I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much in the way
of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures group.
I will probably build a double-sink vanity, but would be interested to
see examples for single-sink styles as well. I know I can look at
commercial vanities online for ideas, but I was wondering if anybody
here has built their own vanity for their bathroom. It would be great
if anybody had a link to pictures on their website or could post some
pictures in a.b.p.woodworking group.
Thanks,
Mark
"Mark Blum"
>I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
> ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much in the way
> of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures group.
Mark, here is mine. I'm installing it very soon with a hand hammered copper
sink, Grohe fixtures and granite top.
http://www.teamcasa.org/workshop/currentproject.htm
Dave
Something I had done which I found to be very handy was to put the
drawers of the vanity BELOW the cupboards. It might not be as much of
an issue with a two-sink version where you can have a drawer in between
the sinks, but in my single sink version the sink prevented me from
having a drawer at all. Undaunted, I decided to make it "up-side-down"
and put the drawers on the bottom. Granted, the sink hangs down
somewhat into the middle cupboard, but I just put shorter stuff into
that one.
There are some pictures of it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcaron2/search/tags:vanity/
"Mark Blum" wrote in message
> here has built their own vanity for their bathroom. It would be great
> if anybody had a link to pictures on their website or could post some
> pictures in a.b.p.woodworking group.
Just think of the bathroom vanity as a kitchen sink 'base cabinet' moved to
another room the house.
Building one is very simple. Here are the basic components of a face frame
version (the dimensions and design elements are up to you):
http://e-woodshop.net/images/6130SinkBase.JPG
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
>
> "Mark Blum"
> >I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
> > ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much in the way
> > of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures group.
>
>
>
> Mark, here is mine. I'm installing it very soon with a hand hammered copper
> sink, Grohe fixtures and granite top.
> http://www.teamcasa.org/workshop/currentproject.htm
>
> Dave
>
>
>
Thanks Dave, I had already saved a link to yours some time ago and it
looks great. Make sure you update that page with the finished install.
Something more elegant such as yours is what I had in mind, although I
don't want to go down the curved front route. I can easily construct a
basic vanity along the lines of kitchen cabinets, but wanted something
more distinctive that a basic cabinet carcase.
-Mark
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcaron2/search/tags:vanity/
>
>
Good job on your vanity Josh. I had considered drawers at the bottom
and it is nice to see an example from somebody. Even if I do a double I
might put drawers down there to maximize storage.
-Mark
You pose some good questions and I should have provided more specifics
in my original post. More info follows...
[email protected] says...
> (1) What woodworking skills do you have ?
I'm a fairly accomplished woodworker and feel comfortable tackling just
about anything.
> (2) What tools do you have ?
My shop is reasonably well-equipment with pretty much everything,
machine and power tools. Only piece of major equipment I don't have is
a lathe.
> (3) Do you have basic plumbing skills ?
> (4) Will you need to move wires ?
I have both basic plumbing and electrical skills.
> A basic vanity is fairly easy project, but
> you got to put on a top and you must do some
> plumbing.
I plan on replacing my current vanity, a circa 1965-style standard
vanity. I am looking to build something distintive and/or elegant,
something more than just a basic vanity.
> You will also be moving wires and pipes around.
That should be no problem.
> Go to Lowes or Home Depot. They both have books
> with any number of plans on building a
> basic vanity. Just remember, every single bathroom
> is different, so you will have to adjust your plans.
I am well familiar with the assaults on the best-laid plans that
renovations entail. ;-) Most books only have basic plans for
woodworkers of modest skill. I like to think I have the skill to tackle
something a bit more distinctive.
> How are your drawer building skills ?
> How are your door building skills ?
Both are fairly solid.
> Here is a basic version:
>
> http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct3.cgi?705
>
> If you are building this to save money, forget it
> and go to Lowes/HD and buy one.
Nope, I build them myself to get good quality construction tailored to
my needs (I built all of my bedroom and family room furniture). I'm not
trying to beat the cost of the particle board stuff you can buy.
> Got a "backup" bathroom till the project is done ?
Yep, just me and the wife here with 2.5 baths.
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> http://www.delorie.com/wood/projects/vanity/
>
>
That's a nice vanity DJ. With no storage in the vanity, how do you
handle storage of the various toiletries and items in the bathroom? Did
you add any medicine cabinets or the like since those pictures were
taken?
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> Sounds like you have the skills to build the vanity.
>
>
> We get folks on this group who want to build a set of kitchen
> cabinets and their entire tool set consists of a circular saw
> and a hot melt glue gun.
