DIY bathroom vanity upcycle: Part One - Changing the look of the dresser.

Renowayoflife

We are currently renovating our kid's bathroom, and I use that term lightly as we are building it from scratch.

One of the projects I had wanted to do was to build a vanity for the kid's room; however, due to time restrictions and a load of other projects weighing us down, we had to forgo that plan.

I knew I didn’t want to buy a new vanity and also didn’t want to stick in a second-hand one. I wanted to add a unique piece.

I have been scouring the Marketplace and the internet to find something large enough. I wanted a period piece but couldn’t find one large enough, so I opted for one that wasn’t quite the age I had hoped for.

 

This is what it looked like when we bought it from Marketplace.

What You Will Need for the Cabinet

• Dish Washing Liquid & a Cloth
• Oven Cleaner
• Scrubbing Brush (not wire)
• Gloves
• Mask
• Safety Glasses
• Sander
• Bleach

 

Step One – Cleaning

Using warm water and dish soap, wash down the Cabinet, removing any dirt and impurities.

Step Two – Stripping

You can keep your clothes on for this one 😉

Using oven cleaner, spray the wood, making sure you spray a thick layer.

Using the scrubbing brush, work the oven cleaner on the surface

Leave for 30 – 60 minutes and wash off.

NB: You may need to repeat this step if all the stain is not removed in the first instance.

 

 

Step Three Sanding

Before sanding, make sure the wood is fully dry.

For a more even finish, taking the wood raw, I would suggest giving your wood a fine sanding. I used grit 220, a fine sanding pad. If you’re happy with the finish, you can hand sand if you’d prefer not to use a sander or not sand.

 

Step Four Bleaching

Although the beautiful wood was too dark and a little too pink/red for my vision.

I had visions of a light wood cabinet, almost a driftwood look. I wasn’t going to achieve that by staining, so I opted to bleach the wood.

I have never done this before, so I searched online for ways to bleach wood effectively.

 

My first attempt failed.

I found one option: mix 1 part bleach with two parts laundry detergent. This very wet, frothy solution left the wood with drip marks. - I would not recommend using this method.

My second attempt was to use bleach on a cloth. I used a small amount and treated it like a stain, rubbing it onto the wood and wiping it off with a dry cloth. I repeated this process twice until I got the desired look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hen4b6k2z8I&t=20s

 

What’s Next?

Now that I have the right colour, I plan to treat the wood once it is in place in the bathroom, as I want to ensure I love the colour in situ.

Next, I plan to

• Remove the top of the Cabinet and replace it with a counter
• Install new hardware (I did polish the original hardware, but I don’t like them)
• Build a shelf and add sinks.

Follow along for Part Two.

EricL

Hello @Renowayoflife

Thank you so much for sharing the photos and the steps you took to strip the stain off the cabinet. That bleached finish opens up a menu load of ideas as far as finishes are concerned. I can't wait to see part two when you start putting in the sink and tapware. I'm sure our members are eager to see part two of this vanity upcycle project. 

Again, thank you for sharing such a fantastic project.

Eric