Super easy, step by step directions for how to paint a bathroom faucet! An easy and inexpensive update for your bathroom.
Hey guys, thanks for the love on our bathroom update! It is so nice to have that room finally feel like part of the house and not an afterthought!
Whenever I update a room, I always try to save money wherever I can. In this space, one of the best ways that I could save was by painting all of the things. That included our bathroom faucet, of which I was not a fan:
Both the shape and the finish just didn’t do it for me. I don’t care for the curvy, fussy design or the shiny finish. (I think I would like the curvy design better on a different vanity though.) They’re actually very cheap, low quality faucets. But, they get the job done, and until we gut this entire bathroom in a few years, we’ll need to live with them. So, prime candidates for a cheap and easy redo!
How to paint a bathroom faucet: supplies
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fine grit sandpaper– I used 220 grit
spray paint of your choosing- this is what I used
tack cloth or soft cloth
- Can I take a minute to brag on this painters tape? I had never heard of this brand before and bought it on Amazon because it was inexpensive and well rated. Well, it is SO GOOD! Adheres well, super clean lines, and a great value. Not one bit of paint pulled up when I used this. I rarely use tape when I paint (see why here) but its a must with spray painting and this is the best I’ve ever used.
cardboard boxes
How to paint a bathroom faucet, step by step
This is truly such a quick and easy project!
- Clean your faucet thoroughly. I really love Method cleaners. I just feel like they get everything squeaky clean and they smell so fresh!
- Lightly sand with the 220 grit sandpaper. I’ve seen some tutorials where they sanded the heck out of their faucets, but I just gave ours a light sanding.
- Wipe down with a soft cloth or tack cloth to remove the sanding dust.
- Tape around the spigot, handles, everywhere!
- Then, surround the area with extra cardboard, old rags, or whatever else you have on hand to protect your walls, sink, and countertop. This is what my area looked like:
That area to the left that looks unprotected is actually the back of the old canvas artwork that we removed from that room.
6. With your paint can about 6-8 inches away, start spray painting. I always go from left to right and back again, using short, even, light sprays. The key here is to do a very light coat. If you paint too thickly, you’ll end up with drips that you will have to sand out, plus those areas will scratch and flake.
7. Once your first coat dries (I waited about an hour) go ahead and do a second coat.
8. When the paint is dry, remove the cardboard et. al and the tape. Now, with most tape you have to be careful about removing it around the fixture, and sometimes have to use a utility knife to score to keep the paint lines crisp, but I didn’t have to do that at all with this tape!
You’re done!
What a huge difference for just a little bit of time and money!
Don’t they look so good with the new towel rings and other hardware? Oh yeah, I also spray painted the vanity lights, although we did remove them first (easy to do- let me know if you want a tutorial!)
As far as durability- we’ve done this project before, in our master bath of our last home. The faucets held up about 3-4 years before the finish started showing scratches. These may not last quite as long because this is the only full bath in our home. I’m good with that. I’ll just sand and touch up the paint if needed then. No biggie.
As a quick and easy update for a feature that I hated, I’d call this a winner!
So, would you give this a try?
Product links:
Marble accessories- sold out from Target, but here is a page of similar
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What can you make with a Cricut machine? This awesome peel and stick wallpaper, that’s what.
is there a reason why you would advise against priming before painting the faucet?
Great question! No, I wouldn’t advise against priming at all! It’s a smart thing to do, in fact it would have prolonged the finish on this project if I had done it here. I didn’t here because I didn’t have any on hand, and I’d had good luck with this project before without priming- but if you have primer, use it before painting!
Did you paint the pop-up drain also? If so, how did you deal with that since it is in the sink? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, thanks for stopping by! No, I didn’t paint the pop-up drain, but I wish I would have! It would have really finished it off. Kristie from Addicted 2 Decorating painted bathroom faucets, though, and did paint the pop-up drain successfully- check out her post here!
Has this project held up nicely? I’m thinking of doing the same with my tub faucet. Go from silver to oil rubbed bronze. I need to be sure that it is worth the time before I attempt it. Otherwise, I’ll buy a new faucet and sell the old one!
Hi Andi, thanks for stopping by! I would say, it depends on how much use your faucet gets. When we did this in our old master bath faucets, it held up really well for several years- but they were only used by my husband and I. In this bathroom (from which we’ve since moved) it was our only full bath for our family of four, and I could definitely tell the paint was fading by the time we moved a little over a year later. But those faucets got soooo much use! Still, for us it was worth the little time and money it took to upgrade them!