>
Uhhh...will it be a problem if I don't have the hot melt glue gun? :)
Here are some pictures of a vanity I built for our master bath a few
years ago. Designed by me with *much* guidance from SWMBO. I.e., she said
what she wanted, and I complied. :-) By the way, she loves them, and all
her girlfriends are jealous. There are numerous important details that
I'd be happy to provide if anyone has an interest.
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/finished_b.jpg
The following image was taken without the flash, to show off the grain.
In person, the whole surface appears more like the vertically-oriented
parts of this picture than the picture above. It's pretty...
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/curly_b.jpg
Here are some progress pics:
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/start_b.jpg
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/boxes_b.jpg
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/faces_b.jpg
Here are the same pictures as above, in a larger format (each is about
135kB).
Cheers,
Jim
Jim Wilson wrote...
> Here are the same pictures as above, in a larger format (each is about
> 135kB).
Oops. Forgot the links.
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/finished.jpg
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/curly.jpg
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/start.jpg
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/boxes.jpg
http://www.paragoncode.com/woodworking/vanity/faces.jpg
Jim
Swingman wrote...
> you should be able to have any kind of
> woodworking tool your heart desires for quite some time with no grief from
> the distaff side.
Chuckle! I'll pass that along. Actually, I (gulp) haven't needed a new
woodworking tool in a long time. She "lets" me have anything I want, just
about -- as long as I stay home and keep doing useful things. Like the
14,000+ lb CNC vertical machining center I snagged a couple weeks ago.
But that's for the metalworking side. <vroom, vroom>.
Cheers,
Jim
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> Here are some pictures of a vanity I built for our master bath a few
> years ago. Designed by me with *much* guidance from SWMBO. I.e., she said
> what she wanted, and I complied. :-) By the way, she loves them, and all
> her girlfriends are jealous. There are numerous important details that
> I'd be happy to provide if anyone has an interest.
That vanity looks great Jim, and was along the lines of what I was
thinking. I'd be interested in any of those "numerous important
details" you can think of.
One question I have is how you handled those sliding pantry-style double
drawers on the sides. Does the fact that the slides are only on one
side cause any problems with racking? Other thoughts?
Thanks,
Mark
Mark Blum wrote...
> That vanity looks great Jim, and was along the lines of what I was
> thinking. I'd be interested in any of those "numerous important
> details" you can think of.
> One question I have is how you handled those sliding pantry-style double
> drawers on the sides. Does the fact that the slides are only on one
> side cause any problems with racking? Other thoughts?
Hi Mark,
The side double drawers were one of Mary's ideas. The height between the
drawers is sized so the bottom one can accommodate tall narrow containers
like hair spray, alcohol, and whatever else she keeps in there. I used
heavy duty full extension ball bearing slides on those. The slides, in
conjunction with two screws through each drawer into the false front, and
the fact that the small drawers naturally limit the load prevents any
racking.
There is an outlet mounted in the back of the middle drawer of the center
bay (in the drawer back itself, not behind the drawer). Her curling iron
and hair dryer plug in there and are stored in the drawer.
The fronts below the sinks are tilt-outs with plastic trays for the
toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other things that tend to be put away wet.
The linen cabinet is a little unconventional. Space was tight at the
bathroom entrance and the linen cabinet is right by the door. The bottom
door of the cabinet admits a laundry basket, and it swings open to the
right so the basket can be taken out of the room without a door juggling
act.
It looks like a drawer, but the front immediately above the basket is a
door that opens down (it has a scissors hinge stop) so laundry can be
dropped conveniently into the basket. Infrequently used items are stored
in a drawer above the tilt-down door. Towels and other large items are
stored on shelves in the top cabinet, whose door swings open to the left,
for easy access from within the bathroom. All in all, it's a very
convenient arrangement.
That's all that comes to mind presently. Of course, there are plenty of
technical details and design choices that can be mulled over, too. The
door and drawer edge treatments selected to avoid the need for pulls, the
height of the vanity set to the lady's preference, the use of leveling
legs, hand-cut dovetails, baltic birch carcasses, material and finish
selected to wear well and complement the chosen travertine and granite,
undermount sinks, waterfall faucets, and so on.
Let me know if you have any questions. I'm sure there's something
glaringly important that I've neglected completely! (G)
Cheers,
Jim
Mark Blum wrote:
> I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
> ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much in the way
> of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures group.
