How to Remove an Outdated Bathroom Vanity Backsplash

Happy Friday! We’re painting the foyer today (photos on Monday), but before we get to that I wanted to share two bathroom-related updates—one of them a rather large oops. Consider this your heads-up that DIY doesn’t always go perfectly, but it usually turns out fine.

First up: the vanity. We decided to remove the little side counter—think of it as the vanity’s “love handle”—because it made the sink area feel unbalanced. If your sink has a narrow side slab or splash you don’t love, removing it is a straightforward DIY. Here’s how we handled ours.

We started with a manual screwdriver and gently worked it under the side slab, taking care not to damage the sink top. You can use a rubber mallet or a hammer to tap the screwdriver along the seams until the slab loosens. Eventually the panel popped free; unfortunately, the screwdriver left four small puncture marks in the drywall along the top seam.

When that happened I told myself to stay calm and take it step by step. I grabbed a sanding block to remove any loose bits of drywall or glue, then applied spackle with a 2″ putty knife to fill and level the damaged areas. I like a reliable spackling paste—something that dries well and sands smooth—because building the spackle just a bit proud of the wall gives you room to sand it flush later.

After letting the spackle dry for several hours, I sanded the area smooth. Use a block sander if you can; the straight edges help keep the repair even and prevent a wavy finish. Sanding creates dust and often reveals small low spots, so resist the urge to skip another quick spackle pass. That second, ten-minute touch-up makes the difference between a wall that looks finished and one that annoys you every time you see it.

Once the second pass was dry, I sanded again until the repaired area blended seamlessly with the existing wall. Next I applied a bead of paintable silicone caulk between the vanity and the wall to protect against water intrusion and to create a clean transition. Squeeze a steady line of caulk into the gap and smooth it with your finger until it looks even and neat.

Only after the spackle and caulk were fully set did I touch up the paint. That extra patience pays off—doing the small, tedious steps in the right order avoids visible imperfections and keeps the finish looking professional.

Now for the oops: we spilled about half a quart of the Baby Fern paint we’d used on the vanity onto the concrete floor in the garage. It was a sticky, gelatinous mess that made us panic for a moment. Instead of scrubbing or trying to dilute it, we decided to let it dry fully with the hope it would peel up like a large latex sticker.

We let the paint dry for about a week, then pulled on the dried mass—and it came up almost in one piece. There were a few small spots that needed a second removal pass, but the bulk peeled away cleanly. Initially there was a dark, wet-looking mark under the dried paint, but after the latex glob was removed the concrete dried out and mostly returned to normal. Aside from a couple of faint tint spots, the spill is now barely noticeable.

I still can’t believe the leave-it-and-peel-it approach worked so well, but for this kind of spill on concrete it was a winner. Attempting to scrub it up wet might have spread the mess and made cleanup harder, so sometimes doing nothing and waiting is the best move—at least for certain paint accidents.

Before you tackle a similar project: work slowly when removing countertop pieces, protect adjacent surfaces, and be prepared to do a couple of spackle passes for a truly smooth finish. If you do spill paint on a non-porous surface like concrete, consider letting it dry fully before attempting removal—peeling can be surprisingly effective.

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