Our once-beige master bathroom has been transformed with Benjamin Moore’s Rockport Gray, and we couldn’t be happier. We first fell for this shade when we saw it in another kitchen, and it gives our space the same elegant, fresh feeling. Here’s the room before the shower curtain was rehung (we took additional photos with the curtain up, which appear below):
Before painting, we removed an unused shelf-and-towel-bar combo (we shared our mood board for the room yesterday). That cleared the only untiled wall, which was perfect for hanging art instead of leaving hardware that crowded the space.
When we pulled the shelf hardware out, we ran into stubborn metal anchors that tore into the drywall. Since this bathroom is part of a seventies addition, the walls are drywall rather than plaster, which probably helped avoid even worse damage.
Removing those anchors left holes and rough spots, so we decided to sink the anchors flush with the wall and cover them with spackle for a smooth finish. Here’s a shot of the anchors and surrounding damage before we repaired them:
We gently tapped the anchors inward with a hammer and filled the gaps with spackle for a seamless surface. Below is what the patched area looked like before sanding — excuse the blown-out exposure; I forgot to white balance the photo.
After the spackle dried we sanded the area smooth using a sanding block. A flat sanding block keeps the surface even and is easier to control than loose sandpaper. We used Dap Crackshot spackle (the one with the blue lid), though many stores now carry low-VOC spackling compounds that we want to try next time.
With the wall prepped, we painted. We chose Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore in a semi-gloss finish and bought a quart of Natura (BM’s no-VOC line). Semi-gloss is slick, so it usually takes two coats for even coverage: the first coat can look patchy, but the second evens everything out and provides that smooth, durable bathroom finish.
Here’s the wall after the first coat — not perfect yet, but much improved once the second coat went on.
And here’s the shower curtain back in place with the fresh paint surrounding it. I haven’t had a chance to repaint the cream trim bright white yet, but that’s next on the list. I often paint walls first and then trim, so it’s not an unusual order for me.
To show the contrast the new color brings, here’s a quick before shot. The darker, less monochromatic wall color adds crispness and depth to the room.
The gray in the existing tiles complements the richer wall color, and our small tree accent tiles pick up the new tone nicely. Someday we might replace that accent with frosted gray glass subway tile, but for now the current tiles look much more cohesive with the paint.
This freshly painted stretch of wall is just begging for art — and without the shelf and towel bar it feels more open, even though the paint is darker. Removing the clutter of hardware helped the room breathe.
You can see how the white slice in the shower curtain plays off the tan and gray tones. Once I repaint the trim a true glossy white and swap a few other accents, the color scheme will read even more clearly and cohesively.
Our bathroom to-do list now looks like this:
- Repaint the cream trim bright white — it photographs okay but looks too cream next to a bright white switch plate.
Paint the walls to add contrast- Sell the old toilet and replace it with a classic white model
- Replace the outdated ceiling light fixture
- Hang bathroom-appropriate artwork
- Add a privacy solution for the window
- Consider replacing the border tile in a future phase
- Eventually replace some of the floor tile to break up the expanses of tile
If you’re avoiding painting a small bathroom, don’t be intimidated — it’s surprisingly quick. Each coat took us less than an hour: I cut in while John rolled, then we repeated that process for the second coat. It’s a manageable weekend project that makes a big visual impact.