>
> I will probably build a double-sink vanity, but would be interested to
> see examples for single-sink styles as well. I know I can look at
> commercial vanities online for ideas, but I was wondering if anybody
> here has built their own vanity for their bathroom. It would be great
> if anybody had a link to pictures on their website or could post some
> pictures in a.b.p.woodworking group.
>
> Thanks,
> Mark
I did a small powder room one. It is shaped like an oval 'bass drum'.
The sides are flexible ply covered in oak veneer with a solid oak, oval
ring around the bottom and an oval top with oval sink. There is an
attached, framed mirror as well. I made a matching curved shelf for
behind the toilet/bidet.
I made a much more standard one for the master with 2 sinks in a flat
counter, with a cherry front edge and arborite. There is a single
cabinet with 3 drawers underneath, between the sinks, also in cherry to
match (well sort of) our cherry Bedroom suite.
I'm working on one for the main bath now with a side pedestal and shaped
counter. Construction will be similar to the powder room.
I would recommend the curved 'drum' approach if you want something
STRONG and not too hard to make. (router/table saw/sandpaper)
Either way, bathroom cabinets are fairly easy and can add a very rich
appearance to the bathroom.
Rob
Mark Blum <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
> ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much in the
> way of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures
> group.
>
<snip>
Mark, I built one for each of the bathrooms in our home. The first one
was L-shaped, and replaced the one that collapsed under the weight of
one of my sons, shortly before Thanksgiving, 5 years ago or so. Learned
a lot from that one. Not all those lessons are easily, either. Built
that one with a Shopsmith. Not doing that again. There's a Unisaw in
the shop now, and no Mustang coupe.
Last summer, I finally built one for the master bath. It isn't perfect,
but it is a major improvement over what was there when we bought the
house (23 years after it was built). Maple, with some cherry trim, and
ceramic tile counter top. We're taller than most, so this one was
taller, too. Shakerish in style, with eight drawers, and a large area
underneath the single sink. I've taken no pictures yet, because the
rest of the bathroom isn't quite finished yet.
Thoughts to consider:
* Make certain you plan for any needed changes in running plumbing. I
reinstalled this cabinet twice, because I needed to move the drain lines
and water supply lines. And re-sheetrock the back wall. Twice.
* Check how tall you _really_ want the sink to be. Mine's a bit taller
than I originally 'planned'...
* Validate how deep the sink will be inset from the front lip of the
counter. This is another dimension I'd change in the next go around.
Ours is set further in than I really like.
* Discuss long and hard the type of counter you want to live with. I
think I would consider a solid surface job by a pro, in the next go
around. Grouting should not take three or four days, but it seemed to.
* My wife shows it off to almost everyone who comes to the house. Make
certain that your skills and/or ego can deal with that experience.
* From tearing out the shower to (mostly) completing the dressing area
took most of four months of spare time, and using the hall bathroom
instead. You may go faster, but I had a lot of spare time this last
year, and still didn't.
Good luck. Check lots of sources. Write your project schedules down,
and don't get too far out of order, or you'll need to store things, or
wait for varnishes to dry at inopportune times...
Patriarch,
thinking about a kitchen or two. Maybe.
On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:05:40 -0500, Mark Blum
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
>ideas.
I did mine out of my head. Basically a box with holes cut in to
accommodate the sink and water lines. You might look up general
cupboard construction; rails and stiles etc.. Don't forget a foot
recess either. After that, it's whatever you want. Mine fits a
ratehr small bathroom, so I had to taper it from the door. Cupboard
doors fit to the holes [with allowance of course]. That was some time
back, and I'm redoing it pretty soon. I just bought the paint. This
time around the doors will be outside, not flush inside, and will have
raise panels instead of the previous flat.
Google helps. Here's a carcase construction detail:
http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60255
Just take it from there, and use your imagination.
(1) What woodworking skills do you have ?
(2) What tools do you have ?
(3) Do you have basic plumbing skills ?
(4) Will you need to move wires ?
A basic vanity is fairly easy project, but
you got to put on a top and you must do some
plumbing.
You will also be moving wires and pipes around.
Go to Lowes or Home Depot. They both have books
with any number of plans on building a
basic vanity. Just remember, every single bathroom
is different, so you will have to adjust your plans.
How are your drawer building skills ?
How are your door building skills ?
Here is a basic version:
http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct3.cgi?705
If you are building this to save money, forget it
and go to Lowes/HD and buy one.
If you want a challenge and you want to develop
your skills, this is a pretty easy job.
Got a "backup" bathroom till the project is done ?
Mark Blum wrote:
> I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
> ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much in the way
> of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures group.
