Make your bathroom the best room in the house with quality furniture.
When remodeling or building a new home, bathroom vanities are one of the items that people may choose quickly and later regret when they realize how much impact they have within the room. A bathroom vanity is more than just a place for storage and a surface to hold toothbrushes and makeup. It is often the only piece of actual furniture in the bathroom. For this reason it should be as beautiful as furniture, not just a functional piece. If you have trouble locating a pre-made vanity that fits your taste, consider converting a small chest or dresser. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Purchase a dresser with a generous top drawer to enclose the plumbing. Shop at flea markets and tag sales for a good deal.
2. Roll out the butcher paper onto a flat, stable surface. Have someone help you carefully turn the dresser so that it is upside-down with the top resting on the paper; leave 3 inches at the back and mark this for plumbing space. Trace around the outside edge of the dresser onto the paper, noting the location of exterior drawers and support boards.
3. Remove the dresser from the paper. Create a template of the sink you wish to use in your vanity or use one supplied by the sink company. Position this template within the outline of the dresser top where the sink will be installed and trace around it to show the outside diameter; draw within the outline of the sink how large the hole in the dresser top should be for the narrower underside.
4. Cut along the lines of the template with a utility knife, and completely remove the interior outline of the sink tracing that marks the size of the sink underside. Place the template onto the top of the dresser so that the sink outline is directly where the sink should be in the dresser. Tape the template down and trace along the lines onto the dresser top with a pencil or chalk that will show up well.
5. Remove the template and bore two starter holes through the center of the area within the tracing. Cut out the sink opening with a jigsaw. Attach all of the plumbing to the sink and set the sink in place, using 2-by-4 lumber pieces to simulate the countertop material to estimate clearance.
6. Mark any cuts through the bottoms of drawers and the back of the dresser that are necessary to accommodate the plumbing. Remove the sink and plumbing and make the cuts with a hole saw. Attach 3-inch thick wooden strips to the lower back edges of each side of the dresser with adhesive, clamp them in place while they dry, and add countersunk screws; these will ensure the vanity sits far enough from the wall.
7. Attach the dresser to the wall with L-brackets. Apply the proper countertop adhesive for your chosen material to the top of the dresser. Lay the countertop into place and adjust it as necessary.
8. Squeeze a bead of plumbing sealant around the underside lip edge of the sink. Lower the sink into place and smooth the sealant completely around the sink edge with your fingertips. Allow everything to dry overnight and hook up the plumbing.
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