Hot Mess Makeover
One year ago (or almost, nearly, just about) I shared with you our master bathroom. Just to be clear, there is nothing masterly about a mauve countertop.
Nothing masterly at all. In fact, it’s the opposite of masterly. It’s ______(insert here whatever is the opposite of masterly – be creative).
So we decided to do something about it. Of course we got the push from our real estate agent who ever-so-gently mentioned it was worse than a nudist colony for those with unexpectant and explosive diarhea. Yeah. I went there.
Of course, we got some help from True Value…they had our home improvement backs (or backsides) with this one.
The first task at hand was ridding ourselves from the mauve monster. We simply cut the caulk around the edges, unhooked the sink pipes and then hoisted out the countertop. Apparently it was only held down by a couple finishing nails around the edge…so it made it super easy.
Once we had it out, I had like a major episode. You see, I saw this:
Oh yeah. Pink acid washed (and a little irridescent) wallpaper. This covered the walls when we moved in…and I spent two weeks removing all the remnants. It haunts me to this day.
So we decided to go with a butcherblock countertop available at Ikea. It’s cheap, easy and can be cut to size.
Jeremy cut it to length to make sure it fit first.
And then used the previous monster as a template to cut out the sink hole. Once he had it drawn, it just required a starter hole from the drill and our handydandy jigsaw to cut it out.
Then Jeremy gave it a quick (and heavy) coat with Thompson’s Waterseal. While that was drying, he ran upstairs and patched the drywall. It just needed a little swipe of mud.
Then we got a little crazy. We decided it was a good time to spraypaint the inside of the cabinet since the countertop was removed. And we figured it was a good idea because it looked less than clean. (Clarification – it was clean, it just looked unclean because of the splatter paint).
Ready for the crazy?
we. spraypainted.
Okay…so it wasn’t that crazy.
We just wanted the cheapest and fastest way possible to clean things up a bit. One can of navy blue spraypaint later, we have a very polished looking cabinet…that hides dirt…and will make your toilet paper pop. Yes, you read that correctly 
The backsplash area got sanded down…then I repainted it to match the rest of the room.
Then it was time for countertop installation. My darling boyfriend screwed the butcherblock to the cabinet with little countertop brackets underneath…while I fed Will. The next step was caulking. It was at this time I realized that I hated the faucet with a passion. I thought at first it would be just fine…afterall, this was supposed to be a quick fix…but the more I looked at it, the more I wanted to smash it with a hammer and blame Will.
Jeremy was smart enough to suggest that we pick one up with our remaining gift card balance at True Value. That’s why I married him folks…brains and brawn…and some other stuff not mentionable online
Is anyone else hot in here? Oh. Just me then…
This little faucet was the cheapest they had available that still appealed to me…it was only $30 I love me some brushed nickle. And the fact that it matches the other hardware in the room (like the towel rods and TP holder) just spins my pinwheel.
A quick follow-the-directions-installation later, we have one brand spankin’ new sink area!
Part of me likes keeping the caulk white….part of me thinks I should paint it to match the wall. Any voters?
ohhh…beautiful countertop. how I love thee!
I love how you make our vanity look like a piece of furniture with your backsplash-less ways. I love how you have variation in color. I love how cheap you were! I love how easy you were! I love how you infuse a little country vibe in our cottage of a master bathroom!
And because I know how much you guys like before & after’s – here’s how a little countertop switchup made all the difference in this room.
What do you think? Love it? Anyone else out there rippin out countertops lately? Any new faucets in the bunch? Any butcherblock adoration? We are saving the other portion of this bad boy to use at the potential new space…so it just goes to show that you could buy one and squeeze two or three mini counters out of it. Talk about getting something for cheap.
One hundred ABP points to those that can name the other two things that we did in this space to help freshen things up! And one thousand points to anyone who remembers to check our biggest True Value DIY project tomorrow! And yes, I am keeping track of these points
“I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”
one word: AMAZING. We have a mauve counter top in our master too…and then a matching mauve jacuzzi tub. can we say romantic?! not. I am loving this idea and it just may be the thrifty DIY project of the winter. You may have mentioned this…but what was the cost of the butcher block for your space?
