# Vanity Vanity; All is Vanity



## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Morning All,
I finished this project a while back. It was the trial run before I committed to building Kitchen Cabinets. 

Carcase is 3/4 Cherry Ply. Face Frame, Doors, Drawer Fronts and Mirror Frames are solid Cherry.

The lavatories are 40 inches off the floor. Perfect height for washing hands, not so perfect for brushing teeth. We have to stand on tiptoe and stretch to get mouth to water stream. We are 5' 8". If I was doing it over, I'd lower the lavatories to about 36 inches. 

First time posting with pictures. I hope they make the trip.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Holy smokes.... well done Andy!!!


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## RMIGHTY1 (Nov 5, 2014)

Wow, that is so beautiful Andy. Great job!!!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Very nice. 36 is the standard and for kitchen too. My wife is short and I'm tall. It's too tall for her and not quite enough for me. If you go less than 36 you risk not getting a dishwasher under and if you ever go to sell buyers expect to see them. I hate them personally.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

32" for lavs and 36" for kitchens.
I've always hated the low lav hts., but there _are_ shorter folks ...and kids ...to consider.


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## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

WOW, really nice Andy. That's exactly what I did. Built our vanity first, and when the wife approved that, then I moved on to the kitchen cabinets! But my vanity was a simple one door type, nothing like yours. That's just awesome looking!!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Great job Andy . I wish I had your skills but I had to order my vanity . I special ordered it 34" though ,just 2"s higher than the norm. Hopefully it works out ok


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

*WOW!!!!* is so inadequate...
that is so9me fine craftsmanship...


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Thanks to all for the kind words. I enjoy seeing what others are doing, so I thought I'd share, even though it's been finished a while. I'm expecting hot weather, and maybe crisp fall nights before I'll have pictures of the finished Kitchen Cabinets. But I'm almost done with the pantry. Maybe I'll post some unfinished pictures of it.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> 32" for lavs and 36" for kitchens.
> I've always hated the low lav hts., but there _are_ shorter folks ...and kids ...to consider.


This is in the Master Bath, so kids can use the hall bath or stand on a stool. I have despised the low lavatories for so long that I was determined to put them where WE wanted them. Turns out, I brought them up just a little too high. They still are preferable to those that were too low.


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> *WOW!!!!* is so inadequate...
> that is so9me fine craftsmanship...


+1 on Stick's comment. I re-read your post and was astounded that you called this project a "trial run." Impressive.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Gaffboat said:


> +1 on Stick's comment. I re-read your post and was astounded that you called this project a "trial run." Impressive.


To be honest, it wasn't that I doubted I could do it; I wasn't sure I WANTED to build a whole kitchen's worth of cabinets. The current project is 14 boxes instead of 2. I'd hate to purchase a lot of materials and hardware, then discover I was sick of making doors and drawers and had to force myself to finish. But I enjoyed the 2 so much I was eager to tackle the 14. 

I find the finishing process to be least enjoyable, so I may hire someone to put the finish on. But in the end, I probably won't be able to trust anyone else to get it right, so I'll have to do it myself. Sigh . . . it's a burden to be so anal.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Andy; there are a lot of very skilled finishers out there. The catch is that you'll likely have to transport your boxes, doors and drawer fronts to _his/her_ shop, and back.
I know that a lot of guitar artisans unhesitatingly send their product out for finishing rather than attempt to do it themselves.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Andy; there are a lot of very skilled finishers out there. The catch is that you'll likely have to transport your boxes, doors and drawer fronts to _his/her_ shop, and back.
> I know that a lot of guitar artisans unhesitatingly send their product out for finishing rather than attempt to do it themselves.


That's encouraging, I've just never shopped for a finisher. Transportation won't be a problem if the distance is reasonable. I have a pickup and the boxes are all less than 6 feet long. I'll do more research. Thanks.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Andy; a lot of small industrial shops really don't advertise in the normal media. Try visiting some of the industrial coatings wholesalers...lacquer and other stain products etc. They'll know who's good and who maybe not so much.
Also you could try the closest Mohawk distributor for the same type of info. They may even have some business cards posted. You could also look at high quality cabinet shops; if they aren't snowed under, they may well be open to doing _your_ finishing for you. A couple of the cab. shops up here that have big sanders will do panels for woodworkers, if they have some time (cash works  )


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DonkeyHody said:


> To be honest, it wasn't that I doubted I could do it; I wasn't sure I WANTED to build a whole kitchen's worth of cabinets. The current project is 14 boxes instead of 2. I'd hate to purchase a lot of materials and hardware, then discover I was sick of making doors and drawers and had to force myself to finish. But I enjoyed the 2 so much I was eager to tackle the 14.
> 
> I find the finishing process to be least enjoyable, so I may hire someone to put the finish on. But in the end, I probably won't be able to trust anyone else to get it right, so I'll have to do it myself. Sigh . . . it's a burden to be so anal.


consider making combination boxes instead of individuals...
less work, time and material...
FWIW.. lavs here are 39''...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

" FWIW.. lavs here are 39''..."
Seriously?! It's not like you're not already high enough... up in Colorado. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOB4VdlkzO4


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> " FWIW.. lavs here are 39''..."
> Seriously?! It's not like you're not already high enough... up in Colorado.
> 
> 
> ...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Let's have a little respect, eh?
The _Late_ John Dufuss...
Your women are all 6' 4" or taller?!

