Need a little help if you don't mind...Thanks in advance

[Chris Williams 2975]

I am trying to recreate this vanity for a friend that is doing a bathroom update. She saw it at her friend's house and she was kind enough to allow her to copy it and take photos for me to look at. My question is (or should I say are):

1) Is the base just basically rough sawn wood that has been been lightly sanded to take away splinters, etc.

2) It looks like walnut to me from pictures, but very well could be pine that has been stained. Any ideas?

3) If it is just rough outer, I would imagine you could run it upside down through planer to flatten inside of pieces prior to cutting to length??

4) Top looks like pine (old pine), what type of sealer would you suggest for a vanity top that is obviously going to have moisture/water constantly on it?

Thanks so much in advance for all your help!! I am a newbie as compared to man of you guys, but every project keeps getting better and better.

Hope all of you have a good evening and many thanks again!!

Chris

[michael case]

1. Its just roughsawn stained pine and definitely NOT walnut

2. Yes, you could just plane one side

3. Sealing the top? You could use four coats of polyurethane. Make sure you seal all surfaces - top, bottom, sides and especially the inside of the cut-out for the sink bowl.

[Chris Williams 2975]

Awesome. Many Thanks Michael!! I am attaching a few more pictures I received this morning and it clearly verifies your answer from looking inside it. Any recommendations on stain? for bottom of piece? for top of piece? Thanks again Michael and any others who can help!!

[Peter Quinn]

Sealer? West systems epoxy AFTER the sink is cut out.

[Clarence Miller]

I am inclined to use a marine grade finish for the vanity top like spar urethane. I also see that they used lumber cut with a circular saw lumber mill rather than a band saw and that cut square nails were used to give it the older fill. also with is going into a bathroom I would recommend mixing in a mildewcide with the finish in the base cabinet, particularly on the inside where mold can form in the dark. perhaps even paint the inside white with permawhite which had the mildewcide in it already. For finding boards cut w/ a circular saw try finding a re-enactment group that does threshing bees and the like. Here in IA a lot of these groups have an old sawmill running for demo.
All in all this project looks fun.

[Chris Williams 2975]

Awesome info by all!! Anybody out there in the South Carolina region that might know of a source for the circular mill cut wood? Thanks again everyone!!!

[Chris Williams 2975]

Anyone know of a good online site to purchase circular sawn rough lumber from? I figured this would be best place to ask and if some one has friend or better yet, themselves, are in the business, I would rather do my shopping with them. Obviously it would have to be shipped to SC, but I don;t need a whole heck of a lot, so I think it may be feasible. Thanks Thanks Thanks!!!

[Chris Padilla]

Definately look locally, Chris, as it is likely to be cheaper AND, best of all, you can SEE what you are buying.

That is definately a cool looking vanity...love the rough-sawn look. Be sure to buy extra for mess-ups and to practice figuring out the finish. I'm guessing just about any dark finish would work. Perhaps look up "ebonizing" for wood if you want it nearly black.

[Roger Bullock]

With what experience I've had finishing rough sawn lumber, if you don't sand it some prior to applying the finish you will get sharp or very rough surface that will snag any cloth that gets near it. I would suggest that you sand just enough to get rid of the burs (for lack of the proper term), apply your stain and first top coat and sand again. This should allow the look you are trying to achieve but will be smooth to the touch.

[Chris Williams 2975]

Thanks so much guys!!! That is very helpful information. I am going to begin the search Monday for a local provider...haven't found anyone over the weekend that uses circular mill. Again, if there's anyone from the NC/SC /GA area that knows of anyone, please let me know. I'm not to far from Asheville, NC and there seems to be a lot of small operators up that way...hopefully I can find one to help me out. Once again, thanks again to all for the helpful information!!! I am always amazed at the helpfulness and kindness shown on this site! And I'm learning a lot! I hope you all have a great and restful Sunday!

[Greg Portland]

Any recommendations on stain? for bottom of piece? for top of piece?

This is going to take some experimentation. The base seems to have at least two colors (purple and black). I imagine there is a base stain or dye + a wiped on/off stain (rubbed harder in certain spots to create the uneven darker regions). My first guess would be to try a purple dye followed by a black or near-black gel stain. However, I'm not an expert on this so you should definitely ping the people who hang out in the finishing area of this forum.

[Michael Weber]

Hey Roger, thanks for making me laugh. Your avatar is a killer. How did you manage to capture that expression.