How To DIY A Bedroom Vanity For Under $200 -

Funny little tidbit about me. I re-decorate my house like, ALL THE TIME. I either get tired with the current layout, I buy something and need to move everything around to make room for it, or, after living in a space for awhile, I revamp for functionality. Okay, okay, sometimes I just do it for fun.

The thing is, this can get a little costly.

So, what I’ve discovered is that with a little bit of handy-ness and some willpower, I can typically use what I already have and just re-purpose it into something else.

For Example:
This Bedroom Vanity.

I have a long, but narrow bedroom and wanted a large vanity wall-unit that would take up a lot of space and allow me to house my maaaany different decor items and boxes (full of nail stuff!). After doing much research and shopping around, I came to the conclusion that big, vanity units cost a LOT of money, but with some imagination and discount-shopping, I managed to make this large DIY Bedroom Vanity for around $200!!

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Here’s how I did it.

2 x (42″ long x 16″ wide) Shelves

Cost: FREE
I already owned these so I just repurposed them. These shelves can be joined together in the middle using a big bolt, to make one long bookshelf. I bought them like this, knowing that I would be able to reconfigure them one day if need be. Ultimately, I would have just made more of a desk-style vanity using just these shelves and a long board across the top, but they are 42″ high, which is just too high when sitting down. I wanted to be able to pull up a chair- or in this case, an ottoman for my old couch, and sit comfortable while doing my makeup.

Pro Tip:
Buy furniture that can be reconfigured. You can save a ton of money in the long run.

4 x (32″ long x 12″ wide) Shelves

Cost: $120 total
I also owned these, but had purchased them recent enough to know that I got these shelves for around $30 each from Walmart. I bought them and stacked them together in my old bedroom, right before moving into my new house. Luckily, they were the perfect height for my new project. These units have height adjustable shelves, which is a very important element when you have a bunch of different objects you want to display.

Repurposed shelves from my old bedroom. (Right of the photo)

Pro Tip:
Buy shelving units with adjustable shelves!

2 x (72″ long by 12″ deep) Boards

Cost: $24
I went to my local Home Depot for these. If you go to the ‘Building’ section, you can find aisles full of wooden planks, shelves, etc. that you can get cut to your desired length, for free. I found two that were $12 each and the same depth as the other shelves (12″), so I had an employee cut them down from 84″ long to 72″. AND, I now had the leftover cut pieces to make some wall shelves in the future. I have used this method MANY times in the past, rather than buying pre-made shelf kits online or in stores. Grab yourself a few brackets, and you can make a nice wall shelf for around $15, compared to store-bought ones that typically start around $40 and only go up from there.

Pro Tip:
Go to your local hardware store and get some lumber cut to custom lengths when making shelves. You will save a CRAP TON of money

I then just stacked the shelves into the layout that I wanted, and screwed them all together! Don’t forget to bracket the unit to the wall so it can’t be pulled down, or fall down. The screws and brackets cost $6.40.

The Extras.

I had the mirror already (I mean, who doesn’t?!) , so no expense there. I picked up some Vanity Lights off of Amazon for $19.98. These things STICK! Not only have they never fallen off, but I actually took off some wall paint when trying to adjust them. Note to self: Stick them to the actual mirror frame next time!
I wanted the vanity to look professional and not have screw holes everywhere, so I grabbed up this Glossy Marble Contact Paper for $6.91 (Currently on sale!) and stuck it to the ‘desk’ part of my vanity.