Vanity Restoration

[BrokenolMarine]

The double sink vanity in our master bath started a slow leak sometime earlier. Unfortunately, the leak was hidden by the drawer stack. The leak turned the mdf bottom to mush.

Our original plan was to have our plumber replumb the sinks, and replace the vanity, which the original owners had installed during the addition of the "Grand Bath" for his princess. The jacuzzi style tub had been leaking from the day he installed that, and finally damaged the surround, revealing the leak. Our guy replumbed that back in the fall.

Hmmm. A check for replacement vanities nearly put me into cardiac arrest. Cheapo ones are $600. Counter-less mdf bases with quality hardware, $1,000.
A midrange granite like top and quality hardware like we have... $1,300 to $1,700.

I will restore this one. If...IF there is an interest, I will post a buildalong.
Let me know. It will be a PITA, which should make it frustrating... Ummm, interesting.

Adapt, overcome.

The water damage took out the bottom, the lower edge trim, and weeped up the center panels, a tad. I won't replace those center panels. I will deconstruct the damaged bottom. I will be making new trim with my molding planes, and a new 3/4 inch bottom. The repair will make it functional, and pretty enough to meet Miss Ts approval, but not perfect. Because....

We will be remodeling the master bath in the next couple years. I need a roll in shower, Miss T wants a soaking tub. We have to have plumbing that actually works.

Let me know...

[Sir Henry]

I would be interested. I need to remodel my own bathroom just because it’s so outdated and only one faucet works. At least I don’t have any water damage.

[CT_Shooter]

I will restore this one. If...IF there is an interest, I will post a buildalong.
Let me know. It will be a PITA, which should make it frustrating... Ummm, interesting.
Let me know...

I'd like to see it, too. Seeing your work in progress has always been enjoyable.

[Sir Henry]

I don’t have a TV that gets reception so this is my entertainment!

[MuddyWaters62]

I would also like to see this project. I am needing a total remodel on one of my bathrooms.

Muddy Waters

[Hatchdog]

I enjoy reading these type of posts. Unfortunately I was born with nine thumbs and one trigger finger so my building skills are pretty much non existent. I can cobble together some shelves for the garage or basement but finish work just frustrates me. I will enjoy following along with your project.

[markiver54]

Yes! Please keep us posted Jim. I know we can all enjoy and benefit from it!

[BrokenolMarine]

Let's get started on the cool stuff with pictures. We had been turned on to the leak with the crackled paint. It looked like this:

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This pic was taken AFTER the drawers were removed. Our attention was first drawn to the paint when about a 6" section first cracked along that lower trim at the front of the vanity. Before this happened, the hot water line at the back of the vanity had been leaking for SOME time. The bottom panel UNDER the drawer stack had already turned to mush and the water was wicking forward and somewhat up.

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If you look at the snarl of plumbing the former owner and his dad installed, you'll note that they did NOT add shutoffs below the T's splitting the lines going to the individual sinks, so you can't turn the water off to both sinks at once, NOR can you remove the countertop and sinks, without turning off the water to the entire house. In addition, the crowding of the pipes after gluing, made it impossible to turn off the right hand sink hot water, which was the ONE that was leaking. Not helpful. Had to turn off the hot water to the house unless needed. We put a drip pan under the joint until the plumber could arrive.

Also, the drain line from the sinks going into the OUTGOING line into the floor was NOT glued in, it was just stuck down into the pipe. NOT to code.


Look at the picture below, note the drainpipe from the lefthand sink, flowing to the center T, it has a major crack almost the full length across the top. This is the master bath, and it was NOT exposed to the elements. The crack is centered at the top of the pipe. Our plumber figures they installed it that way since it's a drain line and not under pressure. BUT, also not up to code.

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Once we got the Vanity out to the shop, we removed the base, and it came off in pieces. Ah... not reusable. Most of the MDF was swollen and mush, but some was still sound, just waterlogged. My plan was to replace the entire base.

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[BrokenolMarine]

The next step in the process was to clean up the glue and residue from the bottom of the Vanity to have a level and clean base to attach then new bottom to. This process involved a chisel, mallet, pliers for removing the long staples, and patience. A level laid across the base to check the work. After a couple hours work, I could move on to the next step.

05 glue cleaned up.jpg (137.52 KiB) Viewed 5196 times

I measured and marked the panel for the bottom of the vanity. I had cheated. I'll admit it. I had Home Depot RIP the plywood sheet on the panel saw when I bought it. I'm not stupid, I knew the width I wanted and had the twelve year old working the lumber yard cut it for me. That 3/4" sheet of cabinet grade ply is HEAVY. Cut in half it's LOTS lighter, and I don't have to try and make that RIP cut at home. Too old and tired to deal with it. I used a guide I had ordered from Lee Valley or Woodcraft, can't remember which, I have a three piece set. Makes that cross cut with the skill saw a breeze, the hard part is getting it set up.

006 new bottom cut.jpg (173.12 KiB) Viewed 5196 times

Laid the bottom on the vanity and marked the location of the feet, then drilled the countersinks for the brass threaded bases. Drilled the holes for the threaded portion as well. All that was done with a pair of forstner bits. Then I screwed the six plates in place.

007 countersink feet base.jpg (97.73 KiB) Viewed 5196 times

Here is a close look at the base / foot combo

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The base was glued and screwed, carefully marking and measuring the location of each screwhole I drilled before doing so.