Happy New year to you and your gorgeous family.
Hi Cait,
The butcherblock was $59. We allllmost got by with the $39 one (it was substantially shorter)…but in the end the cabinet was about 10 inches too long. But hey…we can probably get two countertops out of sixty bones…so it is well worth it
xo – kb
That looks so much better! What a great solution. I never would have thought of a butcher block. I vote for painting the calk also. It’s so contrasty as is. I just tore out my tiny bathroom vanity, and was surprised by how easily it came out, just like yours. Happy new year!
Wow…very very nice job. I’ve only seen butcher block in the kitchens, but it gives a very nice light feeling to a room where sometimes some heavy stuff goes down (and yes KB, I went there).
My question though is what caused you to spraypaint the inside of the cabinet? Any reason, or just to even out the colors?
We just wanted it to look cleaner….and since we had leftover spraypaint from Will’s side table project, we thought why not?
xo – kb
Please, please shorten the blinds. 99.9% that the next owner will not reuse them nor ever shorten them.
Looks great! The only thing I can see that’s changed (other than the mirror) is that you’ve stopped using soap and towels- ha!
Looks GORGEOUS!
Fabulous job. I also vote for painting the caulk, it’d just be icing on the cake.
Happy new year!
I love the new counter top! You should have tried clear caulking and you wouldnt see it at all. Great job on the Re-do.
We had a little gap between the countertop and the wall…so we figured that clear caulk would make it visible…if not exagerate the space. That’s kinda why we chose white…plus we already had it and didn’t really want to drive back to the store….again
xo – kb
LOVE LOVE LOVE the butcher block top, I wish I had these in my kitchen! Great “design on a dime”!!
It looks great! I never would have considered butcher block – super clever! The mirror changed, but what else? I can’t figure it out. I saw someone commented on shortening the blinds… I don’t want you to feel like we are being picky, but seriously I just got fed up and fixed ALL of ours one day and was so happy I did! It’s really pretty easy, and I was worrying about messing up so I left one extra just in case. Really, such a little thing but so worth it!
Love t his ! i do think you need to paint the caulk the same color of the wall it just stands out a bit. It would also look nice to put a single layer of decorative tiles behind the countertop as a backsplash. good job. you guys keep me motivated i am on my 4th bathroom remodel just getting a little burnt out.
Just wanted to thank you for this blog! You have been a blessing to me personally but to many others as well. Thanks so much!!! Happy New Year!!
Looks GREAT Katie! Never would have thought to put butcher block in the bathroom but I like it! Good luck with selling the house!!!
Oooh very nice! It’s definitely much more *you* than that other counter!
Oh, and be sure to enter my CSN stores giveaway:
http://lovelylittlenest.blogspot.com/2011/01/csn-giveaway-happy-new-year.html
Happy New Year!!
Love the transformation, and REALLY love the new countertop! Anyone know if you can stain a butcherblock dark? I feel a google search coming on…
We had pink countertops in our kitchen – I always refer to it as “dead-mottled-flesh-pink”. My fabulous husband resurfaced them on the cheap with black “granite look” formica. If we get to stay here long enough, we’ll upgrade to quartz eventually, but at least it completely transformed the kitchen for our stint here! (we’re military)
I don’t see why not Laura….I mean, it is just wood, right?
xo – kb
Hi Laura~
Yes, you can stain butcherblock. I have butcherblock (from Ikea) in my kitchen, and I stained it, and then sealed it with Waterlox. If you do it according to the directions, it’s food safe.
I never would have thought to use butcher block. It looks great!
Looks great, as always! I love the frame around the mirrors. I’ve been wanting to do that and would be interested to know how you did it. It seems easy enough, we just have those funky plastic pieces holding a sheet of mirror to the wall.
Looks great! Did you guys know you can remove the extra slats from your blinds? It takes about 5 minutes and you won’t believe how much more polished the room will look!
