Hello!

I would very much like to share with you this bathroom cabinet. I´m in the process of building my house, and since I have to work with a very limited budget, I am recycling many things.

In my country a medium quality bathroom vanity is about $ 500. In this project I used varnish and sandpaper that I already had, but in case you don’t have them at home they are quite inexpensive. Doing this with my hands is part of the adventure of building one’s own house in a country as “dynamic" and ever changing as Argentina.

Step 1: Find the Wood!

I wanted to work with pristine wood therefore I decided to visit the nearby town of Sierra de la Ventana, just 100 km away from my hometown, where everything is made of wood, including houses.

As I entered the village, I headed for the mountain area. There, I saw a pile of wooden pieces in front of a house. I did not hesitate, and stopped to ask. The owner of the house offered me very nice pieces but since I was looking for something special, with age and character I asked permission to walk around his yard to find what I really wanted. That's where I found it and I fell in love with this piece of wood which was quite damaged by time but straight as a table.

The owner of the yard told me these pieces were more than three years old and that if in that time they had not weathered they would not change anymore. He charged me just U$D5 for the wood. It was time to take it home and start working!

Step 2: Let's Do It!

The first thing I did was removing all the bark, because it was loose. Then, I worked with an electric brush to reduce the imperfections, and then with a rotating sander, each time with a finer grain, to get a closed pore finishing. At first I had thought to trim the front to make it straight, but the natural outline of the wood was too beautiful. I decided to leave it and to adapt the space in the bathroom instead.

Step 3: The Protection

In order to protect the wood, I used a high strength marine varnish. First I placed a bit of dark dye to penetrate the imperfections of the wood and highlight its beauty.

Then I gave it two coats sanding between each one. As I was not fully convinced with the results, I decided to stop after the third coat and give the finishing touches once the vanity would be in place against the wall, bearing in mind that in the process it was very possible that it would be scratched. When it was placed, I sanded it again and gave it a final coat with a rag leaving no trace of brushes or rollers. The result was very satisfactory!

Step 4: Time to Drill

It was time to drill for the drain and to place the taps. In the drain, I decided to place a piece of PVC pipe so that the water would not be in contact with the wood. I also painted the perforation with pitch to reinforce its resistance and I covered it with insulation (just in case).

Step 5: Embedding

It was time to embed it. At this point I did not take too many photographs of the process, as I got carried away by anxiety and wanted to finish.

Basically I placed in the faces that lean on the wall some bent irons, with a cut in the end so that they would hold better to the wall. Also I built a brick wall on the right side for support, just in case (never is too much when you have little kids ;)

Step 6: Enjoy!

Time to set the washbasin! Its natural form allows access to even to the smallest of the family. It is a great satisfaction to see that what was born out of a simple idea; something which will be used and enjoyed by my family for many years to come.

Thanks for your time! Please vote if you like it ;)