How to Build Wood Vanity Tops

It's not easy to use wood as a building material for a bathroom: Because of all the moisture in the air, it can be difficult to prevent the wood from warping. That said, there are some steps that you can take to create a waterproof and hopefully warp-free vanity top made from wood so you can actually still use wood in your bathroom. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Measure the width, length and depth of the current vanity top, as well as the location for any drains or sinks that are on the vanity top. This will give you an idea of how large of a project you are dealing with and also the dimensions of your new wood vanity top.

2

Mark the measurements from your old vanity top on the hard, butcher block wood that you have. Draw the old vanity top on the surface of the new vanity with a pencil. Include any drains or sinks in the markings as well.

3

Cut the wood to the correct size using the circular saw and then cut out the inside pieces using a drill to start the hole and a skill saw to complete the cut.

4

Sand down the entire surface. Make sure that you start with a lower grit (rougher) sandpaper. Also sand the edges and sides of the wood really well since these are the edges that you and your family will be exposed to. After you sand the entire vanity top once with a low grit paper, use a higher grit paper to smooth the surface out completely.

5

Clean off the vanity top with some damp rags and allow it to dry completely.

6

Apply a flat spar urethane varnish using an old rag or a brush. Apply several different coats of this varnish as well, so allow the varnish to dry after the first coat and then apply as many as needed for it to have the look you would like.

7

Allow the vanity top to sit for several days to allow it to dry completely as well as air out since the varnish can have a strong smell to it.

8

Remove your old vanity top (remove the sink by detaching the pipes and cutting away the caulk with a razor, if there is one); this normally only requires a few screws removed and possibly a crowbar to pry it up. Then clean off the surface where the old vanity top was.

9

Mount the new vanity top using a couple of screws and re-caulk the sink into the hole you cut earlier, if there is a sink.