It looks cool but I can't imagine it would hold up well. Anyone done this?
It looks cool but I can't imagine it would hold up well. Anyone done this?
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?
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
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
Imagine that exposing wood to moisture.
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Yeah, Johnny -
Not a problem back then. They had 2 shifts in hammocks with 14" O.C allowed per man [alternate shifts on duty, so they really had 28" OC], so they had plenty of labor to constantly scrape & paint, when they weren't scrubbing the deck with holystones, or having to "pay the devil", or climb the rigging to furl the sails.
I gotta believe that scraping and painting was the least of their worries, right?
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
BTW, that's the Kalmar Nyckel. A local treasure here in Wilmington, DE. It's a replica that's been in the water, actively sailing since 1997.
Julie, weren't you considering buying a sailboat with a wood deck?
Julie, if this was something I really thought that I would enjoy, I would find a way. And, I do think I would enjoy that vanity top. I would either preserve all surfaces and edges with four coats of West System Epoxy which I have had very good results with when rebuilding window frames on exteriors of historic buildings. There are other marine finishes, such as Epiphanes that would do the job as well and I have used on exterior water prone areas. The undermount sink should not be an issue either, as long as the vanity top were fully finished with west system epoxy or epiphanes. So, what's the worst that could happen...it lasted 10 years of daily use instead of 15 years when you'd probably be getting tired of it anyway. Go for it. There's not much to lose.
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
Vroom dude & son did a teak wood vanity about 5 years ago...& basalt basin. No leaky that style, grasshopper.
Scott Vroom
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
i can't be the only one, but I might be the only one that admits it....
i made a wood vanity top for our master bath. It's been in use for about 2 years. Has a semi-vessel sink and is finished with general finishes enduro-var. Looks the same today as the day it went in.
I'm a hobbiest and I wouldn't do it for a customer if I was a pro. I also didn't do it in the kids bathroom as they can beat up just about anything. But I was willing to see what would happen in my own bathroom. If it doesn't work I'll salvage the sink and put down some tiles or something more traditional.
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
I agree with your thought process Mike. For goodness sake we are woodworkers. What's the worst that can happen, we have to go back to our shop and create a new one. LOL. In all seriousness, I wouldn't hesitate to put in a wood countertop and I would do my best to seal it properly. If and when it fails, I'm stupid enough to do it over again. Ya never know
Julie, if this was something I really thought that I would enjoy, I would find a way. And, I do think I would enjoy that vanity top. I would either preserve all surfaces and edges with four coats of West System Epoxy which I have had very good results with
+1
I used the West System epoxy with fibreglass (over a variety of woods, western red and yellow cedar, birch and mahogany for details) to build a kayak destined for salt water: after 15 years it's still in good shape. Every couple of years I sand it lightly and replace the outer coat of marine spar varnish, which is used to protect the epoxy from UV. The water might make it through a flaw in the finish, but as far as I can tell, it shrugs water off effortlessly.