Cabinet Painting › Hiring & other rooms
Bathroom Vanity Painting
Bathroom vanity painting follows the same process as kitchen cabinets: degrease, scuff-sand, bonding primer and two sprayed finish coats, with extra care around the sink where water collects. We price vanities by the piece at $80 per door and $50 per drawer front, with the cabinet frame priced on top.
A vanity is one of the most affordable ways to change how a bathroom looks. It's also one of the hardest places for a cabinet finish to survive, because of steam, splashes and constant contact with wet hands.
Good bathroom vanity painting comes down to how you deal with that moisture during prep. Here's what that involves, colors that work, how a vanity fits with tub and sink refinishing, and what it costs.
Why vanities need moisture-proof prep
Bathrooms are harder on paint than kitchens in a few specific ways:
- Humidity. Showers fill the room with steam that settles on every surface.
- Standing water. Water pools on the vanity top and runs down door edges toward the toe kick.
- Residue. Hairspray, lotion, soap and cleaning products leave a film that paint won't stick to.
Good prep answers each one. Every surface is degreased to remove product residue, then scuff-sanded and primed with a bonding primer that grips the existing finish. Door edges and the area around the sink base get particular attention, since that's where water does the most damage. Two sprayed finish coats then give a smooth, even surface.
Before any of that, look inside the sink base. Particleboard or MDF that has swollen from a leak can't be painted back to flat. Fix the leak and replace damaged parts first, then paint. Running the bath fan during and after showers also helps any painted finish last.
Popular vanity colors
A vanity is a good place to try a bolder color, since the room is small and the cabinet is the focal point.
- Navy. Benjamin Moore Hale Navy HC-154 or Sherwin-Williams Naval SW 6244. Navy pairs well with white counters and brass or chrome fixtures.
- Green. Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green SW 6208 for depth, or Evergreen Fog SW 9130 for something softer.
- Black and charcoal. Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black SW 6258 or Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal HC-166 for a modern look.
- Greige. Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172 if you want warmth without strong color.
- White. Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 or Chantilly Lace OC-65 for a clean, bright bathroom.
Satin is a practical sheen for vanities because it wipes clean and hides small marks. For more ideas, see kitchen cabinet paint colors. Most of them work just as well in a bathroom.
Get your cabinet price
$2,500–$4,500 for an average kitchen, 3–4 days, 2-year warranty. Send photos and we reply the same day.
Get a free quotePairing with tub and sink refinishing
Reglazing is the other half of our name. Along with cabinet painting, Proper Reglazing refinishes tubs and sinks, so a dated bathroom can get a new vanity color and a fresh tub or sink surface from the same company.
Doing them together has practical benefits:
- One company plans the order of work, so you deal with one planned project instead of two separate disruptions.
- You choose the vanity color and the tub and sink finish at the same time, so they work together.
- One walkthrough and one quote cover the whole room.
If you're planning both, mention it when you send photos so we can quote them together.
Cost
Bathroom vanity painting is priced the same way as kitchen cabinet painting: $80 per door and $50 per drawer front, with the cabinet frame, end panels and trim priced on top. As an example, a vanity with two doors and three drawers comes to $310 for the doors and drawer fronts, plus the frame. A double vanity with more drawers costs more.
We do bathroom cabinet painting across the San Francisco Bay Area from our base in Palo Alto. For a quote, send photos of the vanity from the front and sides and a count of its doors and drawers. We usually reply with a price the same day, and cabinet painting comes with a 2-year warranty. If you're painting kitchen cabinets too, see cabinet painting cost or our kitchen cabinet painting page.
Common questions
Can you paint a bathroom vanity without removing it?
Yes. The vanity box stays in place and is masked and painted where it sits, while the doors and drawer fronts are removed, labeled and sprayed.
What paint finish holds up best in a bathroom?
A cabinet-grade enamel over a bonding primer, in a satin sheen, holds up well to humidity and frequent wiping. Wall paint is too soft for vanity doors.
Can a laminate vanity be painted?
Yes. Laminate and melamine vanities are painted with the same degrease, scuff-sand and bonding primer process as laminate kitchen cabinets.
Do you have bathroom vanity painting before and after photos?
We're adding vanity photos to our site. In the meantime, ask us for examples when you send photos of your vanity.