When it comes to vanity tables, there are two things that you can do. You can either buy one that is ready-made, or you can make one for yourself using some DIY tools and materials.
If you need some help buying the best makeup vanity table for yourself, check out our makeup vanity tables collection.
However, if you’re looking to learn how to make a DIY makeup vanity table yourself, that is what we’re going to help you with in this post.
So, let’s get started.
Understanding a little about DIY makeup vanity tables
Before we jump right into the various materials and equipment you’ll need and the steps you’ll have to follow, etc., there are a few points to clear up beforehand.
First of all, it has to be remembered that makeup tables come in different sizes and orientations. Some are large and wide, others are small and minimalist. Some are squat and short, others are tall and somewhat spindly.
The guide that we’ll be presenting below will follow basic and standard dimensions. However, you can adjust those dimensions as per your requirements.
Another thing to point out is that, in this guide, we will also be talking about the materials and steps you need to incorporate drawers into the table. If you don’t want to add drawers or if you simply want to make cubby holes under the tabletop, you can make adjustments to the design. We will mention where exactly the changes have to be made when listing the steps.
Checkout our guide on Standard Makeup vanity Table Dimensions. This will help too.
How to make your own DIY vanity table?
With that done, let’s jump right into the guide.
What materials will you need for your DIY vanity table?
Here is a list of the materials that you will need. We’re going to mention each of the materials and then the parts that they will be used for. That way, you will be able to organize them if you need to.
This full sheet of 3/4” thick plywood will be used for making the tabletop.
This piece of Plywood will be used for the bottoms of the drawers. If you don’t want drawers on your table, you can skip this.
These are for making the table legs and stretchers (supports).
These are for the back of the table and the dividers for the drawers.
These are for making the drawers.
- Pocket hole screws (1 packet each of ½-inch screws and ¼-inch screws)
These are for holding the different pieces together.
What equipment do you need for making a DIY makeup table?
Now let’s talk about the various pieces of equipment you need for this project.
- Tape measure
- Drill
- Miter saw
- Circular saw
- Sander
- Pocket hole jig
- Clamps (you have to use this in any step where the parts need stability when being attached)
Prepping phase—How to cut your parts for the DIY table
We mentioned earlier that we’re going to be providing this guide for a specific set of measurements. We’re going to be making a table with the following dimensions:
- Height: 24 – 25 inches
- Depth (of the table top): 18 inches
- Width (of the table top): 42 inches
If you want to make adjustments to these dimensions, you can do it as per your needs and requirements. However, if you want to go for a way larger table, this will mean that you may need bigger materials (and in more quantity). The best course is to follow our instructions along with the exact dimensions.
How to cut the parts for the DIY makeup table?
With that in mind, let’s talk about the prepping phase; how you need to cut the various parts before putting them together.
- First of all, take your first 96” 2x2 board, and cut it into four equal 24” pieces with the miter saw. These will be the table legs.
- Then, take your second 96” 2x2 board and cut out four equal 15” pieces. These will be the short stretchers.
- Next, take the remaining 2x2 boards and cut out three equal 38” long pieces. These will be the long stretchers.
- Cut the Plywood into two equal parts measuring 18” x 42” using the circular saw. These will be for the top surface of the table and the bottom surface.
- Cut out a 42” piece of the 1x6 board. This is for the back of the tabletop.
- Cut out four equal pieces of the 1x6 board, each measuring 17 ¼”. These are for the dividers used for the drawers.
- Cut out six equal pieces of the 1x3 board, each measuring 15 ¾”. These will be for the sides of the drawers.
- Cut out four equal pieces of the 1x3 board, each measuring 12 ¼”. These will be the front sides and backs of the two drawers on each side.
- Cut out two equal pieces of the 1x3 board, each measuring 16”. These will be for the front sides and backs of the drawer in the middle.
Steps to put together your DIY makeup table
After you are done doing the preparations following the steps mentioned above, here is how you can set up and put together the DIY makeup table.
