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Concrete Vanity: Design and Building the Form Concrete...It's not just for cinderblocks anymore. From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-202

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The installed concrete vanity.

Design and Building the Form

Begin the project by surveying the site where you'll install the vanity. The sky's the limit with concrete. You can make any shape, size, thickness or color, but the installation area is where you should be inspired. Check to see if the wall is square and decide on what dimensions would be best for your vanity project. We decided upon a vanity that's thirty-nine inches wide, two inches thick and features a curved front.

During a dry run of the sink and hardware design, Dean and Dan discover that the faucets will be hidden behind the glass bowl. To make them easier to reach, they decide to build two small backsplash shelves to raise the height of the faucets. These backsplash shelves are the same two inch thickness of the vanity and will fit on either side of the gooseneck faucet.

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	Figure A
	Figure B

Carefully take note of your measurements and then create a template out of thin wood veneer or masonite to the exact size of the proposed vanity (figure A). The wood can be cut with a sharp table saw and curves made with a jigsaw. Take your time. The vanity will be built around the template. Once you've finished the vanity template, it is a good idea to test its size and shape in the installation space – it's much easier to make changes to the template than to the finished concrete vanity. Purchase the vessel bowl and faucets for your vanity. Test and finalize their placement on the template (figure B) then outline their location with a marker.

• With the template design and hardware location finalized, begin building the watertight form for the concrete. The forms for the vanity and backsplash shelves are created by attaching two-inch melamine rails to a melamine base. The front curved rail of the form will be made of high density foam.

  Rock Solid Terminology: Melamine is a medium density fiberboard sandwiched between two layers of water resistant laminate.

• Flip the template over onto the melamine. The top of the vanity is the bottom of the mold. Next take careful measurements of the sides of the template pieces and cut two-inch melamine rails to fit. The curved rail is made by cutting a two-inch square piece of foam and then routing out one square inch. This creates a shelf for securing the foam to the melamine.
  

  Figure C

  Note: Use a sharp table saw to cut the pieces. Melamine chips easily and chipped melamine isn't waterproof.

  Rock Solid Tip: Before you start assembling the form, drill a screw through the bottom of your template (figure C). That way, after you build the form around it, all you'll have to do is lift up on the screw to remove the template.
  
  
  

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  RELATED PROJECTS: Concrete Countertop: Making Template Concrete Countertop: Creating Mold Concrete Countertop: Pouring Mold Concrete Countertop: Completing Work

  
  

  ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  	Concrete Vanity: Design and Building the Form
  	Concrete Vanity: Form Completion and Pouring the Concrete
  	Concrete Vanity: De-Forming, Polishing and Installation