How to Make a Vanity Taller and Deeper

Short bathroom vanity? Learn how to make a vanity taller and deeper. A bathroom vanity makeover can be an affordable update! 

Our bathroom vanity makeover is complete and it is a huge transformation! The updated vanity not only looks better, but it is more functional, too. Today, I’ll explain how to make a vanity taller, and deeper, using scrap wood and paint. A vanity makeover is a budget-friendly way to achieve a new look. 

Bathroom Vanity Makeover

After we tore this sink out, I realized that I didn’t have a true “before” photo. The closest I have is this grainy picture:

Hopefully, you get the general idea of what the vanity looked like beforehand — even if it’s sitting in the garage with no countertop or faucet. The vanity was outdated, with a cream color cultured marble countertop. While I didn’t mind the detail on the doors, the yellowed paint felt dingy and dirty. 

Beyond that, the vanity was short and shallow, offering us limited counter space and forcing us to bend over to the sink.

How to Make a Vanity Taller

The standard vanity height is 32 inches. However, “comfort height” vanities, at 36 inches tall, have become the norm in recent years. Four inches may not seem like a large increase, but it feels much taller. We had comfort height sinks in our last home and are accustomed to a tall sink.

Supplies Needed

• furniture feet/cabinet feet (2)
• scrap wood (4×4, 2×4, 1×2, etc.)
• hammer
• nails
• drill
• drill and screw bits
• wood screws
• caulk gun
• paintable caulk
• wood filler
• cabinet paint
• brass knobs

How to Make a Vanity Taller

1. First, make the plan. Typically, cabinetry has a toe kick. You won’t need the toe kick once the vanity is taller. Therefore, you’ll need to plan for
   • extra height,
   • covering the toe kick area on the front,
   • and increasing the depth on the back. (see the next section for depth)
2. Use a combination of scrap wood blocks and furniture feet (also called cabinet feet) to raise the vanity 4 inches. Depending on the location of your bath vanity, you may need to use furniture feet on the backside. In our case, the back of the vanity is not visible because it sits into a nook in the walls. Therefore, we simply used scrap wood blocks on the backside.
3. Once the cabinet feet and wood blocks are in place, attach a wood plank across the toe kick area to act as an apron. The apron:
   • hides the old toe kick,
   • covers the wood blocks,
   • and trims out the front of the vanity.

How to Make a Vanity Deeper

1. Again, begin with a plan. Make a plan for
   • extra height, (see the previous section for height)
   • covering the toe kick area on the front, (see the previous section for height)
   • and increasing the depth on the back.
2. Once the plan is determined, use scrap wood to increase the depth. Attach wood planks to the back of the vanity. We extended the planks to the ground because the side is not visible in our bathroom. If the side of your vanity is visible, stop at the base of the side panel.
3. Next, adjust the back of the vanity as applicable. Often, vanities are fairly open on the back. You may choose to:
   • leave the back as is,
   • adjust the location of the back support (i.e. de-attach and re-attach),
   • or add additional support to the back with scrap wood.
4. Next, brace the back of the vanity as needed. Brace on the inside of the vanity, so that it isn’t visible from the outside. You’ll notice that we added:
   1. corner braces to the top back support
   2. and side braces near the bottom back support (not yet attached in this photo).
5. Even if you didn’t need the lower back support for strength and stability, you may choose to add a wood plank in order to prevent items from falling behind the cabinet. Again, this will depend on the original design of the back of the vanity.
6. If applicable, consider whether any additional bracing will be needed for the countertop. Since we were installing a marble vanity top, it was much heavier than the original top. 

Continue to Content

How to Make a Vanity Taller and Deeper

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Active Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Short bathroom vanity? Learn how to make a vanity taller and deeper. A bathroom vanity makeover can be an affordable update! 

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Materials

• Furniture Feet / Cabinet Feet
• Scrap Wood / Wood Blocks
• Nails
• Wood Screws
• Cabinet and Trim Paint
• Wood Filler
• Paintable Caulk
• Brass Knobs

Tools

• Hammer
• Drill
• Drill and Screw Bits
• Paintbrush
• Caulk Gun
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. First, make a plan and sketch it out so that you have a visual.
2. Once the plan is set, use a combination of 4" furniture feet and wood blocks to raise the vanity.
3. Attach a wood plank across the front, where the old toe kick was located, as an apron.
4. Next, attach wood to the sides of the cabinet to make it deeper.
5. Place wood planks across the back, as needed, to prevent items from falling out the back, and to support the stability of the cabinet.
6. Brace as needed (in corners and on the sides).
7. Once the vanity is taller and deeper, caulk all of the wood joints.
8. Fill nail holes, screw holes, and wood blemishes with wood filler.
9. Sand wood filler to smooth surface.
10. Paint with a high-quality trim and cabinet paint.
11. Finally, finish the bath vanity makeover with new knobs.

Notes

View the post, How to Make a Vanity Taller, in order to view photos which depict each step in detail.

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• 
  Antique Brass Knobs

Finishing a Bath Vanity Makeover

These steps won’t translate exactly to your vanity and your bathroom. It will depend on how the vanity is made, which sides of the vanity are visible, etc. However, if you take a good look at the vanity before tearing it out and have a tentative plan in place; this tutorial can probably get you going in the right direction.

So, now that the vanity is taller and deeper… how do you make it pretty? After all, pieced together scrap wood isn’t exactly aesthetically appealing…

1. First, caulk all of the joints between the scrap wood and vanity.
2. Next, use wood filler to cover and screw holes, nail holes, or blemishes in the scrap wood.
3. Paint with high-quality cabinetry paint.
4. Finish it off with pretty new knobs!

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