tear problem, just made the bathroom look newer.

I still can't wait to renovate, but for now the space looks brighter, fresher and more modern.  

It really needs some art.  Soon, I think, soon.



I'm planning something with really saturated colour, like a painting I just recently made for a friend's living room.

A huge thanks to Canadian Tire for providing the Zinsser primer and Glidden Easy Flow paint, and to Rustoleum for providing the Tile Transformations and Cabinet Transformations kits. 

How to Refinish Bathroom Cabinets Easily: Review of Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations

Although refinishing the bathroom tile proved tricky, modernizing the oak cabinetry was a cinch.  Again I turned to the folks at Rustoleum, eager to try their Cabinet Transformations System.  The colour choices were a smidge limiting (I chose Castle, unglazed) but I was eager for an all-in-one, guaranteed-to-last product.

The kit was straightforward and easy to use (with no sanding or priming!).  After removing the doors fronts I cleaned the cabinet doors and bases thoroughly with the included Deglosser.  This took a few hours because the Deglosser also needs to be wiped clean with a damp cloth and I tried to make sure I did a thorough job.

After the cabinets dried (1 hour), I applied three coats of the included paint (called a "Bond Coat") with a 2" angled brush.  I applied the coats really thinly, starting with the backs of the cabinet doors, making sure I wasn't dripping on to the other side.  Each coat took 2-3 hours to dry so this project took a few days to complete, even though actually applying the Bond Coat was straight forward.

For the cabinet frames, I found that using a small artist's brush (really love that thing for home DIYs) helped me skip the taping step and just get straight to painting.  I just wiped any mistakes off with a damp cloth right away, but after practicing on these cabinets I now have quite the steady hand!

The instructions say two coats should do it but after two there were a couple of spots that needed a touch up.  I had plenty of paint left so I just went ahead with a third coat.  Because my doors are so ornate, it took some extra patience wiggling the paint in there but it was worth the time.  I think a door with a smoother profile might not need the third coat.

After that, I skipped the optional Decorative Glaze (which is created to give the cabinets an antiqued look) and applied the included Protective Top Coat, formulated to work with the Bond Coat to provide maximum scratch and stain resistance.  After it dried, while the doors were still on the floor waiting to be installed, my Mom noticed a few spots less shiny than others so, again, with tons pf product to spare, I applied a second coat but then there were new areas that were less shiny.  We re-installed the doors anyway and once they were in place I couldn't see any difference in sheen.  Sweet relief.

Definitely an improvement! 

Coverage on Solid Wood vs. Melamine

This system covered wood beautifully, but was a touch less cooperative with the melamine cabinet frames.  For lack of a better word, it was "slippery" on melamine, sometimes refusing to adhere neatly so the first coat was really sheer and had poor coverage.  Happily, it adhered to itself well and by the third coat it looked perfect.  To double check, I painted the cabinet doors that are behind our firewood cubby (you can load the wood from the storage room behind the fireplace to avoid tracking gunk through the house).  They are melamine and the white really popped after the fireplace was painted dark grey.  I applied some leftover Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations Bond Coat and although, again, the first coat was more sheer than when I applied it to wood, it adhered perfectly.  And the doors only needed two coats, because they are so smooth and plain.  Photos soon!

I partnered with Rustoleum to update the bathroom cabinets but was not prompted or asked to provide a positive review of the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation System.  If you try this system, there's even a video DVD included (see a video tutorial online here) and extensive instructions with a helpful FAQ section.  I would 100% purchase this product myself because of the ease of application and the uniqueness of this paint product  - this is more like a mix between a stain and a paint, and it really seems to sink in to the grain to create a super smooth, professional-looking finish.  

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How to Paint Over Dated Ceramic Tile

The main bathroom in the lakehouse will be the first room to be fully renovated, hopefully this summer.  Other than the size (huge to me) and layout (nothing unusual), I hate everything about its original state. The oak cabinet doors and trim were woodsy and the vanity uncomfortably low, the gold knobs just bugged me, the pink walls were criticized by everyone who came through (and they just weren't "us"), the light fixtures were utilitarian and dated, and don't even get me started on the beige tub, sink, and portal shower.

(Actually, the portal has been great for bathing Szuka, who has become a master escape artist dodging to the left or right and leaping out of the tub with surprising agility.  Unlike the townhouse tub, the space portal blocks her exits, allowing me to wash her without getting kicked in the head by her giant puppy paws). 

Even though we hope to reno soonish, I wanted to spruce up the room a little but spend very little in the process.  Every dime I spend in here takes a dime away from our dream bathroom.

There is such a small amount of tile (just between the mirror and vanity) that I contemplated just picking up some leftovers at Habitat for Humanity and redoing it.  But I've tiled before and, although it's not terribly tricky, it can be time consuming.  I really yearned for something quick and painless as well as thrifty, and thought that this bathroom would be the perfect place to experiment a little with a different kind of DIY solution, so I approached Rustoleum about trying their Tile Transformations Kit.  I opted for the Solid Colour Textured Finish, but they sent me the Natural Stone Finish also, which worked in my favour.

