# Advice for Makeup Vanity



## BleachyFooo (Dec 31, 2014)

My wife wants me to build her a Makeup Vanity and I was hoping to get some advice before I start. I have no doubt that I will be able to build what she wants however, this will be my most challenging project thus far because I have never attempted to make drawers. :huh: She wants something similar to the picture below. What should I make this vanity out of? I would like to keep the cost down if possible but I do not want it to fall apart if I attempt to move it. I will be painting it or staining it an ebony color to match the rest of our furniture.


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## Masterjer (Nov 6, 2012)

I am planing a similar build. I would build the carcasses out of plywood in 3 separate sections. Use face frames to hide the plywood edges. Simple and relatively inexpensive. Since you will be painting, you could use poplar for the face frames and drawer fronts to keep costs down.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Before you start look at the stuff she will be putting into it. I think it needs more smaller drawers than the three big ones on each side. The one I made my wife had two 3" drawers on each side as well as the center drawer. 

Poplar would be a good wood to paint however if you have children it may not be a good choice. The wood dents easily so would be used gently. Soft maple would be better but still dents easily. If you can get birch or a lower grade of hard maple or cherry that would be a better wood to use. If you are going to paint it wouldn't matter if the wood had discolorations in it. 

If she wants the flowers on it you could use a water transfer applique. 

As far as the drawers they are just a wooden box. It might function better if you would use full extension drawer slides to mount them however it is customary to use wooden guides on furniture. There are a number of different methods. This is the best method I've seen. You just cut a notch in the back of the drawer under the bottom or better, install a rail with a dado in it to slide over the center rail shown in the picture.


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## BleachyFooo (Dec 31, 2014)

Steve Neul said:


> Before you start look at the stuff she will be putting into it. I think it needs more smaller drawers than the three big ones on each side. The one I made my wife had two 3" drawers on each side as well as the center drawer.
> 
> Poplar would be a good wood to paint however if you have children it may not be a good choice. The wood dents easily so would be used gently. Soft maple would be better but still dents easily. If you can get birch or a lower grade of hard maple or cherry that would be a better wood to use. If you are going to paint it wouldn't matter if the wood had discolorations in it.
> 
> ...



Do you have any pictures of the one you made your wife? I would love to see it.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Sorry about the pictures. My house is too full of furniture to take decent pictures. My wife likes cats so I carved a cat for each side of it. 

The table needs to be refinished but I'm reluctant to do it with cats in the house. It's roughly 40 years old now.


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## BleachyFooo (Dec 31, 2014)

Very nice. I like the twisted pillars.


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