I’m back with the final chapter before the big reveal next week. I know the suspense has been drawn out, but this timeline reflects the real pace of the project — not a tidy TV-style hour where everything is finished in 30 minutes. You get the honest, step-by-step process as it happened. Lucky for you, it’s a little less dusty than it was for us. You’ve been showering at home this past month while we’ve been sneaking gym showers; today was the first time we used the completed bathroom. It felt incredible. So hang on a little longer while I walk you through last weekend’s major task: building the vanity.
As we mentioned in our first bathroom post, we decided to make a DIY vanity by converting a piece of furniture. We loved high-end options but didn’t want to spend a thousand-plus dollars, so we hunted for parts: a clean-lined vessel sink and a sleek chrome faucet from Overstock, paired with a Crate & Barrel nightstand bought at a discount. The result is a modern-meets-traditional vanity that came in under $400 — a solid saving compared with pre-made vanities that can cost $500 or more before you add faucet and sink.
The nightstand arrived as a flat-pack and assembled easily. Because a nightstand finish isn’t designed for constant moisture, we added durability with three coats of protective lacquer. We chose an eco-friendly Acrylaq product after reading about it and testing it on the porch for ventilation. It’s low-VOC and applied smoothly after a light sanding. So far water beads on the surface and it appears to be very water-resistant — exactly what you want in a bathroom surface.
Once the lacquer cured and the bathroom floor was in, we positioned the table to determine where to cut for plumbing. The p-trap lined up neatly under the drawer and shelf, which meant we could keep the bottom shelves intact — a small victory that saved a lot of fuss. The hot and cold supply pipes, however, entered at the back of the drawer, so I marked the sections to remove and carefully cut openings. I drilled a pilot hole and finished cuts with a handsaw since most panels were thin, so it was straightforward work.
With the back opened enough to push the vanity flush against the wall, the next challenge was locating the hole for the sink drain so it would align directly over the p-trap. To mark the exact spot we used a trimmed paper towel tube as a mock drain and a marker to transfer the location to the underside of the tabletop. After drilling a small guide hole up through that mark, I used a hole-boring bit sized to the sink’s instructions to cut a clean hole in the top — a $6 purchase that paid off in precision.
We temporarily placed the sink to check the drain stopper and to mark the faucet hole. Then we installed the faucet while the vanity was still out in the open so it was easier to tighten from beneath. After feeding the braided supply hoses through the top, we discovered we needed to remove another strip of wood so the mounting nut would sit flush. The cuts aren’t pretty, but they’re hidden behind the drawer and against the wall, so function mattered more than looks.
With the faucet attached we carried the vanity into the bathroom and connected the supply hoses to the wall valves using plumber’s tape and a wrench. I used a simple paper towel test — holding a dry towel beneath connections for about a minute — to confirm there were no leaks. After stuffing the hoses back into the cavity, we moved on to the sink installation.
We did a dry-fit first to confirm everything aligned. We briefly needed a 4″ extension pipe to make the drain reach the p-trap, so I ran to the hardware store and returned ready to permanently install the sink. We used clear waterproof silicone caulk to both bond and seal the vessel. Because the sink bottom arcs slightly, we applied caulk only where the sink would contact the vanity. We intentionally left a small gap in the back of the caulk bead so that any future leakage would show at the rear rather than silently pooling between the sink and tabletop.
After setting the sink and securing the drain hardware per the manufacturer’s instructions, we tightened the rest of the drain connections with plumber’s tape and a wrench. Using the paper towel test again, we checked for leaks and made minor adjustments until everything was dry. Success. The sink was sealed around the base with clear silicone (except that small back gap), and it looked complete.
Two finishing tasks remained. First, we anchored the vanity to the wall with L-brackets and long screws tucked under the drawer base so the piece can’t tip forward — now it’s rock solid. Second, we modified the drawer to clear the plumbing. We removed the drawer back and bottom panel, shortened the bottom to the new depth with a circular saw for a straight cut, and reattached the back panel at the shallower depth. The result: a functional drawer with enough room for toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, contact cases and deodorant.
With the drawer reassembled and the plumbing secure, the vanity was officially finished — all in a few hours of focused work and at a fraction of the cost of a comparable store-bought unit. We’re thrilled with how it turned out and proud of the savings and custom fit.
Next post will show the finished bathroom fully styled, include a complete budget breakdown, and answer whether we’d do it again. We’ll also follow up with details like reglazing the tub and framing new art. We won’t be re-telling the toilet install here since that step is already covered elsewhere. For now, we’re calling this vanity chapter done.
Have you ever altered a piece of furniture to make it more functional? We’d love to hear about your furniture hacks and DIY solutions.