I just finished this for a secondary master bathroom.

builderbabe (LOVE that name!) I'd love to see a larger version of these photos if you have them? My master bath is going to be similar in color...dark stained cabinetry , light granite counter, and light travertine floor and walls. What exactly IS on the floor? VERY pretty bathroom!
Monica

monicakm
Here is a larger version. The floor is a cream Travertine. The counter is a Travertine slab but I canÂt remember the name. Found great cabinets and used existing top as sub top and did a double OG with a 6" splash. I'm not real good at linking photos so I hope this works.

Here is a link that might be useful:

THANK YOU. It's beautiful. Nice work. I had intended to use tumbled travertine for the floor but after seeing this, might consider honed. I've got honed in the entry. If you remember, how wide are the grout lines and what color grout did you use? Is "Cream" lighter than Ivory?
Monica

Is "Cream" lighter than Ivory?

Nope, name depends on who is selling it.
I think the grout is 'fawn' by Hydroment and the grout line is 1/8".
Tile size is 18"x18"

I converted an old sideboard from the 40's and added a limestone countertop to make my vanity. I had to modify the drawers to fit around the plumbing and cut a hold in the top for the sink and faucet. I like it because it was built really well as a piece of furniture unlike the particle board stuff you find at home depot that costs more.

David

Here's a picture of mine pre-faucet. It's a french turn-of-the-(last)-century dining room server. The marble (Breche de Vendome) is original to the piece. All I did was remove the legs and had the fabricators cut a hole for the sink and faucet.

ogoopogo, I did find canton antiques. They do have beautiful dressers and sideboards for vanities. You said your vanity isn't installed yet, did you buy it from canton or from an antique place where you live?

builderbabe, checksplay, arielitas mom, thanks for the pictures. I love all of the vanities. Actually, builderbabe, your master bath has the look we are trying to achieve.

To all of you, how is the height of the vanity? Is it comfortable. A standard vanity is much lower than a dresser or sideboard.

I'm on the short side (5'2) and our tall dresser/vanity had a semi-vessel sink (it was half above the surface, half below), but it wasn't uncomfortable. It felt different to use from a regular low bathroom vanity, but it wasn't a problem like I worried it would be.

I'm 6'5", so I wanted something taller. The Vanity is 35" tall and with the top is just about 36" compared to the old 32" one. Needless to say, I like the new one much better. Mine has an undermount sink, so there's no problem, but with a vessel sink, even I would have probably cut a hole to partially recess it.

David

ogoopogo, what a bargain. We love Charleston. Maybe we will have to make a trip to look for antique dressers ;)

redrange, checksplay thanks for the info on the height of the dresser. After hearing from you, I am 5'3" so I don't think the height will be an issue for me. Actually it will probably be more comfortable, no more bending.

Thanks again for the advise. Now if only I can find a great, old antique dresser I like.

I'm so jealous. I'm still looking for mine dresser/sideboard to convert. Today I saw one just like yours checksplay, but it was damaged at the bottom in such a way I wasn't sure I could get it repaired. It was only $525.00 too!! Builderbabe, where did you find your cabinets? Did you say cabinets or cabinet (single). It is absolutely beautiful. I would like nothing better than to find some ready built cabinets that would give me the look I want and not have to go antique shopping. I have to go to New Orleans and let me tell you, the traffic and congestion in those neighborhoods is horrendous. Today I went down to a shop that has parking on both sides of a narrow street and two way traffic. I was blessed and found a parking spot, but almost didn't live to go into the shop. People were wizzing by not even caring if I could get across the street. I'm too old for this, I tell you. LOL

Checksplay, your old sideboard is almost the same as mine. I got mine through Craigslist, although I had to drive over to the Bay Area to find one, but it made for a fun day. We used a granite remnant and had the fabricator who was doing our kitchen counters, cut and shape the granite and do the hole for the sink. Ours also came out to 36" after finishing, which is a great height for my grown children who use that bath.

Red

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Process

I went to the antique store with an idea of what I wanted, and let my eye help me from there. I needed a smaller piece for a powder room. What I ended up getting was an antique sheet music stand, which was about 20" square on tall legs with a small back (splash). When I set the vessel sink on it I realized it was too small so I had a carpenter (a real artist by the way) add to the piece making it deep enough to use as well as cutting the innards so that the plumbing would fit, and cutting down and reshaping the legs. He refinished it so it looks like it's always been that size, and it's gorgeous (it's in his shop now). Total price is about $500 for the work and the piece together. A tad bit better than I'd have done looking for a custom made solid mahogany cabinet. :)

It's easy to shop if you keep your eye open to anything. I knew my size requirements (max size) and that I needed two sides to be flat. From there, if there are legs you can cut them off, finish is easy to change, and the top is an easy alteration/removal issue. You don't have to cut around the drawers, but can instead glue them closed (I prefer to have them work around the plumbing so we spent the money for that). And you end up with such a unique piece :)

Red,

Wow, that is similar. Looking at your photos, I can see we did the same thing, though it looks like you did a nicer job with the inside. I made the top drawer a false front and attached it with velcro. I modified the second drawer to be shorter and it therefore doesn't slide as nice because the guide is also short. The third drawer I had to cut a notch out of the back to clear the plumbing. The bottom drawer I left alone.

