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Hello!
Have recently purchased a house which we love, the only thing that desperately needs addressing is that the bathroom vanity is wooden and has areas around the sink which are rotten/water damaged. Please see pictures, most is fairly superficial but there are areas which look like they extend fairly deeply.
The way I see it there are a couple of options:
1. Sand down the wood, apply oxalic acid, cut out the deeper parts and replace with wood putty and then revarnish... But not sure if it is too far gone?
2. Replace the wood and sink entirely
3. Replace the vanity entirely
We have little to no DIY experience/skills and would prefer to avoid the second two options... But not sure if the first option is feasible? Any advice would be appreciated!
Hi @beginnerDIY2,
Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.
I'm confident that you can restore the current vanity top and you'd likely have a great time restoring it.
I would start by removing the basin so you can have access to the timber on all sides; top, bottom and in the cut-out. You'll be able to disconnect the waste pipe underneath and then lift the basin out. You'll likely need to run a utility knife around the bottom of the basin as it's likely there is a bead of silicone. Remember to wear gloves to protect yourself from unnecessary lacerations.
Once the basin is removed, use Diggers Rust And Stain Cleaner, which is an oxalic acid-based cleaner. Mix 100g of Diggers Rust & Stain Cleaner in 1 litre of water, apply it to the stained timber and let it soak for a couple of minutes. Work it in with a stiff-bristled brush such as this Mr Clean Handheld Iron Scrub Brush or even an old toothbrush. Clean everything off with a damp cloth and let it sit to dry.
Once dry, you can use Earl's Wood Hardener on any sections that feel slightly rotten. Repeatedly saturate the rotted wood fibres to enable the deepest possible penetration. Let it cure until solid and not tacky to the touch. Multiple treatments might be needed on extremely soft wood.
I'd focus your efforts with the wood hardener on the sections that aren't in great condition, such as the one I've circled below.
Once the wood hardener is fully cured, you should give everything a good sand with 80 grit, then assess whether you need to fill any sections. There are wood fillers such as this Timbermate Natural Wood Filler that are likely close in colour, or you can mix some clean sawdust with wood glue to create your own filler.
After filling any sections, give everything a sand with 120 grit, then 180, then 240. It is likely going to be worthwhile investing in a random orbital sander if you don't already have one.
Now everything is sanded, brush it down with a soft brush or even run a vacuum over the surface to remove the fine sawdust.
Once clean, I'd advise you to use a clear polyurethane varnish such as Cabot's Clear Polyurethane Timber Varnish. This can be applied with a paintbrush, sponge or rag. Check out How To Restore Wooden Furniture for some advice on applying varnish. I'd suggest due to the proximity to water, you should apply at least 3 coats.
You can then put the basin back in place, connect the pipe and seal the bottom edge of the basin to the timber with Selleys White Wet Area Waterproof Silicone Sealant. Check out How To Silicone a Gap for some guidance on this process.
With the above steps, you should be able to restore the vanity top to its former beauty.
If this seems like too much, you could always replace the vanity top with a Mondella Rococo 750mm Meranti Vanity Top or this Mondella 910mm Merbau Rococo Vanity Top.
Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Jacob
Sanding the surface is perfectly ok, it will remove any loose material that's on the surface of your timber vanity top. You'll also be able to tell how deep the damage goes into your vanity top.
If you need further assistance, please let me know.
Eric
