Refinishing a Bathroom Vanity {Bathroom Makeover, Phase 1}

We have this great hall bathroom upstairs. It's close to the kids' bedrooms and our guest room, and it's HUGE! It's the best bathroom in the entire house. Except I never painted it. Or did anything to it, really, except hang an old shower curtain that we already owned. So it's been calling to me for a while now... And then I was at the store the other day, and picked up a can of this:

(Yes. Another Rust-oleum product. I'm in a spray-painting phase, what can I say?)

Anyway, it seemed like the right stuff to paint our vanity with. Just like in the kitchen, we had that weird wood-on-wood thing going on. It bothered me. I wanted more contrast. My first thought would have been to paint it white, but then the countertop would have looked weird (it's not-quite-white). I decided that black would look really cool. Plus, the room is big and bright enough that I wasn't worried about it feeling smaller. So, black it was!

Since I was going to be spray painting, I needed to tape everything off and cover the area with newspaper. Spray paint is messy!

Then I sprayed to my heart's content (3 cans' worth, by the way. Thank goodness for the hardware store across the street!). I had the bathroom fan running and the window wide open, and it was still BAD! I had to take frequent breaks for fresh air, because I was getting a little light-headed. The room was filled with a cloud of lacquer spray paint! The fumes were crazy! Mommy was woozy!

That being said, it looked really good. I did the drawer fronts and cabinet door, too. I was very pleased with the finish!

Once they had been dry for about 5 hours, I very carefully removed the tape and newspaper, and reinstalled the door and drawers. And that's when the REAL cleanup began... I realized that there was a thin layer of black dust EVERYWHERE! haha! It was really noticeable when I lifted up the newspapers, and the floors underneath were noticeably cleaner and brighter. Oops! It was just dust, and it came up easily with my microfiber mop and some damp rags, but it is something to consider. If you're going to spray-paint your vanity, do that first! You've been warned! Also, move any linens out of the bathroom completely. My rugs and towels are in the washer as I type... :)

Anyway... isn't it pretty? I am in love with how it turned out, and now I'm feeling inspired to work on the rest! I have a vision now! Stay tuned! :)