How to Build a Bathroom Vanity with a Dressing Table

Sand the surface of the dressing table with fine-grit sandpaper. Remove any dust with a tack cloth.

Mix one part mineral spirits with two parts polyurethane to make a sealer. Use a natural bristle paintbrush to apply the sealer to the top of the dressing table to seal the wood. Allow the surface to dry for 24 hours.

Coat the surface of the dressing table with polyurethane or other waterproof coating of your choice. Apply the polyurethane with the grain of the wood using long strokes. Allow this coat to dry for 24 hours, and then apply a second coat. Let it dry for 24 hours or longer before proceeding.

Set the dressing table in the location where you intend to place the sink. Remove any back paneling on the table to provide for easy access to the wall and plumbing fixtures.

Remove the drawers from the dressing table to give you additional access to the back of the table. Locate the studs in the wall with a stud finder. Attach the back of the dressing table to the wall studs using screws long enough to go through the back of the table, the wall, and at least 1 inch into the stud. At a minimum, use 4 screws to secure the dressing table to the wall. Replace the drawers.

Place the template for the vessel sink’s hole on top of the dressing table. Mark the location of the hole on the table top. Set the template for the faucet’s holes on the table top and trace around it. Cut the holes in the dressing table top using appropriately sized hole saws attached to a drill.

Set the faucet’s gasket in place on top of the dressing table. Place the faucet through the holes, and make sure to tuck the gasket under the faucet. Attach the nuts that come with the faucet to the threads underneath the table top, and tighten them with an adjustable wrench.

Attach the cold water supply line to the cold water faucet. Do the same for the hot water line. Tighten the connectors by hand, then turn one quarter turn with the adjustable wrench. Attach the opposite ends of the supply line to the wall connectors, tightening the same way you did the faucet connectors.

Roll a pencil-sized piece of plumber’s putty between your hands to soften it. Wrap the piece of putty around the top of the drain opening in the vessel sink. Slide the drain assembly into the drain hole and set it on the putty. Secure the drain assembly with the nut in the assembly kit, tightening it with an adjustable wrench.

Run a bead of silicone caulking around the opening you cut in the dressing table for the vessel sink. Set the sink into the caulking. Hold a carpenter’s level on the vessel sink to help you level it from side to side and front to back.

Dry-fit the P-trap to ensure it's going to fit properly. If necessary, cut excess pipe with a hacksaw.

Wipe pipe cement around the inside and outside of the P-trap fitting for your sink using the applicator in the pipe cement container. Attach the P-trap to the wall drain by tightening the attached lock nut by hand. Wipe pipe cement around the top fitting on the P-trap and the sink’s drain pipe. Fit the sink’s drain pipe in the top opening of the P-trap. Tighten this lock nut by hand.

Turn the water on to the bathroom sink. Look for leaks. If you see leaks, tighten fittings no more than one quarter turn.