Cindy & Bryan's Wood Shop
Bathroom Vanity
We had to gut and rebuild our master bathroom due to damage and age. It is a relatively small space so we needed to find a small vanity and sink.
We went to a bath showroom and found a sink that we really liked. It wasn't cheap, but it was exactly what we were looking for. It was sitting on a vanity that we also liked, but it cost around $500. Not horrible for a cabinet, but the vanity consisted of four legs and a shelf. So naturally we turned to each other and said we could build that ourselves for a fraction of the cost.
For the doors, we ran 1x2s over a router fitted with a roman ogee bit just to add some decoration. We then ran it over a rabbeting bit to add a 1/4" inset for the door panel. We glued them up and they were ready to go.
After it was all built, we painted it using milk paint followed by several coats of poly. We wanted to make sure the moisture wouldn't seep into the wood so I think we put on 5 coats. We then secured the vanity to the wall and glued the sink to the top using silicone caulk.
​
This build was a lot of fun, mostly because we laughed the whole time at the absurd price of the vanity we looked at in the store. For a fraction of the cost we were able to have an enclosed cabinet that looks much better than an open stand where items need to be neat and pipes would be visible.
​
It may have been a good idea to either put a decorative edge all around the sides or just leave it completely flat, but overall we are happy with the way it turned out.
We started by ripping 4x4s down to 3x3s for the legs. We used plywood for the sink support and the shelf. At that point we decided we can build an entire cabinet. It would hide the plumbing and give us more storage since it would be hidden with full sides and doors.
For the sides, we ran the top and bottom pieces over the roman ogee bit just to bring the door decoration across the piece, and we attached those to the legs. We made sure to double up the plywood on the top so we would have enough support for the sink. We left the back open since that would be against the wall, but we added a strip of plywood so we would be able to secure the sink to the wall. Then we added pre-made feet.
