top of page
Search

HOW WE BUILT THE PERFECT VANITY FOR OUR BATHROOM

  • Writer: Kathleen Vitorio
    Kathleen Vitorio
  • Mar 4, 2021
  • 6 min read

Updated: Mar 11, 2021

Yes, we built our vanity and for a couple of 1st timers, I’m pretty impressed. But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised since Nelson and I are both perfectionists + very detailed in our own ways. It’s the vanity I had always envisioned for this space, but without the price tag. This beautiful masterpiece (haha) cost us under $450! That includes the sink + faucet! I’m here to show you how you can do the same. Follow this tutorial to learn how to build your very own vanity.


why didn’t we just purchase one?


Alright, so we all know there are tons of vanities out there to choose from; different styles, materials, colours, and you can even have one custom made…but they also come at different prices. I already knew I was going to face issues when searching for a vanity because of the spacing in our bathroom. A small standard size vanity would be too small for the space, but the next size up was too large. When I actually came across something that could work, what I was getting for the price tag didn’t feel worth it to me because it wasn’t what I really wanted. The cheapest vanity I found that worked in our space was from Home Depot and it was around $550. So…it was only natural for us to decide to build one to my liking lol!


Here's a couple photos of the type of vanity I was thinking + their cost.

These are beautiful, but none were the right size and they weren’t exactly what I wanted.


Photo 1 - Pottery Barn - $3,691

Photo 2 - List Vanities - $1,199

Photo 3 - Wayfair - $1,800


Now, check out our vanity!


getting started


Neither Nelson or I had ever built something like this and although we had a bit of an idea how it could be done, I turned to none other than…Google. I just searched ‘building a bathroom vanity’ and went through the different pages that came up. I ended up stumbling upon a blog post by Honey Built Home on ‘How to Build a Bathroom Vanity.’ Here’s the link: https://honeybuilthome.com/cane-vanity/. This tutorial was so informative, easy to follow, and Christine even includes detailed images of the building process. She does such a great job at showing how to build a vanity step by step that rather than write those same step-by-step instructions, I’m just going to go through the alterations we made in our vanity design. The main differences are the size, material we used, and that we went with a stain versus paint.


what you’ll need?


This material list is based on our overall vanity measurement of 24” W x 16” D x 29” H. The reason our vanity is quite low is because we used a vessel sink which adds height to the vanity. However, if you were going to use an undermount sink or an integrates sink you should go taller. Typically, the overall height of a vanity, including counter and sink, should be between 34”-36”.


Also, I won’t be including the sink + faucet in this list, but I will talk more about these options later on and you can also check out the Shop My Home page for links to what I purchase.


› Maple Plywood, 4’ x 8’ x 3/4” (1 sheet)

› Maple Edge Banding, Pre-Glued, 11/16” W (1 roll, to finish off plywood edges)

› Maple Solid Wood, 1” x 3” x 4’ (2 piece, for cabinet doors)

› 1-1/4” Pocket Hole Screws

› Pocket Hole Plugs

› Iron (a clothes iron, for edge banding)

› Inset Hinges (you’ll need 2 for each of the cabinet doors) These are the ones we purchased: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/blum--2-pack-spring-closing-100-clip-hinge-inset-screw-on-for-frameless-cabinets/1000106009

› Rag (for staining)

› Nylon Paintbrush (for the clear lacquer)

› Cane Webbing Mesh (comes in a roll) I purchased mine on kijiji at a much lower price, but check out Lee Valley.

› Knobs or Pulls


THE TOOL LIST

› Circular Saw / Table Saw

› Drill

› Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

› Clamps

› Staple Gun + Heavy Duty Staples


let’s build this thing!


So, first things first, we decided on the size of the vanity, then I decided on how I wanted it to look (notice the I lol), and finally did some planning in Google Sketchup for how we were going to build it. You’ll see that in the tutorial we followed, Christine also used the same 3D program to show us how the pieces fit together. I created my own 3D model in Google Sketchup to reflect our vanity size.


To start, she provided a CUT LIST for all the pieces required to build her vanity. Below I have listed the quantities and sizes of the pieces we cut for our vanity. If you are building the same size as us, then follow these measurements, however, just like I did, you can always modify the size to fit your space, just make sure you cut your pieces accordingly.


x2 - 16” x 28” - ¾” Plywood - Sides

x2 - 16” x 22 ½” - ¾” Plywood - Shelves (behind cabinet doors + bottom one)

x1 - 16” x 24” - ¾” Plywood - Top

x2 - 3” x 22 ½” - ¾” Plywood - Supports

x1 - 4” x 22 ½” - ¾” Plywood - Toe Kick

x4 - 2” x 7 ¼” - 1” x 3” Solid Maple - Door Rails

x4 - 2” x 14 ½” - 1” x 3” Solid Maple - Door Stiles


Okay, now that you have all your pieces, you’re ready to START BUILDING your masterpiece. This is where I direct you to the post linked above from Honey Built Home’s blog. Her tutorial is fantastic! Now, if you’re building the same vanity as me, these are the alterations we made, and things to consider when you build your vanity.


- When assembling the vanity, rather then installing the bottom shelf 4 ½” from the boom, we installed it 4” from the bottom. The reason for this is because we included a toe kick in our design and the standard size for a toe kick is 4” H.

- We did not face frame the shelf with 1” x 2” select pine. Instead, we used maple edge banding to give the edge of the plywood a finished look. The edge banding we used came pre -glued and the installation was simple. All it required was applying heat from a clothes iron to adhere to the exposed plywood edge. We also used the edge banding on the sides and top of our vanity.

- We stained our vanity rather than painting it. We actually stained our plywood pieces before assembling them + building the vanity. I applied 2 coats of stain and after we assembled the vanity, I applied 2 coats of the clear lacquer finish.

- When it came to deciding on the hinges, we opted for inset hinges as opposed to frameless hinges like Christine.

- We built our top out of the same maple plywood, whereas Christine opted for marble top.

- To finish off the vanity, we installed a vessel sink and a vessel faucet. However, you can also go for a stone top and undermount sink or a top that has an integrated sink.


So proud of what we accomplished and we could not have done it as easily without the help of Christine’s tutorial, so thank you friend! Nelson and I both learned so much from her tutorial and now we can confidently move on to building other pieces.


Here’s a few more photos. It may not be perfect, but we are thrilled with the outcome!

Check out my Instagram to see all my video tutorials and more!

↓

https://www.instagram.com/the.design.nook


REMEMBER….

» Finding a tutorial online is a great way to get started on a project that are unfamiliar with.

» If you plan on modifying the size of your vanity, make sure you plan thing out. A great way to do this is by sketching out your vanity and determining all the sizes; I did this easily by creating a 3D model in Google Sketchup.

» Tools can get quite expensive and that’s why it’s important to understand the investment you are making when purchasing them. Although it may seem like a pricey buy for one project, remember that if you plan one completing more building projects, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.


𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤

Comments

bottom of page