A $7 Paint Marker Created Bespoke Wood Paneling in This Bathroom Refresh
“Before we even touched this bathroom, it was lacking in any aesthetic appeal at all — there was an old light fixture on the ceiling, the original countertop was the ugly duckling as nothing matched it, and the most recent cabinet paint job was a horrible one in terms of colors and application,” Sheena Tobin (@beaninlove) says about her home’s 1980s primary bathroom.
The bathroom had been updated over the years, but it didn’t match the rest of the family’s home, which had been thoughtfully reimagined. In the future, Sheena plans to do a gut renovation, but that wasn’t in the budget right now, so the goal was to refresh the space on a dime. Plus, she wanted her family to feel like they could enjoy the room, too. “Our kids thought it was gross and wouldn’t even step foot in it,” she admits.
Color-Drenched White Paneled Walls Were the Bathroom Inspiration
A photo of a living room Sheena spotted online became the jumping-off point for the bathroom’s makeover. What she loved about the inspo photo was its soft, white color, which matched the existing countertop (something she wanted to make look like an intentional choice rather than something they inherited). Plus, she loved the paneled walls — but the way she achieved the look might surprise you.
She Used a Paint Pen to Create the Look of Paneled Walls
It was a goal to keep the spending as low as possible, preferably around $150. Sheena’s design inspiration photo showed wood-paneled walls, which likely wouldn’t have fit the budget, especially if they were on every wall in the bathroom. So, she got creative.
Sheena loved Sherwin-Williams’ “Maison Blanche” for the walls and Valspar color-matched that shade. After painting the room, she used a paint pen from Amazon for under $7 and a ruler to draw equidistant lines that create the illusion of paneling.
“Yes, you can tell they’re fake when you’re close up, but it still looks good, and it adds so much character to otherwise plain walls,” Sheena explains. “Up close, they might appear as wallpaper; far away, as paneling, so it’s a win-win.”
The Bathroom Cabinets Got a Green-Gray Update, Too
At first, Sheena planned to paint over the existing cabinets’ paint job. But after thinking it through, she couldn’t commit. “Since painting was a lot of work anyway, I figured I might as well try and get some of the thick paint off before I started,” she shares. “It added time and effort, but I’m happy I did it. They’re not perfect, but they’re leagues from where they were, and I’m OK with that.”
She was drawn to Sherwin-Williams’ “At Ease Soldier” gray-green color and had Valspar match it. It added depth and subtle color to the room, and it was worth the effort — especially given her children’s reactions. “My kids exclaimed when they saw the first part of the cabinet painted that ‘they look new!’ That was all I needed to hear,” Sheena explains.
She Describes the New Bathroom as “Cozy, Fresh, Intentional”
Although Sheena says she went a bit over budget, landing at $250 for the bathroom refresh, it was worth it. The makeover took her an entire summer to complete, but now feels “cozy, fresh, intentional” and, might I say, cleverly curated. I would’ve never thought to use a marker to make wood paneling, but it looks so bespoke and realistic. She can’t pick a favorite aspect, but says that she wouldn’t change any of the project or outcome.
“Peaceful,” Sheena describes the new bathroom. “Not like I just want to do what I need to in the space and get out. It actually evokes a positive feeling instead of no feeling at all, which is what I felt before this makeover.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
