The bathroom just wrapped up a renovation where two free-standing vanities were installed. There was ~30″ gap between the vanities which was perfect spot for an intermediate vanity that could be used while sitting.
The Plan and Materials
The plan was very primitive and only had a few overall dimensions, so nothing worth sharing. Essentially a slab of plywood cut to fit between two vanities and a drawer underneath. Since the vanity is floating, I needed to add some support(ledger) pieces to the vanities. The materials were a 3/4 plywood for top and support structure, 1/2 plywood for drawer sides, 1/4 MDF for drawer bottom, Poplar for false front and hardwood edge, iron-on edge banding material, 5mm ply for template, hardwood ledgers. It was all extra material from pas jobs, so no trip to lumber yard was needed…yay
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Top and Drawer Supports
The entire project started out with a template from some 5mm plywood. Since this top had to fit between two vanity tops and a wall, I needed to make a template to ensure correct fitment and minimal gaps. I started with a bunch of measurements and then started cutting it down with track saw, bandsaw, and pull saw. It took about 4 tries, but eventually I had it fitting pretty nice.
The top was 3/4 plywood and was cut out using the template. Next step was to add something to hang the drawer slides from and add some stiffness to the top. So, I cut some strips of 3/4 plywood and screwed/glued them to the bottom.
Drawer
The drawer was made from 1/2 plywood at 3″ tall and I used rabbet joints in each corner (via router table). I also glued the 1/4 MDF bottom into place in the corners for more strength. I like to test my fit with the actual drawer slides before gluing up the drawer. Once I am happy with the fit, I take it out and glue it up.
False Front and Edging
The very front edge of the vanity received a hardwood edge (poplar), which later received a 3/8″ round over. The other vanity edges and top of the drawer received some iron-on edge banding to conceal their plies. The drawer false front was cut from the same poplar board as the edge, but was milled about 5/16″ thinner. So it could be recessed back a bit from the edge. Making my life a bit easier.
Sanding and Finishing
The sanding is inevitable, but has to be done. Started with 80, worked up to 180. Then, I used grain filler for the first time to try an make the plywood as smooth as possible. I did one coat and sanded it back. This was not enough, since I could still make out the grain after adding the paint. Next time, I know
My local BM store did not have any BM Advanced in a Dark (4) base. So, I opted for another option, which was INSLX – Cabinet Coat. I have to say, it sprayed pretty nice with about 5% water or so and it was self priming. This was after the first coat. As you can see the grain is still pretty visible.
I sanded the first coat back and sprayed. Then sprayed two coats of poly on top and the drawer. The reason I added poly to the painted surface as “just in case” measure. I read that the cabinet coat collected dust really easily.
Finished Pictures
I added some cleats/ledgers/supports to the existing vanities and set the top on them. I used screws (from bottom) to hold the top into place.
