Customizing Your Bathroom With Used Bedroom Furniture

While many options exist for ready-made bathroom cabinetry, you’ll find that the best looking cabinetry can be very expensive. If you want a high-end and unique look for your bathroom but you don’t want to part with thousands of dollars, you can add metal tree branch wall art and convert old bedroom furniture into a distinctively stunning bathroom for a fraction of what you’d pay for exclusive cabinetry or carpenter built customized pieces.

You can achieve a glamorous bathroom design with the implementation of 1950s provincial bedroom furniture. A wide, low dresser converts with ease into a double sink vanity while the ‘high boy’ affords storage space for towels and linens. There are surprises for the headboard and footboard, but we shall first talk about prepping the dresser to serve as a bathroom vanity.

If the wood finish on the dresser is damaged, you can opt to strip it to retain the natural wood grain and apply new stain. 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 protect the wood from inevitable bathroom moisture. You might select either a glossy finish or semi-gloss finish. Use at least three layers of varnish on the entire dresser and five layers of varnish on top, unless you are going to replace the top with a piece of marble or granite. 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 style sinks that rest on top of the vanity allow you to make the most use of inside vanity space and create a designer look. When installing your plumbing and connecting the sinks, modify the drawers so that the space is not wasted. They can be notched in order to accommodate your plumbing; you can hire a local carpenter to do this work for you if you are not able to do it yourself.

Keep in mind that if you have a “high boy” to repurpose for the bathroom, you still must varnish it, just as you varnished the vanity. This will stave off 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, on to the footboard or headboard: Use either piece as a basis for a mirror over the vanity; depending on the amount of wall space, one piece may be a more optimal fit than the other. The decorative molded wood edging will provide a frame and the glass mirrored panels will fit on the flat surface of the wood. You may have to cut off the ‘legs’ so that it will 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 is ready take the footboard or headboard to a glass shop and allow them to cut and install mirrored panels that fit on the flat surfaces.

Install your mirror, bring in your fluffy new towels, decorative accessories and accents like copper wall sculptures and metal wall sculptures, and enjoy your stylish, unique bathroom.