Since you are getting a proper counter then yes just strip and sand and stain then apply a couple of coats of urethane should make it stand up pretty well to kids .

It looks like you have real hardwood floors in the bathroom. Is that correct?

We have real hardwood floor throughout the first floor, which includes a full bath half of the family room and includes our master bathroom.

Most people wouldn’t recommend putting in wood floors, and if they weren’t already here when we moved in I probably would not have. However we are used to them and decided to keep them even when we remodeled. Just be sure, when kids start using the bathroom without your direct supervision, that you have lots of fluffy absorbent rugs in the bathroom, and do a little kid- training on how to protect the floors (drying off inside tub, running exhaust fan everyday, wiping up any spills and good “aiming” if you have boys). You could ask a flooring pro if there’s any additional protective coating you can put on the floor, such as just extra layers of polyurethane. I’m not a pro, so I don’t know, but thought I would mention that.

@AJCN, I think the wood floors would need to be replaced (original to the home I'm guessing) and I'd just put tile in. But until then we'll just keep the wood. Thank you for the tips!

I like the look of this bathroom and wonder if I should paint the wood white instead? Also curious about the mirror over the vanity? Should I paint it white, black or replace with a thinner frame?

I contend that proper painting of wood cabinets involves lots of steps. Sanding to take off the shine, primer to make sure the paint will stick, and two coats if there are deep grain or knots that make the finish uneven, then at least two coats of paint. Then you have to be careful for at lest a month not to bang anything against the painted surfaces as they remain knick-able until cured.

However, staining involves sanding to bare wood, possibly using a conditioner to get good stain coverage (depending on species of wood), one or two coats with stain, and two or more coats of finish. You sand between steps, lightly.

Which set of steps do you prefer? Stained cabinets generally do not get visible nicks and dings. Painted cabinets can. Or will. The best painted surfaces use a finish that cannot be used in a home environment. Your cabs will never have the same finish as a painted cabinet from a pro shop using catalyzed finishes.

Is this going to be exclusively a kids' bathroom, or will it do double duty as a main hall or guest bathroom?

@AJCN

It‘s mostly just for the kids at the end of an upstairs hallway.

either way, it's going to take some work. to do a new stain, you have to strip and get down to bare wood. any grooves will have to be done by hand. sanding, etc. If you don't do it like that, you'll get a blotchy looking finish. unless you've refinished wood, you have no idea how much time and effort it actual takes. I do both. refinish and paint.

I'd paint this one any day of the week.

sand down the current finish until it's not glossy. you could use a deglosser, but I'd still sand just to make sure the wood finish is nice and smooth. sand with 150 and finish w/220 until it all feels smooth to your hands. wipe the wood clean w/mineral spirits or something that will grab all the wood dust. (water will raise the grain and you'll have to find sand again) use a small brush to get in the tiny nooks.

you can use a good bonding primer

or I like to use this spray primer because it leaves no brush marks and it's easy. dries fast too. once dry, fine sand this primer finish w/220 grit until smooth to the touch. wipe off all dust.

now paint. BM Advance, SW Pro Classic, or this

I've painted over 100 pieces of furniture and have never had any chips. if you get chips and peeling paint, then you didn't prep and prime properly. it's that simple.

The milk paint will give you satin finish. the others you can get in any finish and you won't have to top coat them. the milk paint you have to give it a coat of varnish. (on real wood, especially in a bathroom, you'll get expansion and contraction. you need something that moves w/the wood. varnish does. poly does not and can crack)

as for painting, use the best brush that money can buy. don't go back and forth a million times. once or twice, then move on. if you get brush marks, wait until dry and then use a 600 wet sandpaper with water to smooth them down. wipe clean. apply second coat.

It looks like the top is the worst part of the vanity, which you are removing. I would try using Old English oil on the cabinet to bring it back to life. A stained surface is better with kids than a painted one. You can use a white quartz top and paint the walls very pale blue to get the look of your inspiration photo. Look for a very simply framed mirror (maybe white) and update your lighting.

We used a semigloss, Valspar, I think. It dented when hit with a corner of a wooden stool a week or so after the second coat was painted. It is good to hear that the milk paint performs better. I will keep that in mind. We were painting a built-in bookcase with cabinets the same color as the wall paint, so that was not an option (though I did not know that milk paint performed better back in 2011).

GF Milk Paint isn't actual milk paint (which is made from dried casein that's been colored and mixed w/water to make a paint) GF is a premium interior/exterior mineral based paint named for its low-luster sheen, which mimics the look of old-world furniture paint. It is not a powdered, casein-based milk paint, but a premixed, durable, self-sealing version. General Finishes offers Satin Finishing Wax, High Performance Topcoat in 4 sheens (Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss and Gloss), Flat Out Flat Topcoat and Glaze Effects to compliment the Milk Paints.

@Beth H. :Thanks so much! Those examples and all the info are super helpful. I love that bright teal color.