Reduce, Reuse, Restore:

Vanity Transformation

Do you have an old makeup vanity that you’re not sure what to do with? It may be a beautiful antique, but over time it has gotten a bit drabby. Good news: you can transform it with stuff you have lying around the house!   Learn how to restore an old antique vanity from “eh” to “wow” with leftover tiles, trim, wallpaper and adhesive.

HOW TO TRANSFORM A VINTAGE VANITY

Our friend Angie (@howwedo208) has an adorable makeup vanity that she was able to transform in just a few easy steps! This turned an ordinary looking vanity into one with character.

Watch Angie’s process in the video below.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

For a written breakdown explaining how Amber restored her vanity, take a look at the steps below!

 

Directions

1. CUT YOUR TRIM

The first step is to measure the perimeter of your vanity countertop space. Using a thin wood trim, you’re going to cut according to those measurements. This will create a frame for your tiles to fit into. Using Loctite® PL Premium Max Construction Adhesive, secure the trim pieces to your vanity.

 

2. INSERT YOUR TILES

Now that your frame is in place, you can add your tiles! Adhere them in the frame using Loctite® PL Premium Max Construction Adhesive.

This adhesive is very forgiving, allowing you to adjust and move the tiles as you see fit.

Angie used white and black marble tiles she had left from a bathroom renovation and arranged them into a Harlequin pattern.

3. GROUT YOUR TILES

You can grout your tiles using any color grout that you want. This is going to give your design that finishing touch. Angie opted for white grout for her tiles.

 
4. CUT AND APPLY WALLPAPER

This step will give your vanity that extra little touch! Angie took a vintage-looking wallpaper and cut it to fit inside the bottom of her vanity drawers. You can use an Loctite Extreme glue for this step.

 

 
5. APPLY YOUR MIRROR TRIM

Does your mirror have a few minor glass chips? Some trim will take care of that!

Angie used a flexible decorative trim that she spraypainted gold to line the outside of her vanity mirror. She secured it using Loctite® Extreme Glue. 

 
6. FINISH WITH EMBELLISHMENTS 

When in doubt, embellishments always take a project up a notch. These extra touches made Angie’s mirror look straight out of a museum.

She secured them with the same Loctite® Extreme Glue used for the mirror trim.

And that’s it! We hope this project was able to inspire you to take that old furniture piece you have lying around and restore it into something worth showcasing.