Resurfacing Your Storage

Are you tired at looking at your ugly cabinet doors? Just like in a kitchen one of the fastest ways to update the look of a bathroom is to replace the doors on your vanity. As we all know, storage is extremely important in the bathroom and one of the prerequisites is that your essentials must be stowed away behind closed doors to keep the space looking uncluttered. Fortunately there are a range of solutions for making the most of old or damaged vanity doors that are both cost efficient and easy to do. Today we will look at two simple solutions: one that involves adding wood beading to enhance the look of the unit and the other consist of attaching raised paneling to the original door surface.

Easy to Fix

One of the benefits of having wooden cabinet doors in your bath is that they can be easily cut, painted or added on to. Also if the original surface is in particularly bad condition and is dented or damaged in any way it can be easily filled and repaired to look like new again.

Adding Half Rounded Wooden Beading

There are many widths and different profiles of molding available for you to attach to the surface but to keep your decor looking crisp and fresh its best to choose a simple coordinated design that you could mirror on your walls in the form of wainscoting or even on the door to the entrance to the room if you so choose.

Preparing the Surface

The tools you will need include wood molding, a small saw, 120 grit sandpaper, wood adhesive, a pencil, ruler, primer undercoat, two inch paint brush, satin paint and a damp cloth. Before you begin remember to clean and sand your cabinets to remove any grease or built up wax to provide a premium surface for you to paint on. If you plan on moving the handles to another location on the door, make sure to fill the original holes first before you re-position the new hardware.

Spacing the Trim

Though this effect appears complex, it’s very simple to achieve, the trick so to speak is to plan the arrangement carefully. Measure and mark a four inch border around the cabinet door. Within the central area, measure and mark three or five equally spaced vertical lines. An odd number is usually best because it adds interest to the overall design. Cut and sand the top edges of the molding you have chosen to fit within the marked lines. Don’t round the corners because we want a straight flat horizontal top and bottom edge.

Attaching the Edging

Next on the back of the molding run a thin line of wood glue along the length of the pieces. Press the strips into place immediately wiping away any excess glue with a moist rag. Be sure there isn’t any drops or drag lines as this will show up as an imperfection when the surface is finished. Let dry.

Applying the Perfect Coat

Now we have to ready the surface by priming the door with primer. A good technique is to use long strokes to minimize brush lines and keep the cabinet looking as smooth and flat as possible. Let dry. To finish the job, take your paintbrush and coat the vanity door using satin paint. Another technique used by the trades is to apply the paint generously but not too thick. What this allows you to do is when the door is dry you can then gently sand the painted surface between each coat to achieve a quality professional finish.

Raised Cabinet Paneling

Another way to update old bathroom vanity cabinets is to add a raised profile to the doors as compared to just adding texture or color to mask any imperfections. This three dimensional surface is extremely easy to create and even if you don’t have a jigsaw you can simply ask your home improvement store to cut the medium density fiberboard to whatever size you need.

Using Cardboard Templates

In order for this solution to work you will want to have a level cabinet door. The tools you will need include: MDF (medium density fiberboard), a strong adhesive, sandpaper, primer, egg shell paint, one inch paint brush, a ruler, pencil and a jigsaw if available. I[...]