My bathroom vanity looked pretty much like all of my neighbors' bathroom vanities (well, at least the ones who haven't remodeled). It was a good-quality Merillat in an ugly early 1990s prefab light oak color. The builder probably got a good deal on them.
Having lived with it for 10 years, I was tired of the look. But after pricing a 72-inch vanity and countertop at well over $1,000, I knew I couldn't afford a new one.
Along came Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations, a new all-in-one kit that turned my cabinets a rich espresso color. Best of all, you can still see the wood grain, and the cabinets are just glossy enough that it doesn't look at all like a typical painted cabinet.
The process took about three working hours and cost $80 for the kit (though I had about three-fourths left over, some of which I used on my kitchen island).
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The steps were quite easy:
1. Use a scrub pad (provided) with a liquid deglosser to rub the cabinet frames and doors (which I removed). Let dry one hour.
2. Paint on the espresso color using a 2-inch synthetic brush (I had to buy one, but you may already have this). Let it dry two to three hours, then paint on a second coat. The instructions will have you paint the inside and outside of your cabinet doors; I didn't because I knew I'd be the only one who saw the insides of my bathroom cabinets. However, when I do my kitchen, I will paint the insides.
3. Paint the optional gloss and then wipe it off with a gauzy rag (provided). Let dry eight hours.
4. Paint on the final topcoat.
I finished off my vanity with some new hardware (a total of about $40 at Lowe's) and then a new faucet (about $70 at Lowe's). We decided to keep the countertop for now. Suddenly, it doesn't look so bad.