>
> I will probably build a double-sink vanity, but would be interested to
> see examples for single-sink styles as well. I know I can look at
> commercial vanities online for ideas, but I was wondering if anybody
> here has built their own vanity for their bathroom. It would be great
> if anybody had a link to pictures on their website or could post some
> pictures in a.b.p.woodworking group.
>
> Thanks,
> Mark
On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:05:40 -0500, Mark Blum
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
>ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much in the way
>of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures group.
>
>I will probably build a double-sink vanity, but would be interested to
>see examples for single-sink styles as well. I know I can look at
>commercial vanities online for ideas, but I was wondering if anybody
>here has built their own vanity for their bathroom. It would be great
>if anybody had a link to pictures on their website or could post some
>pictures in a.b.p.woodworking group.
>
>Thanks,
>Mark
I built a double for my master bath along with two medicine cabinets,
two towel cabinets, and a hamper. There is nothing unique about them,
they look just like stock cabinets with raised panel doors that you
would get at the home center. They are probably a little heavier and
sturdier and the towel cabinets were sized to fit niches unique to
this bath. That is why I chose to build them, to not have to choose a
stock dimension and block in the wasted space.
Frank
Josh wrote:
> Something I had done which I found to be very handy was to put the
> drawers of the vanity BELOW the cupboards. It might not be as much of
> an issue with a two-sink version where you can have a drawer in between
> the sinks, but in my single sink version the sink prevented me from
> having a drawer at all. Undaunted, I decided to make it "up-side-down"
> and put the drawers on the bottom. Granted, the sink hangs down
> somewhat into the middle cupboard, but I just put shorter stuff into
> that one.
>
> There are some pictures of it here:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcaron2/search/tags:vanity/
>
I've got a few thousand ft. of sawmill lumber drying at my new
house. I took one look at your vanity and said "there's my kitchen
cupboards". Right way up mind you. :)
Thanks for the post.
Here's some pictures of the place and my gang.
http://www.mts.net/~lmlod/
P.S. Wouldn't happen to have a good shot of one of those
doors?
Mark Blum <[email protected]> writes:
> That's a nice vanity DJ. With no storage in the vanity, how do you
> handle storage of the various toiletries and items in the bathroom?
> Did you add any medicine cabinets or the like since those pictures
> were taken?
Well, it's my dad's bathroom, so I don't handle it at all ;-)
In his case, though, there's a closet opposite the sinks that contains
ample shelving and storage, and a laundry hamper. The original design
included a shelf underneath, resting on a square lip just at the
bottom of the long ogee in the middle of each leg. They decided to
skip that, figuring they'd rather look at the tiles than an
accumulation of stuff.
Mark Blum <[email protected]> writes:
> I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking for
> ideas.
http://www.delorie.com/wood/projects/vanity/
"Mark Blum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
:I am looking to build a vanity for my bathroom and was looking
for
: ideas. Google searches of this group don't come up with much
in the way
: of past discussions, and I obviously can't search the pictures
group.
:
: I will probably build a double-sink vanity, but would be
interested to
: see examples for single-sink styles as well. I know I can look
at
: commercial vanities online for ideas, but I was wondering if
anybody
: here has built their own vanity for their bathroom. It would
be great
: if anybody had a link to pictures on their website or could
post some
: pictures in a.b.p.woodworking group.
:
: Thanks,
: Mark
Looks like lots of good advice here; I have a couple of "other"
category things to add, I think.
1. If the sink is "hung", un-hang it. Much easier to get the
sink out for faucet replacement, etc. And remove the brace it
was hung on. If it's not hung, no sweat.
2. Height, as someone mentioned is good to consider. IFF it's
feasible, but be sure it's not the only bathroom in the house or
you'll go "out of spec" for many people. I'm very tall and
arthritic: I put my sink at MY height so I didn't have to bend
to brush teeth, lean on it to shave, etc.. But the main sink is
at the standard height. Turned out most everyone like the height
of MY sink though; it was the most popular one in the house,
except for young kids.
3. Test fit as many of the harder to measure areas as possible
before actual construction. It'll save days of misery.
4. Don't forget the toe space. Don't forget the electrical if
necessary. I build cabinets above mine so those things mattered.
Don't forget the GFCI's! I dropped my electric razor into the
running water once; no sweat, the GFCI just turned it off.
5. Be sure to consider any possible interference with mirrors,
holders etc. around it. Some may have to be moved, depending.
6. Enjoy the work; it'll be there to look at for a long time if
it works out well <g> and you'll be proud of it.
HTH,
Pop