• browse by
    • natural living
    • food from scratch
    • handmade home
  • about
  • blog masterclass
  • our farmhouse
  • handmade home
    • Farmhouse Decorating
    • Learn to Sew
    • Sewing Projects
    • Builds and DIYs

Check out my FREE blogging success masterclass

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Farmhouse on Boone

Farmhouse on Boone

Finding beauty in our everyday life in the farmhouse

  • browse by
    • natural living
    • food from scratch
    • handmade home
  • about
  • blog masterclass
  • our farmhouse
  • handmade home
    • Farmhouse Decorating
    • Learn to Sew
    • Sewing Projects
    • Builds and DIYs
Home | Builds | Antique Dresser Turned Into Vanity

Antique Dresser Turned Into Vanity

September 10, 2021 by Lisa 8 Comments

Sharing is caring!

1680 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Learn how we transformed this antique marble top dresser into a bathroom vanity for our Victorian farmhouse bathroom remodel!

antique dresser turned into a bathroom vanity with a marble top with brass faucet. A vintage cast with flowers sit on the marble counter and a towel hanging on the wall

This project is one that I knew I wanted to do for at least one or two bathrooms in this house. We may do it in more, but it can be challenging to find the right size piece for each space.

For this particular bathroom – our downstairs bath that we will be using as our master bath – the antique dresser was around $250 and was in my town. I figured it was worth a shot, and if it didn’t work, then this piece could be used in another spot in our farmhouse.

I had looked in so many places for antique-inspired vanities, and there was nothing that looked authentic or had the character that I was trying to bring to our bathroom renovation.

It did end up costing us a bit of money, but for the look, it is totally worth it. They just don’t make things like they used to. 

This project was actually inspired by my friend Sarah at She Holds Dearly. Not terribly long ago, I got to visit her beautiful farmhouse and saw her dresser-turned-vanity and just loved it. I knew something similar would fit perfectly in our farmhouse, staying true to the character of the home. The dresser I found was almost identical to hers and adds so much charm and warmth to the space. 

It ended up turning out better than I thought, and it was honestly a lot easier than I thought. It is definitely a DIY project you can pull off.

Find the whole bathroom reveal here.

stained wooden antique dresser turned into a bathroom vanity with a marble top. A antique mirror hangs over the vanity.

Tips:

  • The first thing that we had to figure out was how to get the marble cut to size. I called multiple places in my area, but many won’t cut an antique piece of marble and will only cut marble you buy from them. So, it may take some digging to find. I have seen some tutorials online where people cut it themselves, so that may be an option.
  • Know the dimensions of your marble top so you can find a sink that fits. The guy that was going to cut our marble said he had sinks, but after further discussion, all of the sinks were too wide and would not work. I had two options: find a smaller sink that would fit with enough space around it for the counter, or choose a vessel sink. I chose a smaller sink. Marble requires so many inches on each side of the cut to ensure the marble doesn’t crack.
  • If you find a dresser that just has a wood top, you could still create a bathroom vanity by using a vessel sink and making sure to seal the top of the dresser with multiple coats of waterproof sealer.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

side view of a wood dresser with marble top turned into a vanity with brass faucet. A vase of flower sits to the left of the sink and a brass soap dish to the right

Materials Used For This Project:

Antique Brass Bathroom Pop up Sink Drain with Overflow

Widespread Bathroom Sink Faucet

Small undermount sink

an antique dresser turned into vanity with marble countertop, brass faucets, and flowers.

How To Turn An Antique Dresser Into A Vanity

Find a dresser that fits the space needed. I like to search antique stores, thrift stores, and Facebook Marketplace. Make sure it is wide enough to fit a sink whether it be an undermount, vessel, or top mount.

top view of a vintage marble top bed dresser

Source a sink and faucets. You will need all of this ahead of time, as your stone fabricator will use them ahead of time to measure and cut out all of the holes.

Get marble cut to fit the sink and faucets.

