DIY Concrete Vanity {with integral sink}!
My blog focuses on thrifty DIY renovations and I am here to share with you one of my favorite DIY projects that I have ever tackled! You may have seen DIY concrete countertops all over Pinterest (and here and here on Remodelaholic!). You can pour them yourself into forms, but the easiest way to do DIY concrete countertops is by using a product called Ardex Feather Finish to apply on top of a stable surface, such as an existing laminate countertop. I did exactly that in my laundry room and was thrilled with the results. It was easy to do because the stainless steel sink in our laundry room popped out of place while I worked on the countertop. You may have even read about it over here on Remodelaholic when I guest posted about my high style, low cost laundry room renovation.
Unfortunately, our bathrooms are full of cultured marble counter tops with integral sinks that were oh so popular in the early 80’s. Not my favorite look. It was not in our budget to replace the vanity top in our powder room, so I had to get creative. I took a risk and decided to attempt the DIY concrete look in the powder room. I bet you are wondering…BUT HOW CAN YOU DO IT WITH AN INTEGRAL SINK?! Buckle your seat belts. I am about to show you how I did it.
DIY Concrete Vanity Instructions
Materials Needed to Create a DIY Concrete Vanity:
- Ardex Feather Finish {which can be hard to find} OR Henry’s Feather Finish {which is also made by Ardex and can be easily found at Home Depot}
- 14 inch Drywall tray
- 6 inch metal Drywall knife
- 2 inch plastic putty knife
- An electric sander {makes some of the sanding work easier, but you CAN sand by hand if you don’t have an electric sander}
- Latex gloves
- Acrylic concrete sealer
- 150 and 220 grit sandpaper
- A large sponge
Steps to Create a DIY Concrete Vanity:
1) Remove your faucet and drain stopper.
2) Sand your counter top and sink. This will dull the finish of the cultured marble and make it easier for the concrete to adhere.
3) Mix your concrete. I simply pour some of the dry mix into my drywall tray, add water and mix it with my small putty knife. You want to mix it to the consistency of pancake batter. After mixing it, let it sit for a few minutes and then mix it again. Now it is ready to work with.
4) Apply your first coat of concrete to the entire cultured marble countertop and any backsplash. You want to apply a THIN coat–do not strive for full coverage on the first coat. It will look like a hot mess, but don’t get nervous. It will be gorgeous, I promise! I use my large drywall knife to apply it to most of the counter top surface and I use the smaller putty knife to apply it to the small backsplash piece. Use your fingers to apply it to the corners and top of the edges. You may get some on your walls in the process, don’t worry, it wipes off fairly easily even after it dries, but you may wind up with some minor paint touch up work.
5) Now, apply it to the sink basin. You have to do this with your fingers. You should protect your skin with gloves. Spread it around as best you can. Again, it will be messy and you will see finger marks. That’s okay!
6) Allow it to dry. It dries fairly quickly, but I allowed each coat to dry overnight because I was working on it at night anyway. Once it is dry, give it a light hand sanding. NOTE: If you applied your first coat too thickly and there are significant imperfections, you may be better off using an electric sander.
7) Repeat steps 4- 6 until you achieve the coverage you want. I was happy after 3 coats, but I am fairly experienced using this product and am able to apply it fairly smoothly. If you have more imperfections, you will probably require more coats to get it nice and smooth. The photo below is a photo I took while the second coat was drying {which is why it looks all splotchy}.
When you put your second and third coats in the sink basin, it helps to smooth the ridges left by your fingers out with a sponge AFTER the concrete has dried a little bit. You want it to be just firm enough to smooth out the ridges–if it is too wet, you will wind up wiping off the concrete, which you do not want. This requires a little bit of trial and error, but I would say as a rule of thumb, you can smooth it out with a sponge about 10 to 20 minutes after you have applied it. {Do not try to smooth out the first layer–it will wipe right off. Only do this with subsequent layers!}
8) Once you are happy with the coverage, you will want to do a final sanding of the entire vanity surface. I do it by hand to ensure that I don’t remove too much of the concrete, particularly on the edges and corners. But again, if you have significant imperfections, you may need to break out the electric sander.
9) Your last step is to apply a sealer. I recommend using a water based acrylic concrete sealer in satin finish. It gives your concrete a nice, smooth finish with a slight sheen. It also darkens the concrete up a bit, which I like. You will notice in the second photo below that the sealer has a milky appearance when it is applied. Don’t worry, it dries clear. Follow the directions carefully–do not apply the sealer too thick and/or leave puddles. Also be sure to smooth out any air bubbles. I applied two coats. Also, take care to apply sufficient sealer around the inner edge of the hole where your drain will sit, otherwise water may seep into the concrete, which you do not want.
10) After the sealer dries, install your new faucet {or reinstall your old faucet}. That’s it! Can you believe how easy that is?
Time and Cost Involved to Create a DIY Concrete Vanity:
Each coat/sanding cycle took me only about 30 minutes. Including the sealing step and removal and reinstallation of the faucet, this project took only about 2 1/2 hours, spread out over several nights after work and getting my girls to bed.
