Could you show an image of the problem area?

How close is the steam source to the vanities?

I had teens that turned bathrooms into steam rooms, but never had a damaged vanity.

Make sure the exhaust fan works properly and vents to the outside. Are you letting the fan run for at least 30 minutes after you are done showering? Get a timer installed on the switch to help with that.

Address the steam issue concurrently to you vanity repair.

Is your situation one in which you can leave the bathroom door open while you shower?

Also, have you tested the draw by holding a piece of toilet aer up to the fan and seeing if it sucks it up?

Here’s a photo - thanks! And yes, we keep the fan running but the timer is a good idea. The shower is pretty close; there’s just the toilet in between.

The vanity base is solid wood

That part of the vanity is almost certainly not solid wood, and probably the finish is separating from the surface underneath. Next time you steam the place up, take a good look at that side of the vanity. Is it wet?

That's not solid wood and it looks like more than steam damage. Who did that caulk job, please?

Curious who made the vanity and how you know it is solid wood. I am in the market for a vanity and many that say solid wood have another area of the description saying MDF, or have reciews saying it is not solid wood.

I too have a small bathroom with no window and a vent with zero draw. (Condo, vent stack to the roof, not like I can just replace the vent.)

I'm no pro, but that looks more like water damage, as in real wet kind of damage, and not really steam. Are you sure you don't have a drip leak coming from under the faucet under the counter there rather than the steam issue? Maybe try running the sink for a while and look under there and see what happens. I would suggest maybe someone is really messy at the sink, but I would think the damage would be more sink-side than in the corner if that was the case.

If it is steam damage. Your exhaust fan isn't up to snuff for your bathroom apparently. You might need to upgrade. It might need a deep cleaning, check to make sure it's venting out right. Because if it is steam, even if you get the vanity fixed, the issue causing the problem still exists.

Kendrah - the vanity is from Joss & Main; the description is solid wood but I agree it seems possible the rear is MDF.

The install was by a contractor. I’ll check for water spillage from the sink but it seems pretty dry other than what you’d expect.

If we take all these steps to mitigate further damage, is there any way to treat this particular spot and seal up where the paint has separated, so it doesn‘t get any worse right there?

Actually, I just remembered - we did have one major water issue months ago where the whole thing briefly got quite wet (long story). Maybe the damage was done then, if it‘s more than steam?

There is no repair. Chip out the raised area with a chisel, apply bondo, paint to match. Today you need to redo that caulking. All the joints need to be properly sealed. Whomever installed this had no care about the final result. All of those seams- cabinet to counter, counter to tile, and cabinet to wall- need to be sealed.

" is there any way to treat this particular spot and seal up where the paint has separated, so it doesn‘t get any worse right there? "

Not really, damage is done on MDF or the like. You can try refinishing but the material is essentially falling apart so the water was pretty serious.

" we did have one major water issue months ago where the whole thing briefly got quite wet (long story). Maybe the damage was done then, if it‘s more than steam? "

Definitely not "maybe and definitely more than steam, and yeah you're on it now.

That finish layer is quite damaged. A challenging repair is ahead, if possible.

First, I'd determine if the subpanel has swelled from moisture by pressing the raised surface. If the raised layer lays flat, you can proceed. You'll need to find a way to press the area flat for enough time, hours, to allow glue to cure. When you have that, next figure a method to inject glue between the raised surface and the substrate. Wax paper can work between the outer painted surface and a flat surface you push against it to apply pressure to flatten it. You can get glue squeeze out. Wipe that while wet. Leave the pressure on overnight or for hours.

Hi, Something I found out with a few experiments. If your fan moves 100 cubic feet a minute and the space under the bathroom door only allows 10 cubic feet, that's as good as it gets, your bathroom will steam up. To test next time, leave the door open some and see if that cures the steam problem if it does put some louvers in the bathroom door.

Good Luck Woodbutcher

Thanks everyone for the advice with this! I ended up taking off the paint in that one spot, drying it, sanding, re-caulking the edge, and painting that section, and it looks a lot better.