The vanity was the most straightforward part of the crash but there were still some minor obstacles to overcome and some stumbles along the way. The plan was simple enough. The old cabinets, counters, sinks, fixtures, mirror and lights would be replaced one to one.
The original cabinets are standard for the era, 21.5″ deep and 30.5″ high (32″ with countertops). Since I had the depth, I decided to replace them with standard kitchen cabinet 24″ deep and 34.5″ high (36″ with countertops). To save money, I researched ready to assemble (RTA) cabinets online. I found cabinets from Mei Kitchens to be the best balance between customizability and price. The cabinets I chose came with both soft close doors and drawers. My only warning with these online vendors is even though they claim an item is “in-stock”, it still takes 6 weeks before they ship. In my book, 6 weeks does not equate to in-stock. Generic European style pull handles were installed.
The countertop is prefabricated granite. The original plan was to cut the slab myself using a handheld Felker FHS-4 wet saw. As misfortunate would have it, the slab cracked down the middle as it was being transported to the patio. Despite how hard granite is in compression, it is extremely weak in tension. My mistake was carrying it horizontally. Granite slabs must always be carried vertically. This lesson cost me the price of a slab. I left the final cutting and installation up to the delivery guys.
When I originally ordered the slab, it was supposed to come with an 8″ backsplash. In fact, the only reason I chose this vendor was the size of the backsplash. The 8″ would allow me to make cutouts for a light switch and outlet without moving the them. When the piece arrived and turned out to be only 6″, the installers could not proceed and I ended up using the Felker saw to cutout the backsplash myself after moving the electrical boxes.
Adding the sinks , fixtures and associated plumbing was straight forward. I had a custom mirror made with a hole cutout for a passthrough vanity light mount. I fabricated the frame out of solid pine with dark cherry stain and a few coats of polyurethane. Mounting the mirror was quite the challenge. Fortunately, I had a pair of industrial grade vacuum cup handles. The mirror was then capped off with crown moulding in a matching finish. The floors were completed with the shower tile install.
Part 1 – My Why
Part 2 – Demolition
Part 3 – Ceiling Construction
Part 4 – Shower Construction
Part 5 – Vanity
Part 6 – Finishing Touches
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