The cost was very low, coming in well under $20.00. We purchased our Henry’s Feather Finish for $16.00 for the box and used less than 1/4 of the contents. We already had the sealer left over from when I used this same technique in our laundry room. And, since we are frequent DIYers, we had all of the other supplies on hand. Even if you had to purchase the sealer and some of the other supplies, you would still spend far less than what you would spend on a new vanity top!
Check out the final result!
Not bad for an amazing transformation, huh? We just love it!
I would love for you to head over to my blog, Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body, to explore some of our other thrifty renovation projects, like how we totally transformed our kitchen for less than $700 or how we created a stunning herringbone plank wall FOR FREE using an old, ugly fence! If you love concrete as much as I do, you may also enjoy our DIY concrete fireplace! I hope to see you over in my corner of blog land soon!
UPDATE: To answer the questions about how this cement refinishing coat holds up and how to clean it, Tasha was kind enough to make a short video for you. Thanks, Tasha!
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Looking for more ways to update a vanity?
Paint it
Remodel it
or build it!
Hi! I'm Tasha author and creator of Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body, where I blog about thrifty DIY home renovations, simple crafts and tips for a happy household. Join me as my firefighter husband, 3 1/2 year old twin girls and I renovate our outdated home one room at a time. We are living proof that you can create your dream home on a budget even when you lead very busy lives!
I am SO glad I came across this project! I am dying to do this in my son’s bathroom. My husband likes it as well, but he has one concern? He is worried that it will chip or crack easily? Have you dropped anything on yours?
Hi Shannon! We have not dropped anything on ours, but I am telling you, this stuff is STURDY. We used it on our fireplace and we stand and sit on it all the time–no cracking at all! We even mounted our TV to it and were worried that would cause cracks, but it didn’t. I hope that helps! 🙂 Tasha @ Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body
This is a fantastic how-to, really interesting. As with everyone else, I’ve got a question … cleaning. I feel I may represent the ‘other half’ of the world when I say that I don’t get to clean the kids bathroom as often as I should (like maybe once a month- and yes it IS gross by then – but I’m b u s y) soooooo, after reading the sealer bottle are there any suggestions for cleaning products to get all the toothpaste residue etc from the surface. (I know I know I should/need-to clean more often but really, my kids are young and we’re never home.) I am prepared for the onslaught of comments on this one :)- please and thank you, greatly.
Hi Jennifer! We use Lysol wipes to clean ours off. It’s nice and smooth when it’s all done and sealed, so cleaning it is just as easy as any other hard surface. Did you watch the YouTube video embedded in the post? You can see me wiping it off. Hope that helps!!!
hi tasha! EXCELLENT tutorial… thank you! i just finished the first coat of sealer on my kitchen counters (using the same sealer you used) but the instructions on the container say it only needs one coat. *sigh* so my question is, how long did you wait in between coats? and how long did you wait until you started using the counter (ie putting towels etc on it)? again?, thank you for such a great post. yours is the best one ive found 🙂 -katey
Hi Katey! Ooops, I clearly did not read the directions on the sealer 🙂 As best I recall, I waited only a few hours between coats of sealer, but if you want to be even more cautious, maybe you should wait overnight? And we started using it again about two days after we sealed it (only because it took us a while to get around to installing the new faucet). Hope that helps. SO excited you liked the tutorial!
Could you stain the cement for a darker finish? If so, when would you do that? After the sealer or before? I’m excited to show my husband this! We just bought our first home and I’m a huge DIYer so this is perfect!
Hi Kasi! You cannot color the feather finish product, but I believe Ardex makes a very similar product that can have color added to it. You can probably google it. I hope that helps.
do you think you could do this over a tiles counter top? Our house was built in 1969 to give you an idea.
Hi Katie! As long as your tile is not cracked, chipped or unstable, this should work on tile. You may require more coats than a smooth surface would. Hope that helps!
I really like this idea, but I was wondering how it’s holding up. As of today have you dropped anything on it? I’m concerned that it will start cracking at some point and will have to be redone. we have a white counter top in our bathroom which we’ve slowly been redoing. this would be a great and cheap way to change up our vanity.
Thanks, Brandi! So far, the project is holding up perfectly. No chipping, cracks or any other problems. I can’t say we have dropped anything on it–it is our powder room, so we don’t use anything other than an electric toothbrush in it, but our twin girls sit and stand on it and that doesn’t affect it at all. I hope that helps!
We are going to try this in our jack & jill bath and can’t wait to see the results! Thanks for the tutorial!
My pleasure, Melinda!
I looked high and low to do a vanity like this! I was JUST about to price a new one and found this little gem!
Thanks Tasha this looks great I have been wanting to try this in my bathroom for a few years but could not figure out the sink part!
Looks awesome!
Thanks so much, Aries! So glad you found my tutorial useful!
How does it feel after it is complete?
It feels very smooth!
This seems like a great project to save some money as well as create a great look. I would imagine after applying the sealant it would last pretty long. Have you had any issues with chipping or wearing down?
Hi Jason! So far, the project is holding up perfectly. No chipping, cracks or any other problems. I hope that helps!
