Is There Any Way You'd Make A Wood Countertop For A Bathroom?

[Julie Moriarty]

It looks cool but I can't imagine it would hold up well. Anyone done this?

[Kent A Bathurst]

As per The Who: "Never did and never will"

Wood. In THE most moisture-intense environment in the house. Huh. What could possibly go wrong?

[John TenEyck]

Undermount sinks, too. Excellent. On the other hand, I stayed in a hotel a couple of years ago that had wood topped vanities and they looked great. I asked how old they were and the manager said 3 years. The sinks were drop in. But I guess some finishes do hold up pretty well in that environment. Or maybe I was the only person that had stayed there in the past 3 years.

John

[Kent A Bathurst]

Undermount sinks, too. Excellent. On the other hand, I stayed in a hotel a couple of years ago that had wood topped vanities and they looked great. I asked how old they were and the manager said 3 years. The sinks were drop in. But I guess some finishes do hold up pretty well in that environment. Or maybe I was the only person that had stayed there in the past 3 years.

John

J-10:

Forgive my failing memory, but did not you, I, The Vroom Dude ​[tm] and others fight our corner on this very topic [different moisture-laden room] recently?

[Jamie Buxton]

Julie, weren't you considering buying a sailboat with a wood deck?

[Kent A Bathurst]

Julie, weren't you considering buying a sailboat with a wood deck?

"A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money".

Julie already knows this, I have no doubt.

A bathroom, however, has a hole or two into which you put different materials.

[scott vroom]

Vroom dude & son did a teak wood vanity about 5 years ago...& basalt basin. No leaky that style, grasshopper.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Vroom dude & son did a teak wood vanity about 5 years ago...& basalt basin. No leaky that style, grasshopper.

Master Po et fils -

Very nice. May I ask the source of the sink and the faucet? The source of wood and finish I don't care about cause it ain't never gonna happen.

Sincerely,

Grasshopper.........

[scott vroom]

Master Po et fils -

Very nice. May I ask the source of the sink and the faucet? The source of wood and finish I don't care about cause it ain't never gonna happen.

Sincerely,

Grasshopper.........

The vessel sink was purchased in Feb 2010 from: http://www.bathroomvesselsinks.com/ Looks like it's no longer available. The Faucet is a Grohe Tenso, same era purchased from: http://www.buyplumbing.net/?s=grohe+...t_type=product Still available.

That job was a complete tear out down to the studs....we moved a wall, relocated plumbing/electrical, built a stall shower blah blah blah.....'da whole shebang. The woman wanted a Japanese spa theme. The top rail of the mirrors over the vanity and makeup table was cut from a pattern that I traced from a photo of a famous Torii gate. It was a fun job. Julie, sorry for the hijack

[Julie Moriarty]

Julie, weren't you considering buying a sailboat with a wood deck?

Nothing regarding boats involves common sense, practicality or logic. Only what makes the heart flutter upon seeing the boat.

[Julie Moriarty]

I thought about going wood because it was something I can do and I believe it would be aesthetically pleasing. But this idea only came about after we priced some vanity tops at HD. Our 2nd bath has 5' of cabinets. The HD rep said acrylic was the least expensive custom top without going to Formica. All the acrylic tops had an integral sink. The price for the 5' top, with sink, was over $800, before taxes. The house is going on the market in the spring. The bathroom cabinets and tops were installed in 1987.

I've already made new doors and drawer fronts to replace the oak cathedral ones and sanded down the frames. We'll probably dye the frames black, like we did in the kitchen. So the tops need replacing, but after that $800 quote, I started thinking what else I could do, besides tile, that would help update the bathrooms. Concrete is a bit too industrial and a lot of bull work. Something like marble or granite tile is good but the edging is costly. After wood, I ran out of ideas.

[Jamie Buxton]

I thought about going wood because it was something I can do and I believe it would be aesthetically pleasing. But this idea only came about after we priced some vanity tops at HD. Our 2nd bath has 5' of cabinets. The HD rep said acrylic was the least expensive custom top without going to Formica. All the acrylic tops had an integral sink. The price for the 5' top, with sink, was over $800, before taxes. The house is going on the market in the spring. The bathroom cabinets and tops were installed in 1987.

I've already made new doors and drawer fronts to replace the oak cathedral ones and sanded down the frames. We'll probably dye the frames black, like we did in the kitchen. So the tops need replacing, but after that $800 quote, I started thinking what else I could do, besides tile, that would help update the bathrooms. Concrete is a bit too industrial and a lot of bull work. Something like marble or granite tile is good but the edging is costly. After wood, I ran out of ideas.

Ah, so the question really is whether the wood top would look good for a few months. After that it becomes the new owner's concern. In that case, sure, wood would work.

You also might look at prefab granite with a drop-in sink. Not from Home Depot, but from a place that really does granite. Prefab has the front edge work done at the factory, and is sized for the usual vanity depth. It needs to be cut to length, and holes cut for the sink and faucets. In this area, it is almost cost-competitive with formica. I dunno how, but it is. These folks -- http://www.thegraniteexpo.com/ -- installed granite prefab counters in a friends kitchen for $900. The kitchen has an L-shape counter about 7' by 3', and a straight run about 7', plus the usual cutouts.

[Julie Moriarty]

Ah, so the question really is whether the wood top would look good for a few months. After that it becomes the new owner's concern. In that case, sure, wood would work.

You also might look at prefab granite with a drop-in sink. Not from Home Depot, but from a place that really does granite. Prefab has the front edge work done at the factory, and is sized for the usual vanity depth. It needs to be cut to length, and holes cut for the sink and faucets. In this area, it is almost cost-competitive with formica. I dunno how, but it is. These folks -- http://www.thegraniteexpo.com/ -- installed granite prefab counters in a friends kitchen for $900. The kitchen has an L-shape counter about 7' by 3', and a straight run about 7', plus the usual cutouts.

My conscience won't let me do something for show that won't last. I can't do the flipper thing.

Some of the comments got me to thinking about using a marine grade finish on the wood. I think that would last for quite a while, especially if it's epoxy. We've got some more to think about...

[Sam Murdoch]

I would not hesitate to make a wooden top for a bath vanity (the only qualifier would be - in an adult household where the users respect their stuff. If you leave standing water around your sink counter you are not the wood top type but then you are likely a - oh never mind - I was going to be un nice ).

I would favor a Waterlox finish rather than a marine varnish because it requires less care, easier to repair (if ever needed) and very very very durable. Though Epifanes is GREAT too.

I would use epoxy for any glue up BUT ESPECIALLY I would coat any opening edges (including faucet holes) with 2 coats of epoxy before the finish. I had an oak kitchen sink counter that was in use for 25 years and though it looked a bit shabby in the end. it served well all that time. If I had known to use Waterlox in the beginning I would have used that rather than a simple Tung oil varnish available in the 80s.

[scott vroom]

I would use epoxy for any glue up BUT ESPECIALLY I would coat any opening edges (including faucet holes) with 2 coats of epoxy before the finish.

Seasonal/environmental movement of the wood could cause any coating to fail....and all it takes is one tiny entry point for moisture to begin working on the wood.

I suppose with a perfectly executed install you'd improve your odds of delaying the inevitable. However, if I were a buyer I'd be darned concerned about wood in that application not knowing the quality of the work.

Each to their own. My remodel philosophy is to build for longevity and durability. I'd never consider wood other than teak in a wet area.

I guess I've been chewing on this bone long enough...time to spit it out.