The first few steps were easy: remove the caulking around the tile and clean it thoroughly with the magic scrubbing powder provided.  Then I taped off the area and protected the surfaces with drop cloths.

Easy, peasy - no sanding!  Next came mixing the two parts of the paint together.  The instructions warn that this paint dries quickly (it has a 90 minute working time), so not to take your sweet time, but to not just slop it on, either.  It's a two-person job: one paints the coating onto the grout and the other follows with a small roller (the handle isn't included).  The instructions also warn to watch for drips and sags.  Due to my own guffaw (I'll explain in a minute), every time I tried to catch a sag, I removed paint in the process and revealed the naked tile beneath.  I fussed and fussed but couldn't get a smooth finish.  It had some sags and too much texture.  Hubby proposed that the paint might tighten up as it dries, so I left it.

The next morning I arrived at the lakehouse to see the sags had remained.  I contemplated sanding and starting over, or just ripping it out and replacing the tile after all, but I figured I had nothing to lose so I added the step for the Natural Stone finish.  It's basically a transparent, grey-tinted coating with flecks and glittery bits that is layered on top of the Solid Colour Textured Finish.  It is supposed to dry clear, but it tinted the original colour, dulling it a bit, which was a-okay by me but different than what the instructional video suggests.  I rolled that on without any trouble, hoping it would hide my goof.

Once it dried, it looked better!  The finish hides the sags a little because it has some sparkle and texture, and because it's meant to look like stone, a little irregularity actually helps the rouse along.  Crisis averted!! 

Here's a closer look at the finish:

In real life, the flaws are much less noticeable (I tried really hard to photograph it so you could see the texture I accidentally created).  Also, although it has a textured finish, to the touch the texture is smooth, not rough, so cleaning should be a breeze.  I wouldn't use this finish in a space I'm putting money into because without the grout lines it's obviously not real stone, but at a glance it looks refreshed - it's a perfect cheap and easy, temporary fix.  The tile is now plain and simple - definitely an improvement on the 80s tile design lurking beneath, and all done for only a couple of minutes of work.  Seriously, painting this tile and the half bathroom tile, both steps, took less than half an hour total (over two days), including prep and clean up. 

I am confident that the problem here was a user error.  The instructions indicate the paint must be used within 7 days of tinting and I was just barely passed this timeline but didn't think a few days would make a difference.  Because this paint hardens to an amazingly durable finish (definitely NOT the same as just priming and painting, this special coating acts and feels like real ceramic), I think it started to cure in the can and by the time I applied it, it was a little too firm to use.  Lesson learned: follow the instructions to the letter.  Even with the snag, the bathroom is coming along nicely and I can't wait to show you the (problem-free) makeover of the cabinetry next.  So long yellowy oak!

I partnered with Rustoleum for this project and although I was provided the product, I was not encouraged to provide a positive review.  Having diagnosed my error, I would happily try this product again because it was straight-forward and is a fabulous quick-fix for dated tile.  If you decide to try this product, be sure to follow the instructions carefully, and check out this video tutorial for more help.

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Modern White Ceiling Fan

With the fireplace painted a deep charcoal grey, and the walls and ceiling a crisp white, the woodsy beam and gold-trimmed ceiling fan were next on the chopping block.  My Mandelbaum Mom upped the ante, challenging her fear of heights and spending hours on the scaffolding, carefully applying wood filler, then sanding, priming and painting the beam in preparation for a shiny new ceiling fan.

I actually considered leaving the wood (or staining it a different colour), but once the white paint crept up the walls, the wood really stood out and actually made our tall ceiling seem really low.

Even once I decided to paint it white, I originally opted to leave the knots, hoping for a fresh textured look.  Disappointingly, the knots pretty much disappeared under the paint except for a few cracks that looked like bugs from a distance. 

With sweaty palms, my Mom filled in the cracks with wood filler (essentially undoing her previous priming efforts), then sanded and primed each knot again.  I (so conveniently) aggravated a back injury while this was being done, which is why I wasn't Mandelbauming it myself, but even once it healed she still soldiered on, applying three coats of paint with a mini roller for a perfectly smooth finish.

With the beam white, the glitzy gold ceiling fan, with it's wobbly light bulbs, also had to go.

While we still had scaffolding in our hot little hands (making installation a snap), we splurged on a new ceiling fan and I'm happy to report I'm two-for-two finding ceiling fans I actually like.

photo source

I've always liked the idea of a white ceiling fan, but white can be a tricky finish because sometimes I find it looks really cheap - especially the blades.  When I found the Kichler Ferron ceiling fan, with luminescent blades instead of plain melamine ones, I was sold. 

They catch the light really nicely.  No, dreamily, I want to say dreamily. 

It also comes in an oil rubbed bronze and brushed nickel - both of which are just as modern and stylish.  

This model doesn't have a light kit, which is perfect for us.  It works silently and efficiently, and will do wonders to force warm air back down, so we aren't heating the 13 foot tall ceiling.

Eventually I want to replace the eyeball pot lights above the fireplace but we're prioritizing the upgrades.  For now, I'm enjoying the new fan!

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