Vanity & Details

Thank you so much for your comments about my little bathroom makeover!

You had so many favorites in the new space- just like I do ;)
 One of your favorite things in the bathroom was the old antique sideboard
that we turned into a vanity.

If you missed the original $500 Bathroom Makeover with Lowes  reveal post

 you can find it HERE.

This piece was a lot of work to get usable... a lot.
 But it was worth it.

So here's the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good:
It was a yard sale find for $20 and it had soo much character!

I fell in love when I found it.
The urn carvings & the glorious details that covered it!

love love love.

The bad:
It was not without issues.

Veneer issues, one of the doors was  missing on one side, some of the adornments were chipped off
 though most of the original super charming hardware was there~
a couple pieces were broken and needed to be repaired.

Then there is The Ugly:
It was completely covered in dust and dirt-and even mildew. Yuck.
There were dings and dents  and a lot of sanding required on some areas that were really bad.
 It was a big. old. mess.

Did I care?
 Nah.  I loved it.
I knew it would be fabulous fixed up and flaws and dings and damage on old pieces really
don't bother me too much. I think it adds to their character.

So when I started dreaming up designs for the bathroom-

 I thought about what type of sink we would use.

I love a pedestal sink and I also love some of the beautiful new sink cupboards
 they have at Lowes- they are so gorgeous!

But I had a lot of things I wanted to do in the bathroom with the $500 so I decided to
save money on the sink purchase and create my own vanity out of that lonely forgotten sideboard.

After scrubbing and getting any loose paint and mildew off-
 we started by removing the long top drawer and taking it apart.
That drawer would have to become just a drawer front and be fixed in place
 in order for this to become a sink- a little glue and a couple of nails do it.

We then measured the inside part of the sink-and drew a template for where to cut.
Usually new drop in sinks have a template with them when you purchase-
 we found this one on big time clearance at Lowes and it was nothing but the sink-
so I think it was probably a return.

After you have drawn your template- using your drill with a large bit-

 poke several holes in the 'sink' area to have starting points for your jigsaw blade to start cutting.
Then take your jigsaw and follow the lines and cut the sink area out.

The second drawer is fixed as well but the third drawer is usable.

We also needed to remove a piece of the wood liner that was under the top drawer
 to allow for pipes to go through and head out the back of the sideboard.
The above photo shows where the liner was removed and how
 the second drawer will interfere and needs to be modified.

The next consideration was the height.
This sideboard was too tall for a vanity- it measured about 38" tall and a standard vanity
would usually be around 33" so we needed to cut the legs down a bit.
We took 5" off and unfortunately we had to cut the detailed part of the legs off.

Since most of the dirty work was done-  it was time for the transformation and a little paint.

I love the color of french linen chalk paint but chalk paint by itself would not stand up to water
 and daily use so I do not recommend using it by itself.
You can either tile the top- have a piece of marble or granite cut to fit or you can seal up the wood
with a good varnish or shellac to keep it from being damaged- which is what we are doing.

 *We have not sealed this with super duper varnish yet
it's too cold and moist right now for a really thick varnish to dry in a speedy amount of time
but we will be doing that before the bathroom gets too much use*

 Remember to caulk your sink with silicone when you drop it in to keep moisture from
getting under the rim and into your beautiful new vanity.

Other than plumbing- I think that is about it.
:)

There were also several of you who emailed asking about some of the other elements
 in the bathroom.

The Sconce Lights
They are $49 each available in store or on the Lowes.com website
Our store was sold out when we were shopping- so I ordered them online
and got free shipping and they arrived within 2 days.
Amazing.


The Vanity Mirror

I had a lot of questions about the mirror.  It is an antique and was found several years ago.
It has been repaired and painted several times- and is in no way perfect- but it was perfect for the space.
It was white when I bought it though had old gold paint chipping through.
I love old brassy gold frames and so I painted it gold again for the bathroom.


 Plank Ceiling 
 The knotty pine planks that we used on the ceiling are available online or in store.
The ceiling had great lines to begin with and an exposed original part of a beam that we made work for us.

The planks from Lowes are super easy to put up with a nail gun-
just notch them together and nail them!

You can also use these same pieces on walls for wainscot or wood walls, etc.
Lowes everyday price of $8.99 for 14 square feet is incredible!

Shelving

The shelving was not pre-made I made it myself while the Mr was out of town. 

 I LOVE crown moulding and have used it on several projects.

 I would recommend prefab corners to save on time, energy and aggravation ;)

There are a ton to choose from at Lowes-from solid wood-to foam- to pressboard.

 Ruffled Curtain Panel

The ruffled white curtain is actually a large tablecloth that I made as part 

of a little something I am working on.
It has a double ruffle edging around it and while thinking about window covering options-
 I thought of the white ruffles and knew it was perfect for the bathroom window.

Hope that helps answer some of your questions!!

Sharing at
Miss Mustard Seed