How to Refinish a Bathroom Vanity Naturally, No VOCs

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DIY projects are always something I enjoy! This is the first time I tried a DIY project on my home. I’m much more use to DIY makeup and skincare projects.

After some research and hard work, I was able to refinish my bathroom vanity all naturally with zero chemicals or fumes for less than $50! It looks like a new bathroom now. My family couldn’t believe how great it turned out! They thought it looked like a brand new bathroom.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Most Paint or Wood Stains

When I first started researching how to refinish a bathroom vanity all naturally there wasn’t many chemical free ways. The problem with refinishing bathroom vanities is that when you use wood stains or paint, it will leave your house smelling of harmful fumes. It can also be harmful for your health as the paint continues to off-gass releasing chemicals into the air for up to 5 years after it’s applied. So, I wanted to refinish our bathroom vanity as naturally as possible with no fumes or off-gassing.

Most paint and wood stains contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemical gases that are emitted into the air of your home. They are really bad to breath and have been linked to causing headaches, liver damage, kidney damage, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and cancer. So, if you’re wanting to refinish a bathroom vanity all naturally with no chemicals, make sure you choose a paint or wood stain with zero VOCs.

Luckily, after searching online for how to refinish a bathroom vanity all naturally, I found a natural zero VOC paint that I could use.

Originally, I wanted to refinish my light oak wood vanity with a dark wood stain. I thought that would look great with the bright white counter top and floors. I didn’t have much luck finding an all natural chemical free wood stain.. So I decided to use paint instead of a wood stain.

What I Used to Refinish a Bathroom Vanity Naturally:

I originally wanted to stain my bathroom vanity a rich dark wood color to contrast the bright white counter top and floor. Most commercial wood stains are oil based and are made of polyurethane. Polyurethane has a very strong odor and is very bad to breathe. It also takes a long time for the odor to go away. The chemicals continue to off-gass in the air for years, which is why it’s so harmful to breathe.

I came across all natural wood stains and considered using one of them, but I didn’t really like any of the colors. They didn’t have any before and after pictures using the stains either, so I wasn’t sure how it would look in the end.

I decided to look into just using paint. I was so happy I came across an all natural chemical free and zero VOC paint online. You can choose nearly any color and they can color match as well.

I had them color match a picture I took of a bathroom vanity at a local home remodeling store. I love the medium gray color that a lot of people use in new bathrooms and kitchens. It looks very modern. Plus, it would contrast nice against my white counter top and floors.

How Long Did it Take From Start to Finish

I did a little bit of the work over 4 days. It took several hours to complete everything. The hardest and most time consuming part was sanding the vanity. I used two coats of paint, which was pretty quick to apply.

How Much Did it Cost to Refinish a Bathroom Vanity with No Toxins

I bought the grey paint online for $38.00. I also bought sandpaper, a 3-pack of paint brushes, and the brushed nickel vanity handles. Everything together was about $50.00!

That is pretty inexpensive compared to buying a new bathroom vanity, which typically costs $500 to $800. It would have been easier to just buy a new one, but they are so expensive. I got the great look of a new bathroom vanity by just refinishing the vanity for much less.

How to Refinish a Bathroom Vanity All Naturally: Step by Step

1. Remove all the bathroom vanity doors that can be removed. This made it easier to sand and paint. Plus, then I could do some of the painting outside in fresh air.
2. Remove all the hardware on the vanity. I took off all the old handles and the toilet paper holder.
3. I originally planned to use a powerful sander to sand the surface of everything but, I didn’t want too much dust getting everywhere. So, I decided to just rough the surface on all of the wood by lightly sanding by hand using extra rough sand paper.
4. Lightly wipe all the surfaces with a microfiber cloth to remove all the dust.
5. Use a paint brush or roller to paint the vanity and all the doors. I did 2 coats. I waited about 2 hours before applying the second coat of paint.
6. Put the new handles on the vanity doors and then put the doors back on the vanity.

Results for Refinishing My Bathroom Vanity Naturally:

I’m so happy with how my natural bathroom vanity refinishing project turned out!! It looks fantastic! I love the color and how I was able to refinish a bathroom vanity without using any harmful chemicals.

The paint had a very mild odor when I put it on, but after about 15 minutes there was no odor at all.

I’m glad I changed out the hardware on the vanity as well. It looks really modern with the brushed nickel handles. Eventually, I would like to change my gold light fixture and sink faucet for ones that match the brushed nickel hardware. It will be great to have everything match and the bathroom will look more complete.