I recently shared that I was taking a literal tops down approach to my bathroom remodel, and starting with repairing the walls before installing my new vanity and counter top. After removing the old medicine cabinet mirror, the walls needed a little TLC before painting. Sometimes its annoying to have to pause and do things like chip old paint and repair holes in the wall, but it is worth it in the long run!

After using drywall repair and sanding the walls smooth, I used a primer to ensure smooth coverage of the new paint color. Paint tends to absorb into the drywall repair spots, so you could notice inconsistency if you don’t prime the spots first.

I then carefully taped the ceiling and tile edges. I’ve found it helpful to first tape, and then go around again to make sure it is pressed down to the wall to prevent the paint from bleeding.

The paint color that I used was Salty Gray by Nautica. My goal was for the color to be a light gray that brightened the room. At first I was worried because the paint looked white on the walls, and sort of made the tile next to it look dingy. But, paint always dries darker, so even if you start to panic, the best thing to do is let it dry and then evaluate.

The paint ended up drying darker and with more color than it first looked like. It is honestly so pretty, and I’m so happy that I didn’t panic and find a different color after the first coat! The satin finish reflects light and makes the room so bright and airy.

The next step was installing the new mirror. I ended up finding a good deal on a flat mirror with a pretty white frame. Although I didn’t mind my old medicine cabinet mirror, it was getting really ratty, and it was kind of big and overtaking in the bathroom.

The mirror was super easy to hang, and its nice that it can be taken down if I ever need to work around it. The flat mirror already makes the bathroom feel more open and spacious as well. I’m happy it was close to the same size as the old mirror, because I did like how big it was!

Now, we will remove the old vanity top and do some repairing on the tile walls before installing the new vanity. I’m also excited to buy the new floor tiles this week!