Easy bathroom update - Front Porch Mercantile
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Budget Friendly Bathroom Update

I’ll be honest. We started this quick and easy reno months ago. MONTHS ago. We pick away at things when we have time.  It didn’t really take any time at all, but just to get to it seemed to take us a while. It’s how we roll. As many of you know we have been…

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Easy bathroom update - Front Porch Mercantile

I’ll be honest. We started this quick and easy reno months ago. MONTHS ago. We pick away at things when we have time.  It didn’t really take any time at all, but just to get to it seemed to take us a while. It’s how we roll. As many of you know we have been slowly changing the colours in our house. We recently painted the kitchen (you can see that change here). Up next was this bathroom. Small inexpensive changes have made me happy.

This half bath/laundry room on our main floor has been painted twice since we moved in 4 years ago (sorry hubs) but, since I’ve started painting everything light and bright I felt I needed to paint it again. This time I painted it myself (I’m not usually the wall painter – go figure) but hubby did the plank wall for me. He’s really a keeper!

This is a hard-working room..for real people, this half bath sees a lot of action in the run of a day. Laundry, dogs drinking stations (we have 3 now..another interesting story), hubby has a saltwater aquarium and this is where he cleans and mixes and does all his messy saltwater stuff (I truly have no idea what he does, but its messy, and salty) and bathroom is off the back entrance which for some reason living in the country makes it a busy spot, and the vanity houses all our cleaning supplies so its well used.1/2 Bath Before Front Porch Mercantile

bathroom before Front Porch Mercantile

 

 

Plank Wall Bathroom Reno Front Porch Mercantile

I’ve wanted to update this room a little forever but didn’t have a budget. At all. Zippo. Nada. Nothing. Rien. Whats a girl to do? Paint!! Paint changes everything right? So, using leftover paint from the main floor paint job, I painted the walls and instantly felt it was light and brighter. Phew!

I love a plank wall as many of you know. So using the same technique we did here in the shop we put up a free planked wall. (I’ll do a complete post on this later). We had a piece of plywood in the garage. Ripped it into 6″ sections, nail gunned it to the wall and bam. We had a plank wall. I used my go to Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Trophy to stain the wood once it was up and I freaking love it!

bathroombefore6

Don’t laugh, this next dorky picture was one I posted on Instagram (hey are you following me? You totally should) anyhow..I came home from the Toronto Home Show (about that here) and was exhausted but so inspired I wanted to start this wall. So I mixed up some Trophy as stain and slapped it on the plank walls. Swoon. Love. It. Oh – and easy peasy. (see our cottage plank wall here)

using MMS Trophy to stain the plank wall - SO EASY Front Porch Mercantile

plank wall and stain with MMS Trophy Front Porch Mercantile

 

I’ve wanted to update that vanity since we moved in, so I used my Fusion Mineral Paint in Algonquin and voila – instant update! This was an easy project guys! WHY did we wait so long?? I will do a cabinet painting how-to soon, but seriously, this was easy folks. It’s been finished a month and no scratches, dents or issues in this busy bathroom vanity. I love our Fusion Mineral Paint

Fusion Painted Cabinets Front Porch Mercantile (ok ok, who noticed we are missing a piece of hardware? UGH, driving me mad, we somehow lost one and I was waiting until we found a replacement to take these pictures, but I took the pictures anyways but we have since found the knob – don’t you feel better?) Driving me mad about the picture, but I’m too lazy to take any more. So, um sorry!

Plank Wall Bathroom Reno Front Porch Mercantile

 

 

bathroom reno - cabinets Fusion Mineral Paint Algonquin - Front Porch Mercantile

I didn’t like how the clock looked in here, so I literally took it off the wall, gave it one coat/wash of Raven Fat Paint and voila, instant update. (shh…I didn’t even top coat it, don’t tell anyone)

BATHROOMCLOCK

I had the light fixture leftover from the shop reno. It was suppose to go outside the shop but didn’t fit, this light was only about 30$ from Lowes. So technically this was one thing we would have had to buy.

