Do-It-Yourself Vanity

Coat two two-drawer filing cabinets with metal primer if the cabinets are made of metal or with acrylic primer for other materials. Cover everything once, including the hardware on the drawer fronts. The primer coating should be thick. Allow it to dry overnight.

Paint your filing cabinets with acrylic paint. You may paint them a solid color that matches your other bedroom furniture or have fun with designs. Free-handed scrollwork, flowers, stripes, polka dots and Victorian silhouettes all work well. Paint the hardware a separate color; copper, pewter and oiled brass are elegant choices. Allow your paint job to dry overnight.

Cut a piece of felt fabric for each drawer bottom and the inside sides. Paint the inside of each drawer with craft glue, and smooth the felt into place. This reduces echo inside the drawers when you open and close them and prevents your toiletries from clanking around inside the drawers. Let the glue dry for about 2 hours.

Prime and paint your wooden board as you did your filing cabinets. The final paint job on the wooden board may have designs, or you may paint it a solid color as a contrast to the designed cabinets. Allow the wood to dry overnight.

Place the filing cabinets where you want your vanity to end up. Draw a zigzag bead of liquid nails on top of each cabinet. Press your wooden board into place on top of the cabinets. Let the glue dry overnight.

Cover the mirror portion of an old framed mirror with brown paper and painter's tape. Spray paint the mirror with a color that complements your vanity table. A Victorian table with oiled brass fittings works well with an oiled brass mirror. A more modern table with black accents would go with a black mirror. Let the paint dry for two hours.

Lift the mirror to the back of the table, and lean it against the wall. This works especially well for square mirrors that won't tilt or fall easily. Stock your felt-lined drawers with vanity items.