This project was an exciting one as I got to totally transform my basement bathroom sink for less than $50! That’s the beauty of repurposing furniture and using supplies that you already have. In this case someone’s garbage was my treasure!
Someone had put a lovely small dresser out with the trash. I saw it and was trying to come up with a way to add some storage to my basement bathroom that has a pedestal sink. I personally wanted to remove it and buy a new vanity with a sink, but when I saw the small dresser, I immediately had a vision for it in the bathroom! I had to have it and give it a try. I’m so glad that I did and hope you can find some inspiration in the project.
I did this project all by myself, but I did have to use a power jigsaw so if you aren’t comfortable with power tools make sure and get some help if you attempt something similar.
I’ve outlined the steps I took here and have included pictures along the way.
Step 1: Measure everything! I measured the dresser and the areas around the sink to make sure that the dresser would work in the space. I needed to make some small adjustments to the height which I did by hand sawing a few inches off the dresser legs. I also removed all the drawers and hand sawed the wood dividing them on the face of the dresser.
Step 2: I like finding things to use to make templates to test my ideas and measurements to make sure things will work. In the case of my door makeover I used newspaper. In this project I used a large box and cut the height to where I needed it to be. I used metal flower wire to form the shape of the sink that I needed to cut out of the top of the dresser in order for it to fit around the sink. I then took the wire and drew the cutout on top of the box and made sure it fit before I did any cutting on the actual dresser.
Step 3: I used a jig saw to cut the top of the dresser. I had to fit it and make a few adjustments until it fit well.
Step 4: The dresser/now cabinet needed a facelift. The color and designs were beautiful but I wanted it to look new so I used my go to jel stain on it! I used black on the top to add a small border and I used a very light coat of java on the face of the cabinet. I’ve used jel stain on so many projects and absolutely love it. I added a couple coats of poly to the top to protect it.
Step 5: Now I needed to add some doors. I had a vision for some small barn doors, so I went to the home improvement store and got some wood that I used to make the doors. I used 2 inch-wide by ½ inch thick pieces. Smaller widths are good since the doors aren’t that wide. You can use whatever makes sense for your project. They were pretty simple to make and I just used a hack saw to make the cuts and basic screws to attach the cross piece into the other pieces to attach/assemble them. I used wood glue to attache the diagonal pieces to the door fronts. It makes sense when you look at the picture of the door layout below.
Step 6: I painted the doors with the black jel stain. Often with jel stain you don’t need a coat of poly. I did not poly the doors. I added some hinges and knobs and attached the doors to the cabinet. I LOVE jel stain and have completed a few different projects with it. Check out my wood railing transformation and my dining table thrifty makeover .
Step 7: I used one of the drawer bottoms as a floor shelf inside the cabinet and just cut out around the pedestal, painted it and glued it in place and then placed the cabinet around the sink.
Finishing touches included painting the bathroom red and putting a piece of black plastic tubing around the cutout at the top to hide any areas that I cut that weren’t as close to the sink.
Let me know what you think. I’d love your comments!
Now for those of you who want storage around your pedestal sink but don’t want to embark on a DIY project… I did some research and did find some pretty low-cost alternatives on Amazon. I’m sharing a few that are economical and that have a good number of positive reviews. Check them out:
