When we renovated our bathroom, he dictated a small corner piece for our vanity. We decided to make a concrete top vanity with full support for our bathroom renovation. Concrete is like the height of vanity, a material that has somehow gained appeal, leisure interest, and popularity. You can cast concrete in any shape, color it, and polish it to look natural at a fraction of the cost. The cage is a labor-intensive process to mold for single use and is difficult to polish because the hardness of concrete prohibits the use of common, low-aluminum oxide abrasives. For do-it-yourselfers, silicon carbide abrasives work, but professionals are more likely to use expensive diamond abrasives, the cost of which we could not justify for a single countertop. We want to settle for less than a mirror this time around. You must sign another concrete statement. For you to do with some concrete experience, concrete vanity and residuals, it is worth the time and effort to mold and make, and polish and seal and press.
To fit the footprint, we designed a countertop four feet across the front that forms a 90-degree angle. We chose an elliptical shape roughly cut for the drawing, measuring about 16 inches on its long axis and about 10 inches on its short axis. Our label has straight sides at 90 degrees to the countertop, with a rounded base about a two-inch radius. The label is about 8 inches high. Using a standard 1.5 inch, I cut a drain hole in the center of the bottom. We have designed the top to accept standard toilet bowls. For the backsplash we decided to tie in ceramic tiles to use on the floor and surround the tub to give the space added texture and depth.
We used wood shavings for the primary material and particle board for the base. We designed the mold as an open mold so that we could roll the top smooth. We cut this piece to form a triangle of long dimensions at the base of the angle to measure the length and cut it reclining from it. We extend the lip ellipses by 1.5 inches to accommodate the thickness of the concrete on the sides. To complete the pattern, I attached strips of small boards around the perimeter of the triangle to form a pattern about two inches thick. Around the elliptical cavity for the basin we will place opaque sides at right angles to the form base applied to hold the concrete to the submerged sides. We were worried about the bark of the label because it is not visible until the vanity is open is . The sides of the flat bottom of the polygon are attached to the bottom to complete the crust shape.
Based on the form, we created the core of the sink with an elliptical shape and smooth base curves descending on the interior from Styrofoam. We built an eight-inch deep sunken core out of layers of 1.5-inch high-density Styrofoam sheets. We cut each piece in a pile to shape the sink. We cut the pieces roughly to shape with a band saw and used hot melt glue to glue the pieces together to form a stack. We then carve the form so that the core extends to the top of the form plates, reddening the very surface of the expression. We filled in the seams and any tears in the carving with several coats of the drying compound. We sanded the drywall compound to produce a fairly smooth surface on the core.
The last thing to prepare with the mold are the holes for drying and the throat. Again, we used Styrofoam. We made cutouts of the right size and glued them together with hot melt glue. Before we poured the concrete, we attached 9-ply steel to the reinforcing wire and 1-inch wire mesh as reinforcing materials.
We mixed the concrete by hand and drew it into the form. We placed a generous layer of concrete for the sunken base, and then pressed the Styrofoam core into place. Sit down, let’s get in shape. We were then forced to build the submerged sides around the floating Styrofoam concrete core. We once poured the bricks on the tops. We combine hand-vibrated and troweled concrete and achieve a smooth top finish.
We removed the concrete form about three weeks ago. Before we started to polish the sink, we filled the smaller voids with a mixture of Portland cement and water.
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We polished the suction cup with finer silicon carbide sandpaper using a palm sander, making sure to wear safety goggles, breathing masks, and work in a well-ventilated area. We also care about the area.
Once we were happy with the sand, we sealed the sink and vanity with two coats of marine epoxy, sanding between each coat. A thinner epoxy topcoat produced an attractive, unique and useful vanity top and residue. With the total material costs for the project, the sink and vanity total cost us less than $75.00 and it’s something that draws raves from friends every time we use our newly renovated bathroom. We are working on our concrete forms, pouring on-site counters as our next DYI project.