We updated the mirror by taking off the frame that was there and replacing it with barn board. LOVE this update. It instantly gave the room the modern farmhouse feel we wanted.Barn Board Mirror and Barn Light Front Porch Mercantile

The little basket in the corner on the floor I just picked up from Sherry at Stars and Stitches.  I can’t remember how much, but it was inexpensive. The artwork is all from my Grandmother, the geraniums picture hung in her kitchen my whole life and I love it, the lil curtains are actually Ikea dish towels and were 69 cents each. Seriously. 69cents (I honestly didn’t think anything could be 69 cents anymore but there ya go) I had the rod there before and they are just clipped on. (we never close the curtains as we live in the country with no neighbors, they are only closed when our towny friends come and freak out over open windows in the country ha ha) True story.

Front Porch Mercantile - bathroom reno

The deer head was a diy and you can do one yourself see tutorial here. The Sandwich board mat we sell at the shop. It’s bamboo, rugged and lined on the back. Holds up to dogs, hubby, laundry room floor mess, and all the shenanigans that go on in here. I love it.

That’s it, seriously, almost zero cost, and really it only took about 4 hours of work. Funny that it took us forever to “get to it”. We worked with what we had and made a big impactful change. What do you think? Its not my dream bathroom, but its way better than before. A bathroom update with just a little work. We have decided to replace the countertop and flooring at some point, maybe, who knows, but if I wait until “everything is done” nothing would ever get done. So we go with the perfectly imperfect as is look. Small changes make me happy.

What small changes have you made around your home lately that make you happy? I’d love to hear.

before/after Front Porch Mercantile

Have a wonderful day friends. As always, I’d love to have you leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Wendy

You can pick upi Fusion Mineral Paint, FAT Paint and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint at our store 179 Bonaccord Street, Moncton NB

 

 

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18 Comments

  1. That’s gorgeous! I love all the tones and wood touches you’ve thrown in. That wall and mirror are amazing! Fabulously warm and current! Great choice on all your paints, isn’t it fun to have the best of the best on hand?! :)

    1. Thank you Donna! I’m so flattered that you would comment. I am a huge fan of yours! Thanks – you just made my day! :)

  2. I love it! I had to keep going back and looking at the photos. How much paint did you use on the cabinets? One pot? Did you do one coat or two?

    I’m hoping you offer the cabinet painting in the spring when I’m more brave to drive out there instead of in this snowy weather. Cheers, can’t wait to come back a visit the shop again.

    1. Hi! Thanks so much, you are sweet, the cabinets took 1 pint of paint!! East peasy. We will be doing the cabinet class regularly :)

  3. I just love it! I can’t believe how fabulous that wall looks with plywood. And fusion paint is incredible for cabinet makeovers. You and hubby make a great creative team!

  4. Visiting from Elizabeth & Co. Love your makeover!! So smart, it’s always the little things that make the biggest difference! And if those little things are free…all the better. Awesome job!

  5. Wow Wendy, what a fabulous bathroom update! I love the rustic mirror and the light fixture. You even gave the clock an update. But the planked wall is my very favorite part! … Featured you at our party this week. Thanks so much for sharing!

  6. Hi Wendy, I found my way here from your bathroom update feature at Elizabeth & Co. Your bathroom looks fantastic and I do love inexpensive updates. We are doing a similar update to our guys/main upstairs bath. I put up the planks and was debating white or wood stain and funny enough this now throws another option into the pot lol. I plan to paint our cabinet (pinkish pickled oak from builder) too. The upper walls are charcoal and pretty much everything else (floor tiles, shower tiles, counter) is white. I noticed you mentioned the Toronto homeshow. We live in Ontario, about 45 minutes west of T.O. Were you there for paint or are you local?

    1. Hi, thanks for the compliments. It was a fun project. I am near Moncton NB, I was at the Home Show with Miss Mustard Seed helping out with her booth, it was a great time. You can see my recap here :)

  7. This is great Wendy. Feeling inspired. What did you use to top coat/protect your stained board wall (LOVE!!!)? Since its a bathroom and kind of a “wet” area, did you use something water resistant, hemp oil? or are you still getting to that … LOL. ;)

  8. Fabulous look! How did you create a stain with the MMS paint? Just dilute with water or something else? Thanks!

    1. Hi Carolyn, thank you, and yes, you can use MMS as a stain by just diluting with more water. Its amazing as a stain :)

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