I live in the bay area. I'm jealous that you found one here because I looked for months and finally bought one on ebay from out of state. The piece looks so similar to mine, I'm going to guess yours is also mady by Century.

I thought I was making a mistake by using a sideboard with drawers in the middle where the sink would go. But I just couldn't find a nice piece with drawers on the side and a cabinet in the middle. I'm glad to see someone else do the same thing.

Great job. BTW, can I ask how much yours cost?

David

David, we found the sideboard on Craigslist in San Mateo last Spring. The guy sold it for $325. (and it was a nice drive over there from Fresno.) At the time, I saw 4 or 5 over in that area for between $300-600 but this is the only one we went to look at. And I especially wanted the drawers on the front so that the finished product would still look like a dresser/buffet.
We got the granite remnant for $50 here locally, and although it wasn't quite the stone I thought I wanted, it's absolutely great for the bath 'cause it shows nothing. The fabricator did the sink cutout in the granite and did the initial cutting of the top drawer stuff. He also made the backsplash from the same piece of Santa Cecilia. DH had some modifying to do on the other drawers, and like you, didn't have to touch the bottom. Getting the plumbing hooked up caused him some serious muttering, mumbling, and turning himself inside out to get his hand in there. I think he glued the false drawer front back on and attached the backsplash with adhesive.

The shaped front makes it nice, hmmm? And I do think our two pieces are pretty identical, the feet are the same. If you go back to my process link on my post, I've added a couple of photos showing the one drawer we shortened, but that is still usable.

My DD chose the wall color, I wish she had wanted something more neutral in there like the lovely color you guys chose.

Red

builder babe, checksplay, arielitas mom, or redbazel: would one of you give me step by step instructions on how to embed a photo in your message?

I'd like to post my photo, have tried and been extremely frustrated in the past, and find it's much easier for the reader than to click on a link then click back to the forum.

Thanks!
Linda

Right click on the picture you want to copy. When the dialog box comes up, click on "Properties." A grey box will appear to the left with the url address of the picture. Highlight the entire url address, right click on it, and click on "Copy". Now you have saved the url to the picture.
When you get to the place on the message board where you want to insert the picture, you need to type this:

ltimg src="the url you have copied"gt

If this doesn't "show" the way I want it to in the thread, the lt is the 'lesser than' symbol and the gt is the 'greater than' symbol. I don't know how to type it out so it looks like I want. When you get to the quotation marks, you type the " and then right-click 'paste' to insert your type.

Red,

You are the queen of bargains! I got my dresser for a little less than $500. I found a scrap piece of limestone at a local fabricator for $200, but then it cost $800 more for them to cut and polish it. Throw in a sink and faucet and my total was around $1800 with some misc hardware.

When I looked at new vanities in the store, it was going to be >3k and the construction wasn't all that good. I was pretty happy with what I ended up with and thought it would be unique. Well, I guess it's not that unique.

I can sympathise with your husband. I did a fair amount of cursing as well. Tell him he did a really nice job.

David

I've found that stuff that is "not so unique" on GW is still pretty unique in the world in general. Some of the things I've done in my house that I see "everywhere" online, most people I know think are unique and clever. Just because some great minds think alike doesn't make either piece any less special. They're all gorgeous (but I hope you don't mind if I say my favorite is the server with original marble ;) ).

cactuscatie, I was wondering if you ever made a decision on this bathroom vanity.

I was just about to give up hope that I'd ever find the perfect dresser to convert and today I found it!! Unfortunately I won't have a photo to show till it's delivered week after next.

Let me know how your project turned out.

checksplay and redbazel,

I have the same sideboard as you guys! Dh and I are building a house and I would like to put it in our master bath. However, I was hoping to put 2 sinks in (I want to say the length is about 62"). Do you think it would work?

brutuses, yes we did find an antique dresser a couple of months ago. It's from the late 1800's and is in really good shape for its age. The price was right and it also has the original carrera marble top.

Our master bath renovations have not been completed yet and our dresser is still in storage waiting to be converted to our vanity, but here is a pic.

We searched for 2 months until we found what we liked. So I'm glad you were persistent because it paid off and now you have your perfect piece. I look forward to seeing your antique dresser.

Jennymama,

Wow, this thread came up again. The piece is certainly wide enought to fit 2 sinks, but I felt the bow front naturally lent itself to one sink in the center. Also, you need to look how yours is constructed and how it would have to be cut.

I had planned on having two sinks, and I would have done so if the piece was square. Another concern for me was that the existing plumbing was for only one sink.