Step 1:
First of all, you need to put together the table legs. Take two of the 24” inch 2x2 pieces and attach them together using two of the 15” inch 2x2 pieces. You will have to make pocket holes in the pieces using the jig and then attach them using the 1/2” pocket hole screws. Make sure that the lower stretcher is at a distance of 2 to 3 inches off the ground.
Step 2:
After you make two such pairs of legs, you have to attach them together using the longer stretchers, i.e., the 38” pieces. You have to attach two of the stretchers on the back side of the table. In the image below, you can see a front view of the table. Use the jig to make the ½” pocket holes and screw the pieces together.
Step 3:
You also need to attach a stretcher to the front of the table frame. However, the one on the front will only be at the top of the frame and not at the bottom.
Step 4:
After the legs are all complete, you have to put together the tabletop. Take your first 42” Plywood piece and attach the 1x6” back to it. The back piece has to be fixed using the ¾” pocket screws and it has to be at a 90-degree angle. The image below shows a side view of how the back piece needs to be installed.
Step 5:
Next up, you have to add the drawer sections/dividers to the tabletop. You have to take the four 17 ¼” pieces of the 1x6 board and attach them to the top of the tabletop. Two of these pieces have to be attached right at the edges of the tabletop.
One of the remaining pieces has to be attached 13” from the left edge and the next one has to be placed 29” from the left edge. This will give you the room you need to attach the drawers. The image below shows a top-down view of what the tabletop should look like:
Step 6:
After that, you have to set up the drawers themselves. You need to take four of the 1x3 pieces, measuring 12 ¼” and four of the 15 ¾” pieces. These will be used to make the two tables on the sides. You have to join them together using the drill and pocket screws in the manner indicated in the below image:
Step 7:
In this same way, you also have to set up the larger table in the middle. Here, you will take the two remaining 15 ¾” pieces and the two 16” pieces and join them using the pocket hole screws in the manner indicated below:
Step 8:
After this, you need to attach the “floor” of the drawers. You can do this by cutting out the pieces from the 1/4” thick plywood and attaching it to the frame using the pocket hole screws.
Step 9:
Install the drawer slides in each of the drawer compartments. The slides have to be instead 0.75 inches inside the edge so that the drawers, once installed, can sit flush against the table surface.
Step 10:
A point to note here is that while the backing of the tabletop is made with 1x6” boards, the drawers are made from 1x3” boards. This will mean that when the drawers are placed inside the table, there will be around 3 inches of vertical moving space left over. While there has to be a little moving space, 3 inches can be a bit too much. In the next step, we’ll tell you how you can minimize this space.
Step 11:
You can cut out extra pieces from the 1/3” boards and place them flush against the drawer dividers. The drawer slides can be installed on top of these boards so that when the drawers are put inside, they are elevated one inch off the bottom. Here is an image showing what this step means:
Step 12:
After this, you have to create the fronts of the drawers. The fronts have to be made bigger than the actual drawers so that the space below the drawers (which will be created due to the elevated drawer slides) is hidden when they are closed.
Each of the fronts will be made using 1x6” boards so that they sit flush inside the table, in line with the drawer dividers. The width of the drawer fronts for the side ones will be 12 ¼” and 16” for the center one.
Step 13:
Attach the fronts to the drawers and then check if they move in and out properly using the slides. If the drawers work fine and the dimensions are all set, then take your second 42” x 18” piece of ¾” Plywood and attach it to the top of the frame in the manner indicated in the image below:
Step 14:
Now attach this whole tabletop to the leg frame using the pocket hole screws.
Step 15:
Install the drawers and attach the drawer fronts. Attach the knobs/handles to the drawer fronts as well.
Step 16:
If any of the edges or corners of the table are rough, use the sander to smooth them out.
And with that, your table will be finished.
Wrapping up
And there you have it.
When making this DIY vanity table, it is very important to keep all the measurements precise and consistent. Measure all of the pieces you cut and match them with the dimensions that we’ve specified here in this guide.
We hope you enjoyed this guide. Be back for more helpful guides and how-tos here on our website.