The Bathroom Cabinet

I finally found a cabinet at The Rebuilding Center, when I was looking for something else entirely. It is actually a kitchen cabinet, which is a little too deep for the space, but it was a new custom piece and well built (maybe it was rejected because of the odd arrangement of colors) and I can easily retrofit it for the bathroom. Among other things, I'm going to set it up for an above counter sink. At last, I have a plan!

The first thing was to make it look less like a kitchen cabinet. I took off the masonite back and cut about four inches off of the depth so that it wouldn't stick into the doorway. Then I reattached the stretcher across the back.

After that I went nuts. I removed the kick plate, cut off the bottom sides and built legs for the cabinet, lowering it a little and making it into a washstand style of cabinet that will sit up off the floor. It will be the perfect place to loose cat toys.

The next step was to attach a plywood top and then the tile backer board, with holes for the fixtures already in place. I already had the hardware, part garage sale find, part new, so I used it to measure for the holes.
 

Then the tile. This counter top is a continuation of the floor design and color gradation (see bathroom floor). It was interesting trying to come up with an arrangement which would fit the restricted space and also work around the plumbing fixtures

Then I put wood trim around the edges. The sealer won't go on this piece until I'm sure about the fixtures and the sink.

Finally, the sink, which is a wooden bowl that I already own. It's an admittedly unusual choice, which I wouldn't even consider except that this is intended to be a low use bathroom, and I plan on varnishing it to within an inch of it's life and keep an eye on it.

However in the process of checking something else, my inspector, Mark Buitron, mentioned that a wooden sink might not meet code, even if I do varnish it, which I need to explore. When I checked back with him he let me know that no matter what I do to it, wood won't qualify, obviously something I should have checked before. In the end I had two days to come up with another option.

After considering several options, I decided to put in a temporary sink to pass the inspection. I still want an above counter sink, but I don't want to make any choices about it under pressure. So, I removed the entire counter top and set it aside, made a new one, got an official (if not pretty) sink at the The Rebuilding Center and had them install that instead. It isn't what I want, or what I will eventually have, but it is functional and having it there should encourage me to get back to the sink issue as soon as everything else is done.

What I am trying to do now is work out a trade with a web client of mine who is a glass artist. She will build me a sink and I will build her web site.