I bought this waterfall vanity a few years ago with the intent to redo it. I would work on it periodically, then it would sit for months with no progress.
I knew it had issues with the laminate and that I would have to remove some of it. The pictures don’t show it very well, but the laminate was also coming loose around the bottom on the sides and on the top surface of the middle section.
Removing the laminate from the sides left a paper thin piece of wood, so I cut new sides and attached them, making the sides sturdier. By a lot.
The mirror had its own issues, with cracks in the frame
I used wood glue and a nail gun to put things back together and make it strong again.
I wanted to make the top surface textured and pretty. This paintable wallpaper was attached to the top surfaces, then the whole thing was primed and painted my favorite cream color.
I like to stain wood that is in good shape and let the beautiful grain show, but these World War II era waterfall furniture pieces were actually designed to be cheap “starter” furniture and generally have low quality wood. Thin pieces of laminate are shaped into curved pieces, making the waterfall style possible.
So, there really was no pretty wood to save, making coats of paint the best option.
After the paint, I used a semi-gloss polyurethane to seal the surfaces, especially the textured top.
The original hardware was spray painted a rubbed bronze color and reattached in the original holes.
After reattaching the mirror, it is ready to go!
Roots and Wings 