Bathroom vanities are decorative storage units. A bathroom vanity is basically the cabinet under the sink. You can store all sorts of items there, such as towels, toothpaste, etc. Bathroom vanities can have drawers as well as shelves. Here's a wonderful way to give your bathroom an elegant look for not too much money. Simply transform that old dresser that's in storage into a bathroom vanity. Follow our simple instructions and you'll have a new bathroom vanity in no time at all.

Materials needed:

  • Dresser
  • Sink
  • Sheet of Formica
  • Faucet wood glue
  • Jig saw
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil

Here's what to do:

  1. Figure out exactly how the sink will fit into the dresser. Check if any of the dresser drawers are in the way. If they are, pull out the drawers, detach the drawer face and discard the back, sides and bottom. Glue the drawer face to the cabinet where the drawer opening is.
  2. Place the sheet of Formica on the top of the dresser. Outline the shape of the dresser on the underside of the Formica in pencil.
  3. Cut the Formica to the shape you just outlined with the jig saw.
  4. Glue the Formica to the top of the dresser with the wood glue.
  5. Place the sink template (most new sinks come with a template) on the dresser where the sink will be. Trace the template onto the Formica. If there's no template, turn the sink upside down and place it on the right spot. Trace an outline of the sink on the Formica. You could use your old sink, but it's not advisable, because it will be hard to fit new plumbing into an old sink.
  6. Cut out the hole for the sink using the jig saw.
  7. Cut a hole in the back of the dresser with the jig saw, to accommodate the plumbing.
  8. Place the new vanity in its proper place against the wall in the bathroom.
  9. Set the sink in place. Install the faucet and attach the plumbing. If you're not handy with plumbing, call a plumber to do the plumbing work [source: This Old House, Lifestyle].