Good luck! David.

cactus, yours if very beautiful. I seen many in that size, but that was too big for my tiny bath. I have the width, bu the depth is narrow and felt like a mirror that size would swallow up the entire bath. HA! I'm hoping I have mine by Tuesday. The people who are delivering it are due back in town on Monday so I'm hoping for Tuesday. I'll post a photo the day I get it. Can't wait!!!

brutuses, we loved looking for our dresser. The hunt was exciting. Now I understand how hard it was for you to find one, being tied down to a small size. Can't wait to see pic.

cactus I didn't know if you had seen my posts of the photo of my dresser. Here it is

{{gwi:1393909}}

brutuses, wow, it's gorgeous and in great shape too. Will you get a marble top? I know how long it took you to find it and I'm happy your search is over.

We are still waiting to have ours installed. This past week we picked out our scones. I'm so excited.

I look forward to seeing your vanity installed.

We're not done yet, but this is ours (it's tiny...and in that alone different than what you normally see) :o)

{{gwi:1386940}}

It will have an onxy bowl sink on top and sits across from this toilet (still in process of install)
{{gwi:1412994}}

igloochic, I love it. DH wanted the same toilet in our bath. After seeing yours, I'm sorry I said no. I better not show DH your pics :)

I bought this in a local consignment shop for my white bathroom. {{gwi:1412995}}

I thought I would share this inspiration I found on one of the Parade of Homes tours.

{{gwi:1412997}}

This is my not-so-antique dresser style vanity in my powder room (not yet complete in this photo).

Wow, these are beautiful! For those of you who bought a dresser, did you just cut the mirror off, or use it in the room?

I love the look, but I'm afraid my DH is going to rebel a little against it.

I know I'm hijacking the thread here, but wanted to know what you guys thought about these dressers. I found both in my area on craigslist. The second is $50, but looks a little 70's style and I'm wondering about refinishing it. The first one is smaller, so I'm not sure it will work. But it's oly $200.

kbmas: I don't know about the first one, but the second one isn't right.

They are both very different sizes. How big of a vanity do you need?

Also, if you start your own thread, you will get more people weighing in.

No marble top for mine. I want to keep it in the natural wood. Because it is a guest bath, it will get little use. I saw a friend with a vanity like mine with the natural wood for a top many years ago and loved it, so I want to keep mine the same.

kb, I think the first one would make a prettier vanity than the second. The second is not "old" enough for me. In chosing your dresser you have to ensure it is stable, preferably solid wood vs particle board because of the moisture in the environment it will be in and also you have to ensure it's stable enough to be cut on/into for plumbing and won't fall apart.

I will be using mine with the mirror attached as that's what I think gives it style.

kbmas0n - I actually disagree with the other posters, and think the second dresser is MUCH better than the first. The first is way too boxy.
The second one would need to be refinished, and obviously new hardware, but it could work. I would remove the bottom legs part, though, and put different legs on it. IMO, that would make all the difference in the world.

Kbmas0n, I like the first one, but wonder if you can't find something you like even better if you keep your eyes open. I know that I found the one I eventually bought only after having seen (and discarded) a number of others. Each thing I really liked was too expensive, and the ones that weren't, were too blah. I loved the size (60" wide) and look and drawers and vintage of my sideboard. It fit just right in the spot too.

For what it's worth, (and I've HEARD that some husbands are different!) my DH was not at all in favor of the renovated sideboard idea. For one thing, I don't think he could really visualize it, and for another, he didn't see much wrong with the existing oak cabinetry. Where I saw bland, he saw useful. Where I saw antique patina and an original look, he saw................well, nothing. I finally found something on the net where someone did a tutorial on installing a sink in an old vanity. For some reason, when I showed him that one, he caught fire and got on board with me. And he worked his butt off getting the sink and faucets plumbed and the piece installed. Now, he accepts the compliments with satisfaction.

Red

Thank you so much for your feedback! I am going to keep my eyes open for the *perfect* vanity. If I don't find it, I'm thinking some semi-custom cabinetry will just have to work.

Hi-love the ideas. How deep does the dresser/sideboard have to be in order to install an under mount sink and have enough room for faucets, etc?

OOOH am I glad I found this site. I bought an entire bedroom set at an auction for $35 (included a head/foot board, tall dresser, and mirrored dresser). I found it last year and bought it because I liked the mirrored dresser and plan to use it in my bathroom. I have a coworker that used a small dresser for a vanity in her bathroom and I loved it. On the one I bought, the mirror has the middle section with two narrower side panels to it and all are surrounded with wood and I plan to mount this to the wall over the dresser. I have not yet decided what to do with the top - use a whole new countertop or have a sink dropped into the existing top. My question here is this: the wood is already stained dark and I like it but, since will be exposed to water and steam, should I somehow seal it? My friend painted hers so that sealed the wood. This is an older piece (1930's maybe at the latest) and I want to make sure it's sealed against swelling. Do I use regular varnish, marine varnish? And will this extra layer make the drawers tighter and harder to close? I know about making room for the plumbing but I have not seen any discussion about protecting the wood from the dampness. Any help and thoughts would help. Thanks, Colleen