Build This Easy Furniture Vanity in a Day

Is your powder bath in need a makeover? If your home is 15+ years old you probably have outdated wallpaper or paint color, carpet (why oh why do builders put carpet in the bathrooms) and a golden oak cabinet with a cultured marble top...sound familiar? If you have attempted an update, you may have stripped the wallpaper and/or updated the paint color. You may have even gone as far as tiling the bathroom but there is still that looming eyesore in the room...the vanity.
Most people can wrap their minds around paint and flooring but are at a loss when it comes to their cabinetry. Simply painting the cabinet and leaving the marble top is the quickest, least expensive fix but if its not what you want you will change it again later.
If you are stripping the wallpaper and/or painting and changing out floor covering, why not consider a furniture vanity? I know...cost right? Yes I have seen them cost as much as $800 for a single furniture piece. Rediculous!
Today I am going to show you how to make a super stylish furniture vanity out of a piece of IKEA furniture. Btw, not just any piece, but a $35.00 IKEA Rast Dresser...woop woop!
Yes friends this is what we call a HACK and it is going to be the perfect addition to my lake house project.

Furniture Vanity Supplies:
IKEA Rast Dresser
Purebond Plywood in Maple
Minwax stain in Espresso
Assorted Plumbing Parts
PPG SealGrip Acrylic Primer
PPG Advantage 900 Acrylic Paint
Hickory Hardware
click here for a full list of exact supplies needed
Tools Needed:
Circular Saw
Drill
Forstner bits





If you have never purchased IKEA furniture, you may be a bit surprised to find that it all comes flat in a box for you to assemble. Don't be alarmed...it's actually quite simple to put together. It also makes it much easier to "hack" because I don't have to take it apart first





Furniture Vanity Instructions
Step 1) Lay out all of your pieces and grab the enclosed instruction sheets. You typically don't need any additional tools but you know me...sometimes I improvise. lol
This dresser has 3 drawers but I am only opting to use two of them. Save the extra wood...we will use it later.





Step 2) Fill the imperfections using Bondo. Once you have the bones of your furniture vanity put together, fill all of the holes before you paint. Let Dry





Because I am using a large round vessel sink for this furniture vanity, I needed to extend the depth of my dresser another 7 3/8 so I could center the bowl. This was easy, I just created another small box and attached it to the back of the IKEA dresser.
Diva Tip: I used the wood left over from the drawer I didn't use for part of the new box.





Step 3) Prime your furniture vanity. I always prime raw wood to give it a smooth, professional feel. For this project, I chose SealGrip, an acrylic universal primer/sealer by PPG. I have always had good luck with this primer so I am not changing now. Let dry.
Step 4) Lightly buff your primed piece using 220-grit or higher sandpaper. This ensures a good bond and removes any rough areas before painting.
Step 5) Apply 1-2 coats of paint to your vanity. I chose PPG's Advantage 900 semi-gloss acrylic paint in the color "1037-5 Night Rendevous" and I must say...I am in love with my color choice . I also love the coverage of this paint. It went on smooth and dried extremely hard.





Step 6) Using a circular saw or table saw, cut 2 pieces of Purebond Plywood in Maple for the shelf and the top of the vanity.

My design required the following cuts:
Top 24 3/4 x 18 3/4
Shelf 23 x 19





Step 7) Iron on wood veneer trim to edges of the shelf and top. This give the plywood a finished edge and will stain out evenly.





Step 8) Stain all sides of plywood in Espresso. Let dry.
Step 9) Apply 2 coats of sealer to stained plywood. This is super important since it's a vanity and will be exposed to water. I chose a Fast-Dry Polyurethane. Let Dry.
Step 10) Lay out sink template so you know where to cut your hole. This is included in the box with the bowl.





Step 11) Attach a 1 x 2 board to each side of the dresser just above the second drawer. This will hold our stained shelf. Hint: I painted the 1 x 2 boards at the same time I painted the dresser and in the same color.





Step 12) Using a drill and a 1 Forstner bit, drill through the plywood top in 4 places. Measure twice for accuracy.





Step 13) Set the hardware you built on to the top of the dresser. Screw in place





Step 15) Set the top plywood piece on top of the 4 pieces of hardware. Screw on the cap to hold in place.
Step 16) Attach the legs to the bottom using wood screws.
Diva Tip: After attach the legs this way, I would definitely put the legs on before you put the top on.
Step 17) Attach your vessel sink. I have not attached mine yet because it will be installed at the lake house towards the end of the remodel.
Step 18) Attach the hardware. This is my favorite part of the project. It's like pairing the perfect jewelry with the perfect outfit. I chose 5 galvanized steel pulls from Hickory Hardware and they are perfect!





Just wanting to update the bathroom vanity you have? Find out how to do it like a professional HERE! 4 DIY Bathroom Ideas that are Quick and Easy






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13311174/build-this-easy-furniture-vanity-in-a-day site