Vexed by Vanity and a Tues-DIY Teaser

Hey there my power tool wielding friends! January is over and what a great start it was to the new year. January was the most visited month to the blog since its inception in March 2015! All I can say is… THANK YOU! Also, who says guys don’t use Pinterest. Many of the new Saws on Skates Pinterest followers in January were dudes – thanks guys!

Vexed by Vanity
Remember the bathroom remodel and vanity I told you we would be tackling this year? Well the plan has completely changed. Getting the proportions right on this tiny vanity was the first challenge. I must have made at least seven sketches before I decided on this plan, but now I have run into other issues.

This is the new design. What do you think? Personally I like it better. The face frame has been eliminated and the door has been made the size of the front of the cabinet. Instead of butt hinges to attach the door to the cabinet in the original plan, I’ll use European hinges in the updated design. The center stile in the door makes the piece feel taller than it is. Overall the lines are more simple, it looks less bulky and the construction will be easier. I haven’t designed the medicine cabinet yet, but I will be working on that soon.

So why the change? The original design was largely based on the size of some rough cut cherry wood I had on hand. Unfortunately I ran into a snag with this wood. I was going to tell you all about it here, but I think the problem has created a teachable moment for Workshop Wednesday. Ugh! Did I just type “teachable moment”?! How parental! Anyway, stay tuned tomorrow for Workshop Words where we’ll discuss rough cut lumber vs. dimensional lumber and we’ll learn what happened to the cherry wood for the bathroom vanity.

Not only has the design changed, but the color has changed too. I figured if the material and design were changing, why not also change the color. I love the color and one coat coverage of the Rust-Oleum “Kona” stain (This is not an affiliate link – I really do like it), so I thought I would give the Rust-Oleum “Weathered Grey” color a try. Well guess what? I can’t find it! I checked the local big box stores and hardware stores and none of them have it. Doesn’t it figure as soon as I find something that I like and works well that I can’t find it!

It also appears the name has changed from Rust-Oleum Wood Stain to Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain. At least that’s where it leads when you google “Rust-Oleum Wood Stain.” Anyone else having trouble finding this stain? I was also thinking of trying a grey water based stain. I always use oil based stain, so this would be new territory for me. Do you have a grey water based stain you would recommend?

Tues-DIY Teaser
Here’s a teaser for a plan that has been a long time in the making. I built this Electric Fireplace Mantle more than a year ago! Better late than never… the plans will be shared sometime in February.

Thank you again for all the visits in January. Tune in Workshop Wednes-DIY for Workshop Words. Until then, have a good day!