Transforming this Cabinet into a Vanity: Part One

We are currently renovating the our kids bathroom, I use that term lightly as we are actually building it from scratch.

One of the projects I had wanted to do was to build a vanity for the kids room however due to time restrictions and a load of other projects weighing us down we had to forgoe that plan.

I knew I didn’t want to buy a new vanity and also didn’t want to just stick in a second hand one. I wanted to add a unique piece.

I have been scouring marketplace and the internet to find something large enough, I had been wanting a period piece but couldn’t find one large enough so opted for one that wasn’t quite the age I had hoped for.

This is what it looked like when we bought it from Marketplace.

What You will Need for the Cabinet

Dish Washing Liquid & a Cloth
Oven Cleaner
Scrubbing Brush (not wire)
Gloves
Mask
Safety Glasses
Sander
Bleach

Step One – Cleaning

Using warm water and dish soap wash down the cabinet removing any dirt and impurities.

Step Two – Stripping

You can keep you clothes on for this one 😉

Using oven cleaner spray the wood, make sure you spray a thick layer.

Using the scrubbing brush work the oven cleaner on the surface

Leave for 30 – 60 minutes and wash off.

NB: You may need to repeat this step if all the stain is not removed in the first instance.

Step Three Sanding

Before sanding make sure the wood is fully dry.

For a more even finish, taking the wood to raw I would suggest giving your wood a fine sanding. I used grit 220, a fine sanding pad. If you’re happy with the finish, you can hand sand if you’d prefer not to use a sander or not sand.

Step Four Bleaching

Although the wood is beautiful it was too dark and a little too pink / red for the vision I had.

I had visions of a light wood cabinet, almost a driftwood look. I wasn’t going to achieve that by staining so I opted to bleach the wood.

I have never done this before so I searched online for ways to effectively bleach wood.

My first attempt failed

I found one option where you mix 1 part bleach to 2 parts laundry detergent. This was a very wet, frothy solution and left the wood with drip marks.

My second attempt was just to use bleach on a cloth. I used a small amount and treated it like a stain, rubbing it onto the wood and wiping it off with a dry cloth. I repeated this process twice until I got the desired look.