A Cute but Inexpensive Vanity DIY Project
! Definitely cheaper than CVS, which is where I used to buy packing tape.) I suppose it's because I was browsing sticky stuff that Amazon's algorithms decided that self-adhesive decorative paper might be of interest to me as well.
I *need* to find a use for this in my life, somewhere, somehow
And it definitely was interesting! Lots of self adhesive papers, liners, and films can be found on Amazon, but after oohing and ahhing over the pretty florals (like this peony paper
that I need to figure out how I can use because it's so pretty), I found myself considering the faux marble ones. You see, I have a vanity that I bought from a garage sale about 4 years ago for $15- a great deal in my opinion, but the top was deeply stained. By the looks of it, a bottle of foundation has met its unfortunate demise on that vanity... I tried everything I could think of to clean it, but neither bleach nor vigorous scrubbing with a Magic Eraser did any good. Fearing that if I resorted to more serious solvents I would completely destroy the finish, I decided to just lay a doily over the stained area and use it as-is until I found the time to strip and repaint the entire piece.
that I need to figure out how I can use because it's so pretty), I found myself considering the faux marble ones. You see, I have a vanity that I bought from a garage sale about 4 years ago for $15- a great deal in my opinion, but the top was deeply stained. By the looks of it, a bottle of foundation has met its unfortunate demise on that vanity... I tried everything I could think of to clean it, but neither bleach nor vigorous scrubbing with a Magic Eraser did any good. Fearing that if I resorted to more serious solvents I would completely destroy the finish, I decided to just lay a doily over the stained area and use it as-is until I found the time to strip and repaint the entire piece.
the marble I chose
Predictably, that time never arrived- I had a baby, moved house, and life carried on! I kept using my little vanity though, every once in a while scrubbing in vain at the stains with a Magic Eraser to see if maybe this time it would work. It never did. (I'm not a crazy person, Magic Erasers really ARE magic for the cleaning of walls, furniture, doors, light switches, etc. But nothing can budge deeply ingrained foundation stains.) So! Fast forward to today, when my grey marble self adhesive film
arrived. I looked at the roll and I admit, I felt a little uncertain. It's just a roll of marble-printed self adhesive film, how good could it look? I didn't want my poor little vanity to look silly. But I decided to give the idea a chance, and I unrolled the roll to lay it on top of the surface and get a feel for what it might look like. It wasn't too shabby at all! So armed with a pair of scissors, a ruler, a pencil, and an exacto knife, I got to work!
I unscrewed the mirror part off the vanity and set it aside. Then I lay out my roll of marble and roughly positioned it when I wanted it to go. Cutting it was simply, it's sort of a plasticy feeling material but very flexible and easy to cut. I peeled off just a little of the backing at a time and I went slowly laying it down, using the edge of my ruler as a smoother to minimize air bubbles. I didn't get a perfectly air-bubble free surface but that was because the vanity top had some texture issues that I didn't want to sand before I knew how my DIY project was going to turn out. My advice is to definitely make sure your surface is smooth and free of any lumps or bumps, because they will definitely show up even if you're super careful not to trap any air.
Now that I know I like how this DIY turned out, I'm going to live with it for a little while as it is (imperfect little bumps and all) so that I can see how the film ages. I want to know if it yellow over time, or if it's hard to clean. Most importantly I want to know how strong the adhesive is, and whether it will start to peel up! Obviously it's not going to last forever, but if it lasts a year or two without coming unstuck I'll be pretty pleased. I do have plenty of my marble roll left over so if my project ages well over these next few months perhaps I'll remove it, sand my vanity top to get it properly smoothed out and then reapply! For now, I'll enjoy the fresh new look I've achieved and ignore the imperfections. :)
arrived. I looked at the roll and I admit, I felt a little uncertain. It's just a roll of marble-printed self adhesive film, how good could it look? I didn't want my poor little vanity to look silly. But I decided to give the idea a chance, and I unrolled the roll to lay it on top of the surface and get a feel for what it might look like. It wasn't too shabby at all! So armed with a pair of scissors, a ruler, a pencil, and an exacto knife, I got to work!
Before: a sad stained little vanity...
I unscrewed the mirror part off the vanity and set it aside. Then I lay out my roll of marble and roughly positioned it when I wanted it to go. Cutting it was simply, it's sort of a plasticy feeling material but very flexible and easy to cut. I peeled off just a little of the backing at a time and I went slowly laying it down, using the edge of my ruler as a smoother to minimize air bubbles. I didn't get a perfectly air-bubble free surface but that was because the vanity top had some texture issues that I didn't want to sand before I knew how my DIY project was going to turn out. My advice is to definitely make sure your surface is smooth and free of any lumps or bumps, because they will definitely show up even if you're super careful not to trap any air.
After: a swanky chic little vanity!
A bit of staging to really show it off...
Now that I know I like how this DIY turned out, I'm going to live with it for a little while as it is (imperfect little bumps and all) so that I can see how the film ages. I want to know if it yellow over time, or if it's hard to clean. Most importantly I want to know how strong the adhesive is, and whether it will start to peel up! Obviously it's not going to last forever, but if it lasts a year or two without coming unstuck I'll be pretty pleased. I do have plenty of my marble roll left over so if my project ages well over these next few months perhaps I'll remove it, sand my vanity top to get it properly smoothed out and then reapply! For now, I'll enjoy the fresh new look I've achieved and ignore the imperfections. :)
Bonus: two of my favorite perfumes in miniature! Mon Paris by YSL and Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming by Dior
**This post is not sponsored in any way. The Amazon links may earn me a small commission if you purchase, but there is absolutely no difference in the cost to you. The Sephora links I provide are to show where the perfumes can be found, although of course that is not the only place where they may be purchased.**
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