Need some advice on building a vanity

[Eugene Knopp]

I'm about to build a vanity for my master bath. Walnut plywood will be the carcass material. I'm trying to decide if I should build it as a single 48" wide vanity or as three separate cabinets...two 12's and a 24. The sink will be centered in the vanity. Frameless construction. Planning on using toe kicks and leveling legs with toe kick clips.

[Brett Bobo]

Eugene,
I'm in the process of building a vanity as well and recently went through some of the same construction related issues. I prefer to construct a single cabinet vs. three separate cabinets for ease of alignment/final fit, assuming you're able to maneuver that large of a piece into the bathroom. Just double and triple check your clearances from your shop to the bathroom to be sure it fits. Also, the width of the inner panels may vary as well, i.e. single ply vs. double ply, by having a single cabinet vs. three separate cabinets so just keep this as a consideration. In other words, separate cabinets will have double ply for the interior panels once assembled so I would assume you would double up the outside end panels as well for consistency. Maybe your intent was to use double ply on a single cabinet for both the interior and outside panels.

Regarding the use of toe kicks, you didn't indicate if you plan to build them as a part of the cabinet or separately. I know you didn't ask specifically about this but my preference is to build separate toe kicks. This can eliminate the use of leveling legs as well. Depending on your floor substrate, you can more easily shim the separate toe kick and fasten blocking to the base to set it level. Particularly if you don't have access to at least three sides of the vanity, such as an alcove or recessed area, you might be forced to remove the entire vanity each time to adjust the leveling legs.

Good luck with the project!

[Darrell Hampton]

Eugene,

I'm sure that however you design your vanity it will turn out to be a show piece that you'll be proud of. My thoughts on your posted questions are just my opinions but I felt that I should share them with you.

In the past I've built and installed quite a few vanity and kitchen cabinets. I built frameless cabinets with and without attached toekicks and I also used the bolt-on adjustable legs.

There are several reasons to build your vanity in 3 pieces and there are even more reasons not to.

Building three separate cabinets allows you to handle them easier and it also allows you the option of staggering the depth of the front or the height of the top. If you're not interested in these options then you probably should build it in one piece.

A 48" vanity really isn't that big. It would be quite a bit cheaper and easier to build in one piece. It would also be easier to install.

As far as the toekick goes my preference is pre-installing and leveling a separate toekick. When you use leveling legs on a single cabinet it's very hard to keep it from moving around. Even when it's attached to the wall the front has a small side to side movement. You can get rid of most of this by attaching the countertop securely.

The last thing I wanted to mention was the walnut and how you plan to finish it. A bathroom is a very harsh environment for wood so the finish is very important. I found out the hard way. I started using production lacquer as a top coat and that was a big mistake. I started getting little white streaks under the finish where the lacquer cracked and let moisture in. I don't know what the best finish is for this combination but I now use polyurethane and it seems to work ok.

Show us your project when it's done!

[Kevin Bourque]

You also have the luxury of building it in place which could be important if there's a clearance issue.

[Eugene Knopp]

Thanks. I'm going to go for a single cabinet. Not settled on how to do the toe kicks yet. Planning on using Waterlox for the finish. I figure if it has held up well on some boat projects I have done it will do fine in a bathroom. Will post results.