blueman wrote:
"Kate" writes:

Hey Joe,

It's understandable that what you're trying to create is a nice
looking vanity with an all over coordinated look.
After reading the other replies, I felt that I should reply simply
because it makes me nuts when people tell me I CAN'T or SHOULDN'T do
something because it isn't the accepted method or the "norm". I'm
old, stubborn, female and Irish. I'd do it out of spite just to
prove I could. Not that this particular way of thinking has not come
back to bite me on the butt many times :¬D

First I have to admit that I don't have nearly as much knowledge
about woods as many of the old timers in here do. That being said I
have seen some striking wooden countertops.
An example would be bar tops.
It seems that they are generally a thick plank with a poured finish
that wears incredibly well. Something like the epoxy finish that you
are considering. I think if you have the wood well sealed and the
rim of the sink well sealed without water puddling on it, you should
be just fine. People told me not to put hardwood in my last kitchen.
i did, and it was wonderful! We used several coats of poly to seal
it and never had any issues even when we had spills.

Have you considered an accent wood rather than trying to match the
vanity entirely?
Perhaps you could find something with some true personality that will
compliment the existing cabinet.

Google "wood bar top"
You may find some good ideas and suggestions for finishes and
materials there.

Best of luck to you, hope you get the results you're looking for.

Other options for materials to consider a
Granite tile. Beautiful end result, easy to do and inexpensive.
Almost any natural stone tile like slate (great color selection) or
travertine. Again, easy, inexpensive (in tile) and very durable.
Because a vanity top is so small, you wouldn't need a lot of
materials and putting a base for a tile top on a vanity is
remarkably simple.

For one of our bathrooms we found some reclaimed black slate. It was
in assorted sizes and thicknesses and we got a LOT more than we
needed for a very cheap price.
All we had to do was clean it up a bit and it made an amazing floor
and vanity top.

Would love to see you post up some pics of your project no matter
how you decide to go with it.

K.

Thanks for the words of encouragement.
My wife wants it to look like the old one did. Since the vanity is
solid and only the top is pitted and beaten-up, my plan was to just
glue up a couple of 5/4 boards of solid hardwood for the top.

The old top lasted a good 20-30 years despite the fact that it was a
thin veneer on some type of chipboard and despite having just a
lacquer finish.

The epoxy clearcoat from West that I plan on using has been used for
decades in boats so I assume that this upgrade to solid wood and a
multi-coat epoxy surface plus a little more TLC of the top should get
me at least another 20-30 years which is plenty for me...

if you're going to go very dark, you could make it out of purpleheart. it
turns very dark with a yellowish finish on it. i scored a lot of it a couple
years ago when a hardwood store had some 6/4 premade decking boards they
wanted to unload. $1bf. i just have to trim off the rounded edges before i
glue it up.

if it were me, with 4 kids, i'd use tile or stone until they were gone. you
can get ropework edge tiles.

regards,
charlie
cave creek, az