Half Bath Refresher

One of the items on my New Year’s To Do Resolutions list was updating the small half bath with a new paint color and additional storage.  And guess what?!?  I can mark it off my list as complete!  Yay! 

As I mentioned in this room evolution post this half bath is the main bathroom for my youngest teenager as well as the guest bath.  It stayed cluttered with all his personal items like contact solution, face wash, and dental items. It was also the first room that got painted when I moved in 7 years ago and the paint was showing its age.  It was definitely time to give this little powder room an update. 

And here it is now…..

Updates were simple but make a huge difference in the room – new paint color, new mirror, and shelves along with a few new accessories.  And the cost?  At only $70.00 this update didn’t break the bank either. 

Before we take a closer look at the updates here's a little reminder of how the room has evolved over the years.

Ready for the details?  A few weeks ago Ace introduced their new line of paint, Clark + Kensington, with free quart samples.  I picked a color from the Ace line of paint called Silver Knight.  The mirror was a hand me down from a friend.  It started off with a gold finish that I spray painted ORB.  The towel ring was replaced with a robe hook in ORB purchased at Wal-Mart.  I was hoping to spray paint the existing hardware but my son had just about pulled the ring from the wall anchor by yanking the towel down so to save the wall the ring was replaced with the hook.  The full size towel was replaced by a hand towel in nectar (also from Wal-Mart).

The other side of the room is the one I’m most excited about.  This is also where the majority of the budget was spent.  I knew the over the toilet cabinet had to go.  We had it for years and it really wasn’t deep enough to hold much.  So out it went and in came 10 inch deep open shelving.  I decided at the last minute to stain the wood instead of paint it and I am very happy with the decision.  Since I was staining I wanted wood that had minimal knots showing.  Unfortunately the pine that Lowe’s had in stock was full of knots and since I hadn’t spent much in the room I splurged on the “nice” wood.  The stain is Rustoleum’s Ultimate Wood Stain in Kona.

Lowe’s cut the boards to size and after a little sanding to the inside corners (my wall corners apparently aren’t square) I did a dry fit.  Using pieces of blue painter’s tape I marked the position where I wanted each shelf. It was a very happy accident that I was able to get all three shelves placed exactly 15 inches apart on the first try!  Each shelf is supported by three L brackets.  I inserted a wall anchor and the wall bracket on the back wall.  Resting the shelf on this bracket and using a level I reused the blue painter’s tape to then mark where the L brackets would be on each side.  Sorry there are no pics for these steps.  I was working alone.  Since I wanted the shelf brackets to blend in I took them as well as the screws outside and gave them a quick coat of ORB spray paint.

With all the hard work done the search for accessories was on!  In addition to the extra hand towels the only other purchase I made was for the glass containers.  These were on clearance at TJ Maxx for $5 each (originally $12.99 each).  It’s hard to see in the pictures but they are designed to mimic mercury glass.  They’re being used to hold dental flossers and cotton balls.  I’m still on the search for a picture so for now colorful paint chip samples fill the frame. Everything else came from around the house or my decorating closet.  The bins are empty boxes that were covered with burlap.

And since we all love a budget breakdown….

Paint – free from Ace Hardware

Mirror – free from a friend

ORB Spray Paint – on hand

3 hand towels – $8.91

2 Glass containers – $10.00

Wood for shelves – $38.91

Brackets for shelves – $3.81

Robe Hook – $2.97

Stain – $4.97

Grand Total – $69.57

Not too bad for about $70, huh?  Even though I could have save more money by using cheaper pine boards I am still thrilled with the results. Now for some before and afters......

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