Washstand and bathroom furniture advice

[Paul_Thomas]

As part of a new extension I am installing a basin in my Daughters new bedroom, plumbing is installed ready and I have a round basin that is designed to sit on a worktop.
Having seen the extortionate prices that washstands are going for (£200-300 easily) I am considering making one myself. It needs to have a durable worktop and cupboards underneath to hide the plumbing and give her somewhere to store her toiletries.

Secondly I am building a new shower room, the same worktop basin has been purchased for here as well. Again the cost of bathroom furniture is crazy.

Has anyone made there own furniture for washstands or bathrooms and can anyone offer ideas/advice?

Thanks in advance

Paul

 

[Jasonb]

Fot the tops you could use an off cut of laminate (kitchen) worktop, natural stone or timber treated with a suitable finish such as an acrylic floor laccquer/varnish, it is also possible to tile a plywood top and edge this with wood.

A cutdown kitchen base unit will give a suitable cupboard or make up the carcase and use off the shelf doors from either kitchen or bathroom ranges. If you have the tools its easy to make your own.

Here and here are a couple that I have made, I've got another wall hung one glueing up as I write this that will have a stone top, will post a pic in the next few days.

And if you look in this album there are a few more vaniyies etc that I have made


Jason

 

[Paul_Thomas]

Hi Jason

What can I say, WOW!

I presume this is your trade?

What did you make the bathroom cabinets out of? Because the one pre-made are so expensive!

 

[Jasonb]

Yes I do bespoke kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms for a living.

The carcases are generally either veneered MDF or MFC (melamine faced chipboard) either woodgrain of just plain white.

Doors are either solid timber or veneered board.

Jason

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

Nice work Jason.

 

[Paul_Thomas]

Jason, do you make the carcasses from scratch from MFC? if so, how readily available is MFC (I know B&Q etc sell Contiboard but only in white these days)

And again where can I source veneered MDF?

It looks like some of the bathroom cupoard doors and drawer fronts are pre-manufactured, is there an easy source for these?

 

[Jasonb]

Any decent panel supplier will keep a basic range of wood grain MFC and be able to get hold of a far greater range from one of the big board makers such as Egger, Caber, Sonae, Kronospan, etc.

Have a google for a local panel supplier such as James Latham, C.F. Anderson, Lawcris, Montague L Meyer, Silvermans. Most will supply a singel sheet but they are 2800x2070mm, Silvermans may have some in 8x4 as do my local supplier

Any of the above will do veneered MDF, and I also use these people who do it with a moisture resistant core.

The pre made doors I tend to get from Bathstore.com which they sell as the Impressions range which are supplied by Symphony and the actual range available is far larger than shown in the bathstore catalogue, pop into your local one and see if they will give you a "Venetian" catalogue. I also get trade prices on these but as you say the carcases are very overpriced when compared to the cost of kitchen carcases. Mereway are another company worth looking at.

Jason

 

[Bespoke]

Hi Paul

First I presume you are aware of the old saying “you only get what you pay for”

Now this is me talking of a professional bespoke cabinet maker and hence this is my two pence worth.

Wash hand basins that site on top of a vanity unite are northing but trouble with a capital T unless the vanity top is fully sealed and I don’t just mean with silicone sealant. Any holes you cut in timber vanity units should be fully sealed with a precat lacquer and to seal in it properly the cut out needs to be made a smooth as a baby’s bottom. In other words you must do your best to stop the ingress of water remembering water will find its way anywhere and every where.

If you are considering using timber to make the vanity unit from then it should be soiled timber, veneered or melamine board no mater if it is on chipboard or MDF moisture resistant or not is a waist of time and space if it isn’t sealed all round. And I again don’t just mean with iron on edging.

When I make my cabinets which are totally bespoke http://www.alanwakefield.co.uk/bespoke.html and not made from standard components that any Tom Dick or Harry can purchase. All components are sealed all around before assemble and a final coat when assembled.

Sealing
If you use a oil based varnish it will yellow in a very short space of time and if you use water based varnish and use excess amount it will look milky a precat lacquer is the best bet or danish oil.

 

[LeeJC]

Completely off topic but.......................Alan can i come and work for you for a week????

Or even just observe, i'll do my best not to get in the way and i can fetch and carry as well as anyone.

Oh yeah and i wouldn't want paying clearly.

 

[Bespoke]

Completely off topic but.......................Alan can i come and work for you for a week????

Or even just observe, i'll do my best not to get in the way and i can fetch and carry as well as anyone.

Oh yeah and i wouldn't want paying clearly.

Hi

When I am in the area of Coalville I may ask you to put the kettle on

 

[LeeJC]

You would be most welcome.