It’s been almost a month since we first mentioned stenciling the floor in our sink nook. We’ve been juggling a lot of projects lately — from Clara’s room and outdoor tiling to installing our stair runner, landscaping, and getting started on the kitchen. But the sink nook wasn’t finished — we still had a few tasks to complete:
- seal the stenciled floor
- set up the closet after the floor cured, with smarter storage instead of the haphazard piles we tossed in when we moved
- update the vanity for better function and a refreshed finish (the cabinet was looking rough up close, and an empty cubby on the right begged for inexpensive shelving)
To tackle the first item, Sherry rolled two thin, even coats of SafeCoat Acrylaq over the stenciled floor using a small foam roller — our preferred non-toxic poly. She applied the coats about 24 hours apart and wore a respirator since it wasn’t completely odorless. She started in the far corner and rolled outward, then blocked the area while it dried to avoid puppy paw prints and other marks.
The sealer provided a reassuring protective layer — it reduced our worry about chips and drips. In fact, I was able to scrape off a dried stain splatter later without damaging the stencil.
After letting the sealer fully cure (we waited about 72 hours), we moved on to organizing the closet. This time we planned deliberately: a dresser, a mirror, and a laundry basket that functions as a hamper created much more usable storage than the random bins and piles we’d been living with. The dresser will probably relocate to the nursery eventually, and a new West Elm dresser will likely replace it after we build the bed built-ins down the line.
Here’s a look at Sherry’s side:
And my side — you can tell who owns most of the shoes:
For perspective, here’s what the closet looked like when we first moved in and dumped everything inside. Fresh paint on the walls, trim, floor, and ceiling combined with a little organization and some salvaged furniture (the dresser is a hand-me-down and the mirror was a $5 yard-sale find) made a huge difference.
With the floor sealed and the closet organized, it was time to build shelves. The project was straightforward, but we planned carefully with two priorities in mind:
- create sturdy supports for two shelves (function)
- include places to attach front-facing trim so the shelves would match the vanity’s look (form)
We like to map projects out on paper and divide tasks. Sherry handled the poly and most of the closet organization, while I built and stained the shelves. Since the stain I used has VOCs, I didn’t mind taking that role. After the shelves were finished, Sherry reattached the doors and hinges while I swapped the drawer and door hardware.
Construction started at the floor and worked upward:
Step 1: I nailed a small scrap of wood to the vanity side and another matching piece to the baseboard on the opposite side. One edge rested on the floor and the other was set back 3/4″ from the front of the vanity’s toe kick.
Step 2: That created a ledge for a plywood strip to extend the toe kick across the opening.
Step 3: Above that I nailed matching 1×2 strips (ripped in half on my table saw) for the bottom shelf to rest on. I offset these from the bottom of the vanity to accommodate the face trim added later.
Step 4: I placed the first shelf, cut from leftover plywood from the sunroom ceiling. It was a tight fit so I didn’t need to fasten it in place.
Step 5: After finding the center, I added small support strips on all three sides with a nailer. The previous shelf didn’t need a back strip because it sat on top of the baseboard. (In this photo you can also see some dinged areas on the vanity that prompted the decision to refinish.)
Step 6: I installed the second shelf, cut from the same plywood scrap.
Step 7: To match the vanity’s existing look, we added a face board at the top of the opening that continues the strip between the drawer face and cabinet doors. I nailed small scrap pieces slightly set back from the cabinet’s front to carry that board.
Step 8: I fitted a vertical face board against the wall — a 1×3 rip cut down to match the existing 2″ face boards — and glued and nailed it to the supports and shelves.
Step 9: Because that vertical board covered the top scrap piece where the horizontal trim would attach, I screwed another scrap to the back of the vertical board to recreate a solid attachment point.
Step 10: Finally I installed the horizontal face boards from the ripped 1×3 stock, gluing and nailing them into the supports and shelf fronts. I had accounted for these boards when positioning the shelf supports so the bottom edge would line up with the existing vanity profile.
Here’s the finished assembly. Building it only took about an hour — most of the time was spent measuring and carefully cutting to avoid mistakes. I measured twice and thought twice before each cut to make sure everything fit.
Next came staining so the shelves and vanity would match. We wanted to preserve some wood grain while leaning slightly darker to coordinate with other dark-toned bedroom pieces, like the leaning mirror. We’ve found that deeper, less orange finishes can also tone down the yellow in the sink top, so we used the leftover Espresso PolyShades that worked well on our stair railing.
We first brushed a leftover stain from another project onto the new shelves to better match the existing vanity. The match wasn’t perfect, but it brought the tones closer. Then we applied one coat of Espresso PolyShades with a brush over the entire vanity and shelves. Before that, Sherry lightly sanded the existing vanity so it would accept the stain evenly.
Before reattaching doors and the drawer (I had removed them to make staining easier), we replaced the hardware with inexpensive octagon knobs from Target (under $2 each). The darker color blends with the finish and won’t compete with the patterned floor. We also added two knobs to the dummy drawer face under the sink for visual balance.
And that’s a finished vanity. To remind you where we started:
And where we ended up:
The darker stain can obscure some details in photos, but up close the wood grain is still visible and the shelves look original to the vanity. We only applied one coat of PolyShades to avoid darkening the finish further, which left some variation in tone — something we liked for a more natural wood appearance. If you prefer uniform coverage, a second coat would help even out the color.
The project was very budget-friendly because we had plywood and stain on hand. Our out-of-pocket materials were a 1×2 and a 1×3 board ($12), new knobs ($12), and two pairs of ORB hinges ($6) — a total of about $30. If you need to buy plywood and stain, plan to add roughly $30 more to the budget.
Between this update, our half bathroom refresh, and the stair makeover, we’re noticing a trend toward high-contrast, near-monochrome accents in the smaller nooks of the house. That doesn’t mean we’re abandoning color — our adjoining bedroom is still full of blues, greens, yellows, and patterns — but darker accents are becoming a stronger part of the mix.
For fun, here’s a before photo from the same angle from before we moved in:
With these tasks complete, we’re ready to call Phase 1 of the sink nook finished. We’ve still got wallpaper stripping in the dining room and kitchen updates on the horizon before the holidays and the showhouse season begins. What did you tackle this weekend — building, sealing, staining, new hardware, or closet organization? As dull as closet organization sounds, it feels great to finally have a real place for everything instead of living out of bins since June.