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Free build guide

Build a
vessel sink vanity.

How to build the rustic pine vessel sink vanity we sell: a DIY bathroom vanity of pine boards, beadboard and pocket-hole joinery. A drawing for every step, every part named. Free, no ads.

Skill
Intermediate
Time
A weekend
Steps
8
Widths
20–36″
Start the free guideSee the plans · $7

Rather have us build it? We build it to order, from $539.

Need a different size? We’ll draw the plans to your size, $35.

A vessel sink vanity we built, an earlier custom one in dark walnut stain, with a beadboard door and oil-rubbed bronze T-hinges
DWG FUD-018 STEPS

Before you start

Four widths, one build.

The vessel sink vanity comes in four sizes: 20″ × 18″ × 27″, 24″ × 18″ × 27″, 30″ × 18″ × 27″ and 36″ × 18″ × 27″. The steps are the same at every size; the parts’ sizes change, and the 30″ and 36″ widths have a pair of doors.

To scale · every width 18″ deep × 27″ tall
  1. 01

    Choose the sink and faucet first

    The top is cut for them, so have them in hand, or at least their templates and instructions. A deck-mount faucet goes through the top; a wall-mount one needs its plumbing in the wall.

  2. 02

    Check the plumbing

    The back of the vanity is open between two rails, so the supply lines and the drain come up through it. If the drain comes up through the floor, you’ll cut the bottom around it.

  3. 03

    Know the skills

    It’s an intermediate build: pocket-hole joinery, biscuit-joining and edge-gluing a top, and hanging a door inside its frame. If you’ve built a frame with pocket screws before, you can build this.

The parts

  1. Meet the parts.

    Each group is built on its own, then goes into the vessel sink vanity in the steps below. Drawn from our model at 24″ wide, all to one scale.

  2. 01

    Top

    Pine planks, edge-glued into one solid top.

  3. 02× 2

    Sides

    A pine frame with a beadboard panel across its inside face. Make two, mirror images.

  4. 03

    Face frame

    The front: two stiles and two rails around the door opening.

  5. 04

    Bottom and cleats

    A ¾″ finish-plywood bottom resting on two pine cleats.

  6. 05

    Back rails

    Two rails, top and bottom; the back stays open for the plumbing.

  7. 06

    Door

    A pine frame with a beadboard panel, on T-hinges, with a bar pull.

  8. 07

    Door stop

    A strip behind the face frame’s top rail that the door closes against, with the magnetic catch.

Tools & materials

What you’ll need.

A checklist: tick each one off as you gather it.

Tools

Measure and cut

Drill and join

Clamp and sand

Install and stay safe

Materials

Wood

Door hardware

Fasteners and glue

Finish

How much to buy?

The printable plans list every board and sheet to buy for your width, with a cutting layout for each, so nothing’s wasted.

See what’s in the plans

Step by step

How it goes together.

Each picture shows the vessel sink vanity so far, drawn at 24″ wide: the parts the step adds are shaded, and the ones already built are ghosted.

  1. 01Cut
  2. 02Top
  3. 03Sides
  4. 04Face frame
  5. 05Case
  6. 06Door
  7. 07Finish
  8. 08Install
  1. Step 01 / 08Cut
    01

    Cut the parts

    Cut every part and rip the boards that need it: 1x boards for the frames, the top and the rails, ¾″ plywood for the bottom, ¼″ beadboard for the panels.

    Tip

    Cut the longest parts first: if a cut goes wrong, the board is still long enough for a shorter part. Mark each part’s name on it in pencil as you go.

    In the plansThe plans list every part for your width, with a cutting layout for each board and sheet you buy.

  2. Step 02 / 08Top
    02

    Glue up the top

    Cut biscuit slots along the planks’ edges, then edge-glue the top with biscuits, ends flush and faces level, clamp it, and let it cure. Then sand it flat.

    Tip

    Alternate the planks’ growth rings (the arcs on their ends) and wipe away glue squeeze-out before it dries, so it doesn’t block the stain.

    The planked top of one of our vanities, showing the knots and grain
    One we built.

    In the plansThe plans give the planks’ widths and lengths for each width of vanity.

  3. Step 03 / 08Sides
    03

    Build the side frames

    Pocket-screw each side frame together, and drill pocket holes up the inside of each front stile for joining it to the face frame. The beadboard panels go on later, once the case is joined.

    Tip

    Drill the pocket holes in the back of each frame, where the beadboard panel will cover them.

  4. Step 04 / 08Face frame
    04

    Build the face frame

    Pocket-screw the stiles and rails together from the back. Check the door opening’s size, and the frame for square by measuring its diagonals.

    Tip

    Clamp each joint flat to the bench while you drive its pocket screws, so the faces stay flush. Everything else is built off this frame.

  5. Step 05 / 08Case
    05

    Assemble the case

    Pocket-screw the side frames to the face frame, then glue and brad-nail a beadboard panel inside each side, over the screws. Pocket-screw the back rails between the sides, glue and nail the cleats inside them, and screw the bottom down onto them.