Install the dresser where it is supposed to be placed, and plumb it in. We hired a plumber to do this. 

wooden dresser with marble top plumbed in to turn into vanity. Two bottom drawers are removed

We removed the two bottom drawers to accommodate all of the plumbing. For the top drawer, we knew it wouldn’t be functional due to the sink. Luke cut out a large rectangle from the bottom of the drawer. So the drawer frame was still there, but the bottom removed. 

saw cutting the bottom part of a draw out

He also notched out a little more from the top front of the dresser to accommodate the sink. 

jigsaw cutting out a notch out of a dresser to accommodate a sink
notch cut out of the top of a dresser

The top drawer was then placed into the dresser, the marble secured on top, then the plumber installed the undermount sink. Since we only cut out the bottom of the drawer, the plumber was able to use the frame of the drawer to help reinforce and support the sink with 2x4s.

Faucets and drain plug were installed, and the vanity was then caulked in the back where the marble and wall met.

close up picture of a vintage dresser plumbed in a bathroom to create a vanity.

For the drawers:

drawer shortened and backed with plywood

For the bottom drawer. we measured from the front of the drawer to where the “main” plumbing was. Then we cut the back of the drawer off to that measurement and added a piece of plywood cut to size of the back of the drawer and nailed it in place.

drawer that was shortened and then a large notch cut out to accommodate plumbing

For the middle drawer, we had to accommodate for the p-trap. We followed the same directions as above. Then we cut out a large notch where the p-trap goes. We could have just cut the back of the drawer off to the p-trap and made a super small drawer, but this wouldn’t have left us with much storage space. Eventually, we plan to build 3 walls where the notch was taken out so nothing will fall through the hole.

Drawers were put back in place. The vanity was then styled with fresh flowers in a vintage pitcher, and an antique brass soap dish.

1800's farmhouse bathroom with a antique marble top dresser turned into a bathroom vanity with brass fixtures. A antique mirror hangs above the sink

Find More DIY Projects:

  • DIY Ikea Curtain Hack
  • Homemade Faux Fireplace
  • DIY Hearth Pad
  • Farmhouse Girls’ Room Reveal
  • How To Build Front Porch Steps
  • DIY Window Box

Filed Under: Builds, DIY Tutorials

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Elizabeth Okon says

    September 11, 2021 at 6:59 am

    Beautiful! I have been watching your YouTube videos and decided to follow your blog. You are doing a great job.

    Reply
  2. Janice Gordon says

    March 15, 2022 at 6:37 pm

    Lisa,
    This is just beautiful!

    Reply
  3. Keleigh says

    March 16, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    How did you fit the back of the dresser on the bottom to sit flush against the wall?

    Reply
  4. Patti says

    October 3, 2022 at 1:51 pm

    Question for you. Wanted to know if you put polyurethane on it to protect it from moisture?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      October 6, 2022 at 8:46 am

      No I did not. We kept the original finish on the dresser

      Reply
  5. Karen says

    January 13, 2023 at 9:47 am

    I have been looking for a dresser to replace a pedestal sink. Some dressers seem to “short”. What height is your dresser? It looks so nice. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      January 15, 2023 at 9:02 am

      Hi Karen! It’s 32”.

      Reply

Hello! I’m Lisa

I’m so glad you’re here! Join me and my family as we find beauty in our everyday life in the farmhouse: food from scratch, natural living and a handmade home.

more about lisa

Join Our Simple Living

community
From scratch recipes, natural living tips, and handmade projects straight to your inbox.

Popular

overhead photos of sourdough cinnamon rolls covered in a cream cheese icing in a white baking dish with a white plate with a cinnamon roll to the right

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

no knead sourdough bread loaf with leaf design on a white countertop with a dark blue towel

No-Knead Sourdough Bread

sourdough bagels on a white platter with a cream cheese on a plate

Homemade Sourdough Bagels

How to Sew a Slipcover for a Wingback Chair

never miss a post

About Lisa

I’m so glad you’re here! Join me and my family as we find beauty in our everyday life in the farmhouse: food from scratch, natural living and a handmade home.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

natural living

  • DIY Natural Whipped Body Butter
  • Best Diaper Rash Cream
  • Homemade Facial Serum With Essential Oils

food from scratch

  • No-Knead Sourdough Bread
  • Homemade Sourdough Bagels
  • How to Make a Perfect Roasted Chicken

handmade home

  • Farmhouse Decorating
  • Simple Sewing Series
  • Builds and DIYs

Copyright © 2023 | Privacy Policy | Design by Grace + Vine Studios