verse of the day

Friday, August 27, 2010

what's a diy girl to do?

we are currently in the midst of a major bathroom renovation.  It is s.l.o.w.l.y. getting done.  much repair work (rotted floor boards) , rebuilding of walls & ceiling, plumbing, electrical & window installation has taken up much of the time. 
cool vintage drawers

today our carpenter, darrin, brought over our sink vanity that he custom made from the wood that was pulled out of the walls.  these babies were almost 18 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick. they have to be close to 300 years old as our home is over 180 years old...the tree they were harvested from would have to be pretty old to get a board that wide.

i gave darrin several pics to give him an idea of what i was looking for as well as the sink that was to be mounted on the top.  it's actually a wall mounted sink but wanted to have more of a vintage vessel style.  i really wanted to use an old dresser but due to space constraints we opted for a more open "workbench" style.  the drawers came from my parents old shed and he worked them into the design.  i really like what he came up with but now am unsettled on how to finish it.  i am open to ANY suggestions. 
can you see the slatted shelf?

big wire basket will sit on floor below shelf
do i paint the base and leave the top stained?  do i stain the entire piece?  do i change the drawer handles?  add casters?  add trim?  i know i can count on you my fellow blogging buds...so help me out here pretty pul..leeze!  ;)

[update: we left the top as is and finished it with about 5 coats of clear floor finish.  the base was whitewashed with pittsburg paints eiffel tower (about 3:1 ratio).  see below for completed bathroom link.]

 
we also have this sink which was the original idea but then i saw the curvy one on craiglist which we got for FREE!  should i swap out the sinks, that is if it can be done? 
vintage sink from previous upstairs water closet
we are re-using our vintage toilet and are working on a claw tub that we bought last year off of craiglist.  the colors that i am leaning toward are that lovely aqua/spa blue with either a light gray or a taupe .  the walls will be wood...either vertical tongue n groove or horizontal wood plank (we need to see what we can use on hand first).  the room is 5 x7.
old bathroom...many changes in layout
vintage clawfoot tub...$40 on craiglist

we are doing this whole remodel on the cheap using and re-using what we have on hand.  the vanity was our biggest expense so far.  i will give a breakdown on cost once we are finished...hoping that isn't too much longer!

thank you for your help!
                                         


UPDATE: go here for the completed bath renovation- only took one.whole.year!

12 comments:

  1. Wow. This is COOL. Not seeing the rest of the room, it's hard to say what I'd suggest. But without the room influence, if you look at the toilet, it's just white and wood. I'd do the same with the sink area. White sink, wood top, white base, distressed. I think it would look cool. :)

    BUT... leave it all natural until you know without a doubt this is what you want. It may be too much white in an already white room... see where I'm coming from?

    Donna

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  2. I love both sinks but I think the round one in the 1st pic is great!!! LOVE your plan for the bathroom too!!! :) For the cabinet I have seen this all over blogland and love it, plan to do it to a buffet I picked up for free!! Stain the top a dark color then paint the cabinet portion..I love the contrast...would probably hold up to water in the bathroom well too, stain then several coats of poly?!?! good luck and whatever you do it will be fantastic, always is :) Treasures @ Bouckville to share?!?!

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  3. what fun! love that sink! follow your gut instinct and it will work! ;)

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  4. i prefer the first sink as well. as for teh wooden vanity piece, i think it would look better with the bottom painted only becauae the drawer fronts don't look like as nice wood as the rest of it and i think would be better painted. but i agree with donna- wait to paint it. get the rest of the room together and then decide on a color or white- whatever will complete the look of the room. :) it's going to be gorgeous and i can't wait to see it!

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  5. Gorgeous! I love that vanity and how cool that it has a history. I agree with those who say to wait on your decision about paint and stain. I think you should at least leave SOME of the wood exposed. Your bathroom is about the same size as ours, so I'll be excited to see what you do with it!

    For an aqua, one color you might check out is aqua breeze by Behr. We used it in our master, and it is pretty transparent, and I've been very happy with it. It is really serene.

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  6. I'm at a loss to help but I LOVE everything you've shown so far. Wow, what a big job! Can't pick but I'll be the biggest cheerleader.

    GO JUDI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  7. Keep the first sink. The round one matches your decor of the house and will look best in the bathroom. You can always repurpose the other one in your laundry room or outside in the yard. (A planter near the chicken coop, perhaps?)
    As for the vanity, when you look at the pics the drawers and the top seem to "stick out" from the rest of the piece. What about the finish you did on the table for Gram? Stained, plain wood on part and white with a colored glaze over it??? If the walls will be wood, you need the beauty of the vanity to stick out from the space. The wall where I imagine it would be will hold a lot of wood... ;)

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  8. I'm really looking forward to seeing how you decide to go on this project! You sure have made some great Craigslist purchases~ I can't believe the tub for $40!

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  9. Judi, Great vanity and sink! I would stain the top and paint and distress the bottom. Maybe even a white wash on the bottom so the wood shows through. It will look fabulous.
    Hugs, Sherry

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  10. I'm lovin' this project and can't wait to see your "after!" I'm with the gals for stain / poly (lots) on top and painted cabinet... Those handles are too cool. I bet the whole bath is gorgeous! I have both those sink tops here and I keep wanting to plant one up somewhere clever. Good luck with it all!

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  11. omg ... that ... is effing gorgeous.
    (I am in the middle of my bathroom reno btw and totally envious). What does the rest of the washroom look like, and how into wood are you? I would give the top a "whitewash" look and paint the bottom plain and simple (but then I got my "wanity" at Rona and it was called a 'Kitchen Island Cart' or something and my stain didn't "take" even after a lot of sanding.
    I totally have to see the finished product now; will you update me?

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  12. Saved as a favorite, I love your website!


    Also visit my blog ... painting techniques in bathroom

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judi

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