Make Up Vanity Refinish and Organization

Do you have any problems in your house that you just keep ignoring and hoping it will magically get better?  You know you need to fix it, but just don’t have the motivation? My make up vanity is one of my big glaring problems that I have been ignoring for at least a year now. My vanity was an accent table in my parent’s old house, and when they moved, I rescued it and decided to give it a  makeover. It was the first piece of furniture I ever painted and I had no idea what I was doing. I threw some primer on it, spray painted it a beautiful Valspar color called Mirage and threw it in my room and started using it. I have been working on a closet makeover, so that has inspired me to keep it going and to finally fix up this crazy, messy corner of our room.

Problem number one was that this was before I discovered how to paint without sanding (check out my method here, it is one of my most popular posts!) So the very first day I used the vanity, the paint chipped. I was annoyed, but kept using it, and it kept chipping and chipping. I didn’t use the correct primer so the paint didn’t stick.

Second problem was that I used flat spray paint. The problem with flat paint is that it is very hard to scrub. Make up is messy and the first time I went to whip the surface, nothing happened. The makeup just kept smearing and not really getting clean. So on top of the scratches, now I had black eye liner smears. The shinier the paint, the easier to wipe. I recommend using an eggshell on your walls and a satin for furniture that you will need to clean.

Check this out…no organization and so smeared with makeup. It was awful! This is just a quick iphone picture!

So since the paint was chipped and it was filthy, I had a hard time keeping it organized. Have you ever noticed that you like to keep your pretty spaces cleaner? Where as you seem to neglect the ones that are already an eyesore? Here’s a close up of the top.

Since refinishing the vanity is one of my summertime goals, I got to work on it this week. I started with wiping it off as good as I could get it, and then spray painting it with Bin Primer. This is the best primer ever and allows you to skip the sanding step. Once dry, I sprayed it with Valspar Indigo Streamer paint in Satin. This was leftover from our Budget Bathroom Remodel last year. Two coats of paint covered it well and then I polyed it with a triple thick polyurethane that I have been a fan of lately.

The drawer pull got a spray of silver paint to match the legs on the stool and I think the pop of metal looks so much better than when it was oil rubbed bronze.

The inside of the drawer got a piece of contact paper to protect the wood and allow me to wipe it clean. I also emptied everything out of here and only kept when I knew I would absolutely use! No more storing old make up that I may possibly use one day! I am trying to get over my hoarder tendencies!

I picked up these containers at HomeGoods and I love the pop of gold at the bottom of the acrylic container. I put the essentials that I use everyday in here so I don’t have to dig through the drawer in the mornings. I am off from work for the summer, but I think this will make those early mornings before school less painful if things are nice and organized.

 I love this coral tray with the white rim too to hold my mirror and for me to set odds and odds like bobby pins and hair ties.

I am thrilled with the finished product and love how organized and clean it is. Getting ready for the day is much easier and less cluttered and after a few weeks of use, the finish is really holding up great. My no sand method hasn’t failed me yet (the bench I did in this post is holding up great two years later!), and I definitely recommend it!  So how about you? Any problem areas that are in dire need of fixing? I would love to hear about them!

I would love if you shared my Make Up Vanity Refinish and Organization! Here is the pinnable image!