His Wife Saw an Olive Green Bathroom on Pinterest, So He Spent a Month Recreating It in Their Half Bath
A white pedestal sink, oval mirror, and dark green walls filled this small half bathroom. The room had wood-look flooring, white baseboards, and basic wall fixtures, but no molding or paneling. The homeowner had no plans for a major renovation until his wife showed him a bathroom she had found on Pinterest.
She wanted olive green walls with picture-frame molding, and he decided to attempt the project despite having little DIY experience. He expected to finish during his Christmas week off work, with a budget of $600 and a few days set aside for the work.
The homeowner, Reddit user u/loveshiswife514, shared the renovation after the project stretched to a month and cost $1,200. Plumbing problems, an oversized mirror, and electrical changes added work, but the finished bathroom has framed green walls, a new vanity, and brass fixtures.
The Original Half Bath Had Green Walls and a Pedestal Sink
The original sink stood against a narrow wall beneath an oval frameless mirror and a two-light fixture. A towel ring and electrical outlet occupied the adjoining wall, leaving much of its surface without decoration.
The toilet sat beneath a boxed ceiling section at the opposite end of the room, with a framed picture above it. The homeowner retained the existing bathroom arrangement while planning the new wall treatment around the fixtures and sloped ceiling.
Removing the Pedestal Sink Left Wall Repairs Behind
Removing the pedestal sink exposed the old mounting points, leaving holes and damaged drywall beneath the mirror. The homeowner patched the area before installing the replacement cabinet, with the existing water supply and drain connections remaining visible during the work.
The replacement vanity came from Wayfair and required modifications before installation. Its original painted parts were sanded in preparation for a new finish, while the sink and cabinet structure remained intact.
Picture-Frame Molding Required More Cutting Than Expected
The homeowner purchased picture-frame molding from Lowe’s and spent time selecting straight pieces before cutting them to size. He also bought a miter saw and brad nailer for the project, adding tools to a renovation he had expected to complete with limited experience.
Blue painter’s tape held sections of trim against the wall while he tested the arrangement beneath the mirror. The design used rectangular frames above and below a horizontal molding strip, with the sizes adjusted to fit the narrow walls and existing fixtures.
The Molding Extended From the Baseboards Toward the Ceiling
The homeowner cut and attached molding across the bathroom walls, forming a series of rectangular panels. The upper frames extend toward the ceiling, while shorter sections run above the baseboards and around the toilet.
The angled ceiling and boxed section above the toilet required changes to the frame dimensions, with the trim following the available wall surfaces rather than forming identical rectangles throughout the room.
Plumbing and Electrical Problems Extended the Renovation
The replacement sink did not align with the existing drain position, forcing the homeowner to modify the cabinet. He also replaced water supply fittings and encountered a leak after cutting a PEX pipe at an angle.
The molding created another problem when an electrical switch interfered with the planned frame position. He moved the electrical box a few inches to preserve the pattern, working with limited wire slack.
The replacement mirror was too large to fit beneath the original light fixture. Because the mirror was an open-box purchase that could not be returned, the homeowner moved the light box higher and patched the former opening.
The repairs added time to a project that had begun as a wall-molding makeover, with several changes required before the new fixtures could be installed.
Deep Olive Green Paint Covered the Finished Molding
Once the trim was installed, the homeowner painted the molding and surrounding walls in a deep olive green finish. The matching color creates raised rectangular outlines across the surfaces, with white baseboards separating the painted walls from the flooring.
He used Behr semigloss paint but said he would not recommend the finish because it showed imperfections and proved difficult to work with.
The completed frames continue around the toilet and beneath the sloped ceiling, with smaller panels fitted into the narrow wall sections. A framed picture remains above the toilet, now surrounded by the new molding.
A New Vanity and Brass Fixtures Completed the Half Bath
The finished sink area has a dark vanity with a white rectangular basin, brass faucet, and matching cabinet handles. A tall oval mirror with a thin metallic frame replaces the original frameless mirror, while the relocated light fixture sits above it.
The before-and-after comparison shows the original pedestal sink and unadorned green walls replaced by a cabinet vanity and picture-frame molding. The layout and flooring remain, but the wall treatment now extends across the room.
The homeowner had planned to spend $600 and finish the work during one week off. A month later, the total reached $1,200, with new tools, plumbing repairs, electrical changes, and trim installation accounting for a project far beyond his original expectations.
Picture-frame molding also transformed another bathroom where a homeowner replaced a pedestal sink with a Cinnamon Oak vanity and added framed panels to the lower walls, without covering them in tile.
Would you attempt picture-frame molding in a half bathroom yourself, or hire a professional after seeing the work involved?
Image credits belongs to Reddit user u/loveshiswife514