DIY Cane Bathroom Vanity

Make this beautiful 24″ bathroom vanity that’s sure to get people asking, “where’d you buy that?”

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Have you ever made something for someone else and then wished you would’ve made it for yourself instead? That’s exactly how I feel about this cane vanity. 

I had so much fun designing our powder room that once we finished, I immediately wanted to tackle another. Luckily my mom had a blank slate for me to transform and she was willing to let me surprise her fully with the design (which included this vanity, some vertical “shiplap”, and a hand painted herringbone “wallpaper”). 

Cane has been wildly popular as of late (did it ever really go out of style?) so I was eager to try a cane project of my own. What better place to incorporate it than in the bathroom vanity design? After dreaming up some potential designs, I decided to step outside my comfort zone and try something with a little more detail than my typical clean, straight lines. 

When I found this vanity from Pottery Barn, I knew I found the perfect design inspiration. 

Alright, let’s start DIYing! 

P.S. if you’re looking for a modern vanity with sleek lines, check out the bathroom vanity tutorial.

Tools

• Drill
• Miter Saw
• Electric Sander
• Kreg Multi-Mark Tool
• Kreg K4
• Nail gun 
• Table saw or  circular saw with track
• Staple gun

New to DIY? Check out our post on beginner woodworking tools to determine which tools to get!

How to Make a 24 Inch Bathroom Vanity 

New to DIY? Download our free 5 Steps to Getting Start with DIY guide!

Prefer printable plans? Grab your cane vanity plans HERE.

Step 1: Make the doors

Get the cut list in the full printable plans. 

To make the doors without seeing any screws, we used a doweling kit. The kit is beginner-friendly and comes with step-by-step instructions.

If you’d rather make your doors with a Kreg Jig, that’s great too. Check out this tutorial on how to make shaker style doors with a Kreg Jig.

Once you’ve created a basic frame out of 1x2s and dowels, add your quarter round trim using glue and nails.

At this stage, you can also install your cane using clear glue and your staple gun. We didn’t install our cane until the very last step, but that’s simply because it didn’t arrive until the rest of the vanity was built.

Before installing your cane, stain it (we stained the back side because it took stain more evenly than the front). Make sure to test out your stain colors on a small section first! The cane stains very differently than wood, so you likely won’t use the same color on your vanity and your cane.

Let the stain dry and then soak the cane in water for at least two hours before installing it. I’m no cane expert, but Frank’s Cane sure is. They have incredible customer service and will gladly walk you through how to secure and install your cane from start to finish. 

Step 2: Make the sides

For the sides, start by gluing .5x2s on the top and bottom of your plywood pieces. Once dry, use glue and pocket holes to secure the plywood sides to the 2x2s. The fronts of the 1x2s and 2x2s should be flush. 

Step 3: Assemble 

Using glue and pocket holes, bring the sides together by securing (3) 1x2s for the front, one at the top, one at the bottom, and one between the drawer and doors. Then add (2) 1x2s to the back. 

Pocket holes are the foundation of most DIY furniture. Become a pocket hole pro in less than an hour in Pocket Holes: Explained.

Once assembled, measure the bottom and cut a piece of plywood to size. Pre-drill the plywood and screw it into the rest of the structure. Don’t worry about that ugly plywood edge that’s showing, we’ll cover it right up in the next step. 

Step 4: Add trim and feet 

Measure and cut your trim, mitering the corners. We didn’t add trim to the back since it wouldn’t be seen (and because we made an incorrect cut and didn’t have enough leftover). Add trim to cover the plywood edge around the bottom using glue and nails.

Pre-drill each of the feet and then screw them in by hand. We originally purchased the metal hardware that you can use to install the feet, but it ended up looking clunky. It was easier (and seems just as secure) to simply pre-drill and screw them in. 

Step 5: Prep and stain

We covered any nail holes or seams with wood filler before sanding down the vanity. We sanded using our orbital sander with 120 and then used a 220 sanding block to get everything extra smooth before staining. Don’t forget about staining your doors and faux drawer even though they aren’t attached just yet. 

Step 7: Add hardware 

Measure and drill for your two knobs on the drawer. Attach the hinges to the front of the door.

We opted to install the hinges on the front of the door and cabinet, but you could also install it on the sides to hide the hinge plates. If you go this route, be sure to mock up the spacing first to make sure that there is room for the hinges to fit on the sides and still be able to open the door. 

Step 6: Attach drawer and doors 

Attach the drawer using 4 corner braces. Then attach the hinges to the vanity using screws. I like to use tape to hold everything in place while attaching it.

You can also add a magnetic door catch to ensure the doors stay closed and don’t swing in.

STEP 7: Install the sink

Follow the manufacturer instructions for installing the vanity top. Make sure that the overhang is equal on both sides. We found our Kreg Multi-Mark Tool to be especially handy for this step.

Once you get the sink installed, you can add in your faucet and hook up your plumbing.

There you have it! Now you know how to make a beautiful cane bathroom vanity. I don’t know about you, but now I want to add cane to everything. What cane furniture project should we tackle next?

Don’t forget to grab the full printable plans for the detailed cut list, step-by-step instructions, and 3D renderings of each step.