So I’ve heard
xo – kb
I LOVE the new countertop. I literally screamed and showed this to my fiance. We have been trying to figure out a countertop solution for our small master bath for a long, long time. I have always wanted to do the butcherblock for our kitchen — never would I have thought for a bathroom! Great idea! Can’t stop thinking about it!
Katie! I think this might be one of my favorite before and afters that I have seen on your blog! It might be because it brings up memories of an ALL PINK bathroom (sink, counter, wall color, tile and tub) we had in our 1st house. We lived there for two years and never changed the sink and counter. I painted the walls and hid the tile and tub with a curtain, but HATED that pink. Man – does it make you wish you had done this quick/cheap fix long ago and enjoyed it for all of this time?! It’s so funny the stuff we force ourselves to live with and only change right before we try to sell. I hope you enjoy it lots before you move into the DREAM house!! Happy New Year.
Heather
http://twentysomethingtransue.blogspot.com/
Hey Katie – Great bathroom makeover! Our master bath suffers from old, old oak cabinets and stained cream countertops (not our stains… ewww). I’ve been toying with the idea of painting the cabinets white and using a dark-stained butcher block counter for awhile now, and this before and after sealed the deal!
I love that you can order the Ikea countertops online! Talk about a cost-effective solution.
Happy New Year and best of luck selling your house!
I was just thinking of the same thing Meredith! (White cabinets and dark counters). If you have completed it and have pics to share, I’d love to see ‘em. I’m trying to get my hubby on board with the idea!
It’s about time! I was starting the think The Hot Mess would be around forever. Nice job, it’s lovely.
<3 the countertop! gorgeous!
On the whole “to paint the caulk or not to paint the caulk” question…I respectfully submit this suggestion. Your realtor may not like the idea, but I think it’s super cute and very much your style.
http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2009/09/18/diy-yardstick-backsplash/
I think it looks fabulous! Bet you wish you’d done it sooner, rather than live with the mad mauve terror…
Genius on the Ikea butcher block in the bathroom. We have a countertop in our “master” bathroom that looks depressingly like the hideous wallpaper that haunts you. Yep – that weird faux marble in cream with the random early-90′s paint-like splatters in mauve. Our entire house was mauve (carpet, exterior paint, interior paint, countertop in bathrooms and kitchen) at one point. Blech! This post is being forwarded immediately to the hubby, and a trip to Ikea is in our immediate future!
That’s SO funny you freaked out about the wall paper! We had the same thing happen to us yesterday in our kitchen we’re “remodeling”. We took a cabinet off and the wallpaper from our horrid past was behind it!! AHHH!!!
Looks great! In my old house, I replaced 1960s yellow marbled formica with IKEA butcher block. It looked a million times better and I wish I’d done it a while before I sold instead of *right* before as part of the staging — I would’ve liked to have enjoyed it longer. I wish I had saved the spare piece I had when I moved so I could use it on … the glittery GOLD marbled formica in my current house.
Katie, love your blog. I hadn’t even considered butcher block for the bathroom, but this looks SO great! I am about to take on our master bath myself. In fact, I posted a letter to it the other day on my blog (we haven’t been the best of friends, you see).
Thanks to your great photos, I was able to communicate my idea a lot easier to my boyfriend, who needs a bit more visual help to understand where I’m coming from design-wise. Thanks!
Isn’t it crazy how a boyfriend doesn’t want to do a project until they SEE it?!?! It’s like the golden ticket to DIY
xo – kb
OMG. I love it!! I never thought of using butcher block in the bathroom- it looks country and modern all in one. So great.
Hey Katie! Just wanted to let you know we’re using butcher block in our master bathroom and I linked to your post today. Hope you’re having a great one!
http://welcometoheardmont.com/2011/03/master-bath-phase-4-updating-the-vanity/
Meredith @ Welcome to Heardmont
Hi,
I am new to your blog. Stubled upon this post and was wondering how the butcherblock is holding up in the bathroom? My husband and I are thinking of usin the same countertop from IKEA. Thanks for the awesome post!!
Well we have since moved from that house but our the current leasers told us its holding up great!
xo kb