Why on Earth would you need a 39" high lav? 
What is the Standard Height of a Bathroom Vanity Bathroom Remodeling Blog

Nobody will be using it for a foot bath, guaranteed.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

compressed L5...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

* 'DonkeyHody'*
_*Light dawns...slaps forehead*_
Well done, Sir!


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## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

Andy, finishing was my least favorite of the job too!!


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Let's have a little respect, eh?
> The _Late_ John Dufuss...
> Your women are all 6' 4" or taller?!
> 
> ...



I've never been tempted to wash my feet in the lavatory anyway. I've found the "standard" height for lavatories to be most uncomfortable because it requires me to stoop to reach the bowl. I chose 40' after a careful evaluation of the ergonomics of washing hands. The height is perfect for that, but I forgot about brushing our teeth. I've quoted the relevant parts of the website below. The Starcraft Custom Builders website is very informative in a lot of ways, BTW. Check it out. 

Kitchen Ergonomics | Homeowner Guide | Kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska


The Right Counter Height

For determining the height of work surfaces, we don't care as much about the height of the user as we do about the distance of his or her elbows from the floor. The elbow is the critical hinge of all lower arm movement — and it's mostly lower arm movement that does the work in a kitchen. 

Pin It Photo: Sheldon Slate

Kitchen Remodeling in Lincoln Nebraska, The Ergonomic Kitchen: Countertop Height.Fit the countertop height to the actual user, not a hypothetical “average” user. This mean countertops as low as 32” and as high as 40” above the finished floor — and not the standard 36”. If your elbow is too high above the work surface, you tend to lean forward to put your elbows back in an optimal relation to the countertop. If your elbow is too close to the work surface you tend to either step or lean back to being the elbows back into the correct position. In either case, the back suffers. If after preparing Thanksgiving dinner your lower back is killing you, your countertops are too low. If the pain is in your upper back and shoulders, they are too high. For most people, the standard countertop height of 36" is too low. It was set in the 1930s when people were on average shorter than they are today — and it was probably too low even then. For most cooks the optimum height is between 37 and 39 inches, and we have made countertops as high as 40 inches. 

Your base counter height is found when, with palms on the counter-top, your arms rest at a 45 degree angle to the countertop. For chopping, slicing and most food assembly, this is the optimum height. But different work surface heights better fit other kitchen tasks. 

Hand mixing, for example, should be at a lower level for better leverage and proper ergonomic alignment.
For washing dishes, the working surface is not the countertop, but the bottom of the sink. So, sink depth is the issue. For a tall person the best depth might be 10 inches, but a short person needs a shallower sink to be comfortable, as little as 5" in some cases. How a sink is mounted makes a difference. A 7" sink when undermounted has an effective depth of just over 8" —, the thickness of the countertop become a part of the depth.
Baking also requires a lower working surface. When rolling out dough, you want to lean forward a little to put your back into the process so your arms and shoulders do not have to do all the work.
Cooking surfaces are usually set at countertop height. But, many ergonomists believe they should be set lower to make it easier to peer down into pots and pans. How this is done with standard ranges we don't know, since they are always set at about 36" to match the factory standard countertop. With a cooktop, set into the countertop, it's fairly easy to lower the cooking surface by lowering the countertop.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Very nice Andy.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

You do have a valid point in that if it's too high you can use a step stool, but if it's too low...


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> You do have a valid point in that if it's too high you can use a step stool, but if it's too low...


I never set out to convince people to raise their lavatories. I just meant to remind folks not to forget that you have to brush your teeth. My real point was that the only people I built the vanity to fit are my wife and I. I wasn't worried about standards. I almost got it right, but still much better for us than standard. Guests use the other bathroom. We've already been here 20 years and have no plans to move. If we do, somebody else can worry about whether the lavatory is too high.


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## chessnut2 (Sep 15, 2011)

Really, Really nice, Andy. Something to be proud of.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

That was marvelous, Andy. I especially like the raised panel doors and drawers.


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## old coasty (Aug 15, 2014)

It's work like this that inspires me to keep trying harder. The quality and beauty is priceless. Congratulations and thank you.


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## ksidwy (Jul 13, 2013)

Gorgeous work!!!! great pleasure to admire it!!!!
Sid


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

old coasty said:


> It's work like this that inspires me to keep trying harder. The quality and beauty is priceless. Congratulations and thank you.


(Blushing) Wow, Y'all are really too kind. Our friends aren't really into woodworking. They tell my the things I build are pretty, but they really have no appreciation for what it takes to build something. It's really gratifying to get high praise from folks that "get it". Thanks for all the comments.


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