009 base glued and screwed.jpg (184.42 KiB) Viewed 5196 times

[BrokenolMarine]

I had planned to make the trim I needed with my molding planes, but after two passes thru the drawer, I couldn't find the profile I needed, so I went thru the box of bits for the router, and there she was. I chucked it in the router, carefully measured the depth needed and set that on the router.

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I took a piece of 2x4 the right length, with extra, and secured it on the bench, then made a pass across it with the router, then checked the result. The shoulder on the trim wasn't high enough to match, so I reset the depth of the bit to cut a bit deeper and made another pass. Bingo.

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I took the 2x4 to the table saw, and set up the table saw for a rip. Then measured the width I needed for the molding/trim. I made a ripping pass to get that width across the top of the molding. Pucker factor, slip or kickback and I would have to start over. Then, I measured the height of the existing molding. Reset the Table saw and made that second pass. Boom.

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The molding goes into the vanity where the cracked molding / trim was under the cabinet doors and the drawers were at the bottom. You can see the gap in the pic below.

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When I made the first test fit it was just a bit too tight. It would have been WAY too dangerous to try and run a piece that thin back across the table saw, at least for me. I got out my long plane and planed the back of the trim until it fit. I love the planes, quiet and LOTS less messy than that DANG router.

0014 planed to fit.jpg (186.71 KiB) Viewed 5199 times

I planed the back of the trim, tested the fit, planed, and tested, repeated until it worked. I MAY add trim to the front edge and two sides of the new base. Tina doesn't care. Toe molding would work. Not that expensive. Have to go to HD for paint anyway.

0015 in she goes.jpg (139.36 KiB) Viewed 5199 times

There are still a few minor cosmetic repairs to make and then painting to be done. The plumber will reinstall it for me then. It won't be perfect, but I will have saved about $1500.
I can live with it. The missing doors are inside, they are off because it's easier to carry with them off. Gives us handholds. The drawers are out because they are full of crap and we didn't need the weight. The one drawer is installed because I needed the center towers to be properly spaced when I screwed the base on. I'll remove it when we carry this thing anywhere. It's a heavy Sumbeotch.

[BrokenolMarine]

I will post more pics when the final cosmetics and the painting are done, and then when the plumber gets the countertop and the plumbing done.
Hope y'all enjoyed it so far.

[BrokenolMarine]

If there are questions or someone wants more details, I will be happy to try and help. Keep in mind the minor gouges caused to the interior by water damage you can see inside the center section, I would normally repair, even though it's only cosmetic and not structural. However, that area will be hidden when the drawers are reinstalled and Miss Boss told me not to concern myself with it, since we will remodel in eighteen months or so.

I said, "Yes Dear."

[markiver54]

Are you gonna do anything to the panels that the drawer glides are on? Or are you figuring paint will spruce them up.
I know they won't really be seen except for the reveals though.

[BrokenolMarine]

I'll fill the gaps and paint them. If we weren't going to remodel, I would have removed those panels and replaced them, the boss said they were fine, do the best you can. The assemblers glued them. Disassembly could have been very destructive.

[markiver54]

Understand completely. Had forgotten you are going to be doing a re-model.

[Sir Henry]

Wow you are really into this. Far beyond my abilities.

[BrokenolMarine]

I couldn't stand it. Fixed things, and have some toe molding left over that's going on the edges. It's just the way I do things. Miss T should have known. Yup, I have pics. I'll post them later when I have time at the desktop. I got the notch cut for the plumbing, the second pass of putty in after sanding things. It's looking up.

[BrokenolMarine]

In this first picture you will see what I started with. Note the nasty gouge in the leading edge of the vertical panel and the nasty hole in the bottom edge of the side panel. Miss Tina said not to worry about them, she would paint over them and ignore them, very few people would SEE the master bath anyway and SHE would ignore them until we remodeled the bath. Ah... I tried, I really did. Just not my way.

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So let's take a close up look at the gouge, and then the coping saw cuts and cleanup work I did with the chisel.

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This gave me a place to put the insert cut from pine. I fitted and adjusted, until I got it close, then glued it and left it. I came back later and cut it off flush. Sanded it, then filled it in with wood putty.

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The nasty hole in the lower edge, slowly filled with the same putty, then sanded smooth. Will continue to fill and sand until it's flush and smooth and disappears completely. Painted, you won't see it at all.

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The overall view is much improved... especially with the addition of the toe molding.

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[BrokenolMarine]

I took the drawers out, took off the hardware and lightly sanded the drawer fronts to insure paint adhesion.
I took the doors off the vanity, took the other two doors out to the shop, took all the hardware off. Lightly sanded those.
Lightly sanded the entire vanity and the doors. I have painted the interior bottom with white enamel paint to give it at least some resistance to water and humidity. The trim will get a coat of Black enamel. The entire vanity will get white paint. Then after a day, or two, of drying time, all the hardware will be reinstalled and the vanity will make the trip back inside.

*** The hot water line under the kitchen started to spew, had to call out the plumber. HE told us that the reason all these lines have been failing is that the (not) plumber who plumbed the house used illegal piping, NOT rated for hot water because it FAILS when used for hot water lines. WE may end up replumbing all the water lines. The company owner will be out Monday to give us a real estimate on THAT project. The repair of replumbing the kitchen sink was $300, but we had them replumb both sides. The pipes were corroded and weeping.

[markiver54]

I like what you ended up doing with the blemishes. Even though you will be remodeling, that might reduce the urgency factor.
Sucks about the NOT plumber. Ran into a couple things like that when I bought my small house....frustrating.