Bespoke Oak Vanity Units

A vanity unit is a luxury alternative to a traditional pedestal or floating basin. Combining your basin with stunning cabinetry, bespoke oak vanity units like ours transform the bathroom sink into a beautiful piece of furniture, and an arresting focal point, that helps you maximise storage across your bathroom, and provides the space with a wow-factor that will last for decades.

Vanity units range in price enormously, from ultra-affordable mass-produced models costing under £200, to 100% bespoke models like ours, which range from £999 to over £5,000. Across the vanity market, the cost of a unit is likely to signal the quality of its design, materials, craftsmanship, and the durability you can expect from your unit.

As bespoke oak vanity unit specialists, helping hundreds of customers to create the perfect bathroom furniture every year, we know a thing or two about how to buy a bathroom vanity!

When you buy from Parker Howley, the process should be:

1. Based on your available space, decide if you’d like a single or double-basin unit.
2. Choose your favourite elements from our existing range to create your perfect design. You can also share inspiration images from Pinterest, Instagram, or elsewhere, and we’ll work with you to bring your vision to life.
3. Choose between freestanding or wall-hung orientation.
4. Decide whether to opt for countertop or undermount basin orientation
5. Choose your basin from a wide range of options from the market’s top luxury brands.
6. Based on your choice of basin, and your desired school of design, choose from a huge range of standard, tall, wall-mounted and deck-mounted basin taps.
7. Choose from UK-made designer handles from the luxury bathroom market’s biggest brands.
8. Select a plain wood, stained, or painted custom coloured unit – the only restriction is your imagination.
9. Customise the internal storage your unit offers.

Typically, vanity units have a standard height of 800mm. This is also true of our bespoke models. However, as manufacturers of 100% bespoke bathroom furniture, we can create pieces made to your most exacting specifications.

The standard depth of a vanity unit differs, depending on whether you’ve opted for a countertop or undermount basin. At Parker Howley, our bespoke vanity units with a countertop basin have a depth of 500mm, while units with an undermount basin have a depth of 550mm.

When it comes to understanding how to paint an oak bathroom vanity unit, firstly establish whether you’re looking for a wood stain, or a coloured paint.

For coloured paint, we recommend a latex or oil-based wood paint. Choose from gloss, satin, or matt finishes depending on your bathroom design. For stains, brands like Rubio Monocoat make oil treatments to colour and protect your bespoke oak vanity unit.

One of the benefits of buying a bespoke vanity unit from a manufacturer like Parker Howley, is you can choose the exact paint or stain colour of your unit, and have it professionally made and applied by specialists.

However, if you have an existing or mass-produced oak bathroom vanity you want to paint yourself follow the following steps:

1. Use a stripper to remove existing paint or finish
2. Clean the vanity unit thoroughly with warm, soapy sugar water.
3. Remove handles, legs and drawers for a cleaner, easier surface to work with.
4. With a fine or medium-grit sandpaper, rough up the surface of your oak vanity, along the wood grain. Dust and hoover debris, and re-clean the vanity.
5. Use a primer and let it dry completely.
6. Apply 2 or 3 thin coats of paint, leaving each layer to dry before starting the next. Thin coats are key for a professional finish.
7. Leave to dry and cure

How to refinish an oak vanity unit depends on if you’re planning to stain or paint it.

For coloured paint, we recommend a latex or oil-based wood paint. Choose from gloss, satin, or matt finishes depending on your bathroom design. For stains, brands like Rubio Monocoat make oil treatments to colour and protect your bespoke oak vanity unit.

One of the benefits of buying a bespoke vanity unit from a manufacturer like Parker Howley, is you can choose the exact paint or stain colour of your unit, and have it professionally made and applied by specialists.

However, if you have an existing or mass-produced oak bathroom vanity you want to stain, follow the following steps:

1. Sand the wood to open the pores in order to facilitate the stain’s adhesion to the surface. Begin with medium then move to fine-grit paper, always sanding in the direction of the grain.
2. Apply your chosen stain with a bristle or foam brush, pad or cloth. Oak units will require a liberal amount of stain.
3. Be conscious of the colour – and remember that leaving the stain on for longer, before wiping off the unabsorbed stain, will produce a darker stain.
4. Do not let the stain fully dry on your unit. Remove the unabsorbed stain with a dry cloth in the direction of the grain.
5. Apply a clear finish to protect the stain and the wood.

If you plan to paint your vanity unit, follow the following steps:

1. Use a stripper to remove existing paint or finish
2. Clean the vanity unit thoroughly with warm, soapy sugar water.
3. Remove handles, legs and drawers for a cleaner, easier surface to work with.
4. With a fine or medium-grit sandpaper, rough up the surface of your oak vanity, along the wood grain. Dust and hoover debris, and re-clean the vanity.
5. Use a primer and let it dry completely.
6. Apply 2 or 3 thin coats of paint, leaving each layer to dry before starting the next. Thin coats are key for a professional finish.
7. Leave to dry and cure