DIY Vanity Makeover: Furniture Flip

By Lauren Rose Correa, June 16, 2022

My late grandmother inspired this DIY vanity makeover. When she passed away, I inherited her beautiful vintage vanity. I always admired this piece, which she kept in her home for many years. I am thrilled to have something lovely to remember her by.

Unfortunately, during the time this vanity spent in her assisted living home toward the end of her life, it incurred some water damage on the surface. By the time the vanity came into my possession, it was in desperate need of some TLC, but I was up for the challenge!

DIY Vanity Makeover: Bondo and Paint

The most major damage to the piece was water damage. There were some serious cracks in the veneer on the top surface of the vanity. Fortunately, this was nothing a little Bondo couldn’t repair! I peeled back as much of the veneer as possible. Then I used a spackle knife to smear Bondo over the area, following the instructions on the package. You need to work quickly, because once you mix the Bondo it dries pretty fast.

After finishing this major repair, I chose a pale turquoise blue for the paint color. I must confess that my grandmom never would have painted this piece, preferring the look of natural wood. But the only way to mask the extensive surface repairs was through paint. I tried to pick a color that she would have liked!

Adding Special Details

As a special detail, I used a black paint pen to hand draw leopard print on the sides of the drawers. I love how this peeks out when the drawers are opened. Leopard print is easy to draw, but if you’re an artist, you can create limitless designs on the drawers. You can also use rub-on transfers to create a pretty pop of pattern.