Ipe Vanity

15 years ago

I wanted to share a pic of the Ipe vanity my DH built for our lake house (rental) property. He had lumber leftover from our deck, and just had to order the posts. We got the top at HD for a very reasonable price. He also built the mirror frame to match.

We did not stain the wood - that is the natural color, but we did give it a coating of furniture oil to protect it from water marks. Its been in for 2 years and looks like new.

Since this is a vacation rental, I bought Rubbermaid bins for the shelf below, so each person could easily store their belongings and retrieve them when needed. The bins are easy clean and work very well when you have a large number of people sharing a bath.

I just love the spa look, and we are planning to build another vanity like this for our master bath. Ipe has really gone up in price and is harder to find, but there are other exotic hardwoods that would work just as well.

Just make sure you have the right tools - this wood is very dense and hard to cut/drill. My husband jokes that if a tornado or hurricane comes through, under the vanity would be the safest place in the house to hide!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1405822}}

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

mahatmacat1
15 years ago
I love Ipe. We had a screened porch made of it when we lived back east. You're right, though, it's VERY hard to cut and drill--the screw holes had to be pre-drilled or else they'd chip. When our contractor (emphasis on 'con'...but that's another story) tried to skip that step, he paid for it and had to purchase more wood. Does your DH work with wood on a regular basis? If not, it's quite a jump to start with Ipe!

But your sinkbase is so completely gorgeous, and as your DH said, built for the ages. Give your husband a 'goodonya' from a g'webber : )
pharaoh
15 years ago
Lovely wood, gorgeous vanity!

I have been dreaming and planning an ipe deck for years. when will the economy improve so i can feel confident about remodeling more of the house ?
Related Professionals
Rocky Mount Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Hot Springs Bathroom Remodelers · Daytona Beach Bathroom Remodelers · Fergus Falls Bathroom Remodelers · Janesville Bathroom Remodelers · El Dorado Tile and Stone Contractors · Portsmouth Tile and Stone Contractors · Rockford Tile and Stone Contractors · Gloucester Tile and Stone Contractors · Webster Tile and Stone Contractors · Detroit Tile and Stone Contractors · Bridgeport Tile and Stone Contractors · Hobbs Tile and Stone Contractors · Kennewick Tile and Stone Contractors · Longview Tile and Stone Contractors
numbersjunkie
Original Author
15 years ago
DH does not usually build furniture, but he is an engineer and hates to hire anyone to do anything. For the deck, we agonized over the clip system or screws, but ended up with the screws - very slim ones and countersunk so they hardly show. He pre-drilled every one, and went through a few drill bits.

Here is a link that might be useful:
pharaoh
15 years ago
ipe deck and ipe vanity! i am jealous ;)
abd1
15 years ago
Looks great. We have about an 800 sf Ipe deck and we love it. Ipe is also called Iron Wood and for good reason. The stuff is super dense and tough. Great idea using it in the bathroom. We're having a countertop made with myrtle, but ipe would have been a great choice.
numbersjunkie
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks all! I'm lurking here because I am embarking on a renovation of the master bath at our lake house and plan to use the same materials/vanity as the hall bath. Do you think that is too much of a good thing? The floor tiles are 2" mosaic in quartite - colors are very subtle, spa like - tans, whites, pale blue-green. I plan to have the prefab shower replaced with a tiled shower, and wonder if I should use the quartzite there or get something different that blends, maybe more solid. It s a pretty small room, just enough of a pathway in front of the vanity & toilet to lead to the shower. Two people would have trouble in there at the same time. Thoughts?