Do you know anyone that has tried this with a bathtub?
I don’t, and I wouldn’t recommend it with a tub. Sorry!
Do u think this would work on the tub as well? I will do the counter first but hoping to cover an old tub and then they match
I wouldn’t recommend it with a tub, sorry!
I’ve applied 3 coats of sealer and still have some dark spots appear when it gets wet. Any suggestions? Did this happen to you?
Hi Elizabeth! No, we don’t have any darkening at all. Did you use the same sealer I did?
Same here Elizabeth. My water stains are right around the drain, which are already in place. Any suggestions on how to fix these dark water stains and stop it from happening again?
Thank you, I appreciate any suggestions. I love the sink and after all my hard work, I’d hate to have issues down the road from water leaking into the cement around the drain.
We just did this to our powder room and having the same problem. Water collects and pools at the drain and it starts to darken the cement. Did anyone find a fix for this? Should I remove the drain and apply more costs of sealer?
Same problem and same question! 🙂
Hi Janerik! We occasionally have some darkening around the drain, but only when the sink has been used a ton. The spots will dry out if you going without using the water for a day or so. You could then remove the drain and apply more coats of sealer. If your drain sits too high and is causing water to collect and sit around it, you could also chisel out a round spot for your drain to sit in, which should also eliminate the issue. I hope that helps!
I have removed my drain and re-applied many coats of sealer, and it is not working. The area around both sink drains darkens within 20 minutes of use, every single time, and takes a full 24 hours to dry out again. It seems to be because the shape of the sink allows a small amount of water to pool right around the drain hole. Is it possible to add more concrete to reshape the bottom of the sink after the sealer has been applied? Otherwise, I have ruined my vanity top and will have to spend a ridiculous amount of money having new ones custom made- because they are not a standard size. Since this is apparently something many people are having trouble with, could you please add a note about it to the original post? How many people have trusted that it will work, only to encounter this problem? The project worked beautifully otherwise, but now it appears I have ruined my vanity.
Hi Sydney! We didn’t have any darkening around our drain until roughly 13 months after we completed it, but we found a solution and you can read all about it here: https://www.designertrapped.com/2016/02/diy-concrete-vanity-update.html And I have updated the original post to mention it as well. I hope that helps!
Hi Maria! We occasionally have some darkening around the drain, but only when the sink has been used a ton. They will dry out if you going without using the water for a day or so. You could then remove the drain and apply more coats of sealer. If your drain sits too high and is causing water to collect and sit around it, you could also chisel out a round spot for your drain to sit in, which should also eliminate the issue. I hope that helps!
Hi… My husband was wondering about the drain area… Did you have your drain sit on the concrete finish, or did you allow for space so that the drain is flush with the concrete?
Great job… thanks for the pin!
Hi Brenda! Currently our drain is sitting on the concrete finish, which can cause water to sit and pool around the drain. So, we actually plan to remove the drain and chisel out some of the concrete so that the drain sits completely flush with the concrete. I hope that helps!
Can you seal the concrete the day after you apply the final coat (as long as it’s dry)? I noticed the acylic zealand says wait 7 days.
I would recommend following the instructions on the sealer. We did not wait 7 days, but others are complaining that their sealer is tacky because they did not allow the concrete to fully cure. So I would do what the sealer company recommends!
I love this post! I do not live near a Home Depot, but I do have a Lowe’s nearby and they have a product called TEC Skill Set Skimcoat and Patch. Would that work equally as well? Thanks!
Hi Jodi! I am not familiar with that product and would recommend that you purchase the Ardex Feather Finish or Henry’s Feather Finish online. I know you can find the Ardex Feather Finish on Amazon. I hope that helps!
Hello Tasha!
I have been tirelessly researching on the internet how to resurface my vanity over existing materials as to avoid tearing out and replacing it. I finally came across your website with posting of how you installed concrete over cultured marble countertop with integral sink which is exactly what I have. My question to you is…have you tried staining over concrete and if so, how did that work out for you? Also, I noticed you used Quickrete for your sealer. I went to Home Depot today and explained my project. Quickrete actually came out with a product specifically for countertops. Wondered if there is something I need to be aware of when choosing the right product.
Signed…
Dana – Designer Trapped in an Insurance agents body!
Hi I have used Ardex before and am familiar with it as a leveler and such. I also know the regular feather grey DOESN”T TINT WELL. It’s muddy looking. I think it’s awesome you work all day then come home and “get going!” Thats a tuff one for me somedays. I am really wondering does your batheroom counter get alot of use and is it still holding up well? Thanks alot, you give a tired “A” diyer alotta hope!
Hi Michelle! Yes, I have heard that to tint it there is a different Ardex mixture that is similar to the Feather Finish that will yield good results–I can’t recall the name of it off the top of my head. I just recently published a post about how it’s holding up. You can find it here: https://www.designertrapped.com/2016/02/diy-concrete-vanity-update.html
My husband and I are doing the concrete overlay on marble like above. We have put on 2 costs and are sanding now. However there are a LOT of high/low spots. We are using an electric sander with 150 sandpaper. Not getting even. Should we use courser sand paper?