First DIY of 2020: My Bathroom

I've got a few projects on my list for 2020 and I decided to start in my bathroom; the one in my master bedroom.  When I first moved into my new home last February the bathrooms were the only rooms I did absolutely nothing to in an effort to make them my own.  My bedroom and personal bathroom are the only two rooms that really took the back burner for the past year because my intent was to make the kids happy and comfortable with our new living arrangements. 

I decided to give myself a budget of $200 and really focus on updating the builder's grade bathroom by doing it myself and spending as little as possible.  I've only just started the project, but I'm already blown away with the results I'm seeing! 

Once I decided to go all in with the project I got a little excited and went ahead and took the cabinet doors out before taking an actual "before" photo, but you get the idea...

 

I was determined not to paint, but in the end I opted to buy a cheap pre-mixed gallon at Walmart and suck it up because let's be real here; the most cost-effective way to update a space is with paint!  And the walls were the same builder's beige they had been since the house was built. 

I'll have to share my half-bath DIY that cost me about $10 to complete last year so you can see what I did with a light fixture like the one I have here. I intended to do something similar to this one, but realized when pricing new globes for it that it would cost me about $50 to do.  Instead, I hit up my local Habitat for Humanity and found an adorable piece that was in need of some spray paint (which I had left over from that half-bath project) and good bulbs.  I snagged it for $12 and got to work. 

Last time I did this I took the time to sand before spraying and it didn't seem to make much difference so this time I opted not to sand first - mostly because I was too anxious to get started.  It came out just as well as when I did.

I love the industrial look and a good coat of matte black paint does just the trick.  Now, let's just hope the fixture works when I wire it into the wall!

I did take the time to sand my cabinets and drawers because I felt like the finish on them needed to come off so that the paint could really soak in.  That was time well spent.  I also made sure to purchase specific cabinet paint for this job which runs a little higher than regular interior paint.  I got a quart of a dark grey color and have more than enough left to do another set of cabinets in the future.  I cannot believe the difference this has made in the room already!  I can't wait to finish the project and show you the true before/after.

Do you have any DIY projects on your vision board for 2020?  I'd love to hear about them!