How To Customize A Bathroom With Repurposed Bedroom Furniture
Although there are many options for readymade bathroom cabinetry, most are very expensive. For far less than you’d pay for custom cabinetry, you can convert old bedroom furniture into stunning bathroom pieces, add metal wall art trees and attain a high-end feel.
Provincial bedroom furniture from the late 1950’s is ideal for a glamorous bathroom design. A low, wide dresser converts with ease into a double sink vanity while the ‘high boy’ offers storage space for linens and towels. There are surprises for the footboard and headboard, but we shall first talk about preparing the dresser to function as a bathroom vanity.
You have the option to strip the wood finish on the dresser and apply a fresh stain if the wood finish on the dresser is flawed. Or you can paint the dresser; in this case you may not need to totally strip it, but you will have to scrap away any damaged, cracked or curling finish and make all surfaces completely smooth; fill any gouges or scrapes with wood putty. Paint will show every flaw in the surface, so you want to make the exterior as perfect as possible before painting.
After the dresser is freshly stained or painted, use a floor grade varnish, such as Diamond Varathane® to seal the wood. The floor grade varnish will preserve the wood and stave off damage from bathroom moisture. You can choose either a glossy or semi-gloss finish. Unless you are going to replace the top with a piece of granite or marble, apply at minimum five layers of varnish on the top and three layers of varnish on the whole dresser. Apply each coat, let it dry thoroughly, then lightly sand with fine grade steel wool; wipe away every trace of dust between coats for a smooth professional looking finish.
Vessel type sinks that sit on top of the vanity allow you to make the most use of inside vanity space and produce a designer feel. You should alter the drawers when putting in plumbing and connecting the sinks so that no bit of space is wasted. They must be notched in order to accommodate the plumbing; you can hire a local contractor to do this step for you if you aren’t able to do it yourself.
If you have a “high-boy” in your set of furniture that you wish to use for storage in the bathroom, be sure to treat the wood with varnish, just as you did with the vanity. This will prevent swelling and warping of the wood. The top space of the “high-boy” can be used to display fresh flowers or a silver tray topped with a jewelry dish and atomizers of your favorite perfumes and colognes.
Now onto the headboard or footboard: Use either piece as a basis for a mirror over the vanity; depending on the amount of wall space, one piece may be a better fit than the other. The glass mirrored panels will fit on the flat surface of the wood and the decorative molded wood edging will provide a frame. You might need to cut off the ‘legs’ of the piece in order to make it fit low enough over the vanity. Stain or paint any cut edges to match the vanity and varnish then the entire piece to protect the wood. Once it’s ready take the head or footboard to a glass shop so that they can cut and install mirrored panels to fit on the flat surfaces.
Install your mirror, bring in your fluffy new towels, decorative accessories and accents like copper wall decor and wall art metal, and enjoy your stylish, unique bathroom.