    Tip

    Assemble the case on a flat floor or bench so it doesn’t rack, and check it for square before the panels and the bottom go in: once they’re glued, it stays the way it is.

  6. Step 06 / 08Door
    06

    Build and hang the door

    Build the door frame with a beadboard panel lapped across its back. Add the door stop, hang the door on surface-mount T-hinges with an even gap all around, and fit a magnetic catch.

    Tip

    Slip a couple of thin shims or playing cards into the gap while you mark and fit the hinges, so the gap stays even all around.

    An oil-rubbed bronze T-hinge on the stained pine door frame of one of our vanities
    One we built.

    In the plansThe plans give the door’s frame and panel sizes for each width, one door or a pair.

  7. Step 07 / 08Finish
    07

    Cut the top and finish

    Cut the top for your sink and faucet from their own templates. Then sand, stain or paint, and seal the case, and the top on every face, underside and cutouts included.

    Tip

    Test the stain on an offcut first: on pine, a pre-stain conditioner evens it out.

  8. Step 08 / 08Install
    08

    Attach the top and install

    Once the finish is dry, attach the top with figure-8 fasteners, never glue, so the solid wood can move. Set the vanity level and screw its upper back rail to the wall studs. Plumbing to your local code: we recommend a licensed plumber.

    Tip

    Seat the figure-8 fasteners in shallow Forstner-bit recesses, so the top sits flat on the case.

    One of our vanities installed in a bathroom, with a white vessel sink
    One we built.

Plans & prices

Build it with the plans, or we’ll build it.

Free build guide

This page

  • Every step, in order, with a picture
  • The parts, named
  • Tools and materials
  • A tip for each step

Printable plans

$7

Everything in the guide, plus every measurement:

  • All 4 widths: 20″, 24″, 30″, 36″
  • A dimensioned drawing of each, every part lettered
  • The cut list, hardware and build order for each width
  • A shopping list and a cutting layout for every board and sheet
  • The build in pictures, every part lettered
  • One printable PDF, yours to keep
Look inside the plans

A PDF to download as soon as you pay. Personal use only: build it for yourself. Don’t sell what you build or share the plan. Read the plan license.

Plans are digital downloads, so they can’t be returned or refunded. If you find a problem in a plan, tell us: we’ll fix it and send you the corrected file.

Built for you

From $539

  • Built to order in Flushing, Michigan, in any of the 4 widths
  • Raw wood, stained or painted
  • Shipping to the lower 48 included
See the vessel sink vanity

Need a size we don’t list? We’ll draw the plans to your measurements, anywhere from 18–48″ wide, 16–24″ deep and 27–36″ tall, for $35, and email them within 1–2 business days.
Choose your size

Look inside the plans

Four of the plan’s pages, as they print. In these samples the numbers on the drawing and the cut list are blurred; the plans have every one, for every width.

  1. Sample page: the plan's cover, with its contents: before you start, the build in pictures, and a drawing, cut list, hardware, build order, shopping list and cutting layouts for each of the four widths

    01 · The cover

  2. Sample page: the first step-by-step sheet, each step's picture with the parts it adds shaded and lettered

    02 · Step by step

  3. Sample page: the 24-inch vanity's dimensioned drawing, top, front, right side and section views with every part lettered; the dimensions are blurred in this sample

    03 · The 24″ drawing

  4. Sample page: the 24-inch vanity's cut list, every part by letter and name; the sizes, quantities and stock are blurred in this sample

    04 · The 24″ cut list

Sample page 1 of 4 · The cover

Sample page: the plan's cover, with its contents: before you start, the build in pictures, and a drawing, cut list, hardware, build order, shopping list and cutting layouts for each of the four widths

Questions

Good to know.

Something else? Email farmhouseurbandesign@gmail.com. We usually reply within an hour or two.

Is this guide the whole plan?

It’s the whole method: every step, in order, with a picture. The printable plans add every measurement, for all four widths.

Can I get plans for a different size?

Yes. The plans cover the four standard sizes; for any other size from 18–48″ wide, 16–24″ deep and 27–36″ tall, we’ll draw them to your measurements for $35 and email them within 1–2 business days. Choose your size.

What sink fits?

A vessel sink sits on top of the vanity, so most will fit: the top is 18″ deep. Check your sink’s drain size and your faucet’s instructions for the holes to cut.

How tall should a vessel sink vanity be?

Lower than a regular vanity, because the sink sits on top of it. A typical vessel sink stands about 5–6″ tall, so on this 27″ vanity its rim sits at about 32–33″, right where the top of a standard bathroom vanity would be. That’s why ours is 27″. For a higher rim, choose a taller sink.

Are the sink, faucet and hardware included in the plans?

No: the plans are a printable PDF. They list the hardware to buy for each width.

Can I sell vanities I build from the plans?

No. The plans are for personal use only: build it for yourself, and please don’t share the file.