More than Clothing - Reusing in the Home

Now that I have started mending and making my own clothing from local fiber, I have begun to think more about how I can let everything last longer & use what the land provides.

It's almost done! Skimming cement applied to an old vanity top.

Budgets and Updates on a New-to-Me Home

Almost 7 years ago, I moved up from the Washington DC area. We hired a contractor in NH to repair and rework part of my home, but we didn't have a sufficient budget to make all the changes we wanted. I got inspired by DIY projects for the bathroom vanity and vanity tops and did some work on my own.

A New Paint Job & Baskets

Another vanity I haven't updated. Color and hardware of original vanity that I painted.

All the bathroom vanities were dark stained cherry. In one bathroom, it didn't seem to match the southwestern pink floor tile. I figured painting the cabinet would give it more life and be easier (and cheaper!) than replacing it. I purchased paint specific for painting over finished wood and that made all the difference! Make sure you get the right type of paint for a cabinet makeover.

The vanity also had three doors. I removed 2 of them and picked out brightly colored baskets to give the vanity a new look and updated the handles. I had to order the handles online unfortunately because of their odd size. Overall, I was satisfied with these changes and the new look.

The vanity matched the flooring better and wasn't as dreary as dark cherry everywhere in the home. I also liked the yellow baskets and how they accented the shower curtain I made myself from leftover material sitting around unused.

Painted vanity with doors removed. A better match for the tile flooring.

Vanity Top - What to do?

All the vanity tops in our home were one piece with speckles. They looked dated but not quite dated enough to be retro cool. They just looked old.

I had seen concrete tops being poured for counter tops and did a Google search. I found a DYI option that skimmed concrete onto an old vanity top and I decided to give it a try. The results looked good to me. I like to see the scrapes and edging in the concrete rather than the smooth look when using a trowel (that I didn't have). I finished up the project by applying water based sealant. For a while it looked good.

Dated, one-piece vanity top untreated in other bathroom.

But after time, water seeped under the sealant at the sink drain. I admit, I left it that way WAY too long.

I began looking at new vanity tops rather than redoing the skimming. I would just install a new top and be done with it.

But a conversation with my husband made me realize that my dedication to local fiber and wearing clothing longer should apply to all areas of my life and home.

If I was saving clothing from the dump, how could I add a plastic composite vanity top to it?

Let's Repair & Not Replace

I got out the leftover skimming concrete and sealant and assembled the other supplies. Time to redo the top the same way I had before! I'm happy with the results (see above) and I will add plumber's putty under the drain fitting and faucet to help with any future seeping.

Now, we'll be able to get more life out of this vanity top and save it from the dump. But I need a few more ideas for the other two vanity tops I need to redo.

What DIY Methods Have You Used?

If you have another approach up your sleeve to give new life to an old vanity top or vanity—let me know!

Add your DYIs to my Instagram Post this week @locallydressed, tag them with #locallydressed OR send me a message and image using Let's Connect at the bottom of this page. I can't wait to see what you've come up with!

We need to keep our clothing and shop our closets—but we can't forget to give new life to anything we can to USE LESS and be kinder to our planet.