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The toekick recess under most bathroom vanities is empty space, and this retrofit turns it into a drawer strong enough to stand on. Pull it out, a kid steps up to the sink; push it back, the original toekick face hides it completely. It's the rare shop project that adds real daily utility to a room without changing how anything looks.
This is a modification of an existing cabinet, not a scratch build, so the exact sizes come off your vanity, not a plan. The two numbers that matter: the width of the opening left when you remove the toekick, and confirming there's at least 16" of depth behind it for the slides. If it's shallower, use shorter slides and a shallower drawer.
Because this drawer is a step, the hardware carries a person's weight. Use side-mount slides rated well over 100 lbs, not the light bottom-mount slides that come with cheap drawer kits. Preserve the toekick when you pry it off — you're going to reattach it as the drawer's face, and a matched, undamaged face is what makes the whole thing invisible.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Heavy-duty 16" drawer slides, side-mountRated over 100 lbs — this drawer is a step, not a junk tray. | 1 pair |
| 1x3 board, 8 ft | 1 each |
| 3/4" plywood, 16" x drawer widthThe platform you stand on. 3/4" for stiffness underfoot. | 1 each |
| Wood screws, 2" | 20 each |
| Finish nails, 2"To hold the toekick face for marking before final fastening. | 8 each |
| Wood glue | 2 oz |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Drawer back1x3Cut to the width of the toekick opening — 22-3/4" shown. | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 22 3/4" |
| Drawer sides1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 15 1/4" |
| Drawer platform3/4" plywoodSized to the drawer box; the surface you stand on. | 1 | 3/4" × 16" × 21 3/4" |
Buy 2 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Remove any doors from the vanity to give yourself room to work. Then carefully pry off the toekick — most are held with stapled plastic corner blocks and no glue, so they come off intact if you're patient. Keep it undamaged; it becomes the drawer face.
Measure the width of the opening the toekick left — 22-3/4" in the example. Confirm the opening is at least 16" deep so full-length slides fit; if it's shallower, plan on shorter slides and a shallower drawer. A quick height check confirms 1x3 stock will clear.
Cut a 1x3 back to the opening width and two 1x3 sides at 15-1/4". Assemble a shallow box and cap it with the 3/4" plywood platform — that thickness is what keeps it from flexing when someone stands on it. If your toekick wasn't a cut-out face, add a 1x3 front (opening width minus 1") too.
Attach the slides per the manufacturer's directions, side-mounted, using the 100-lb-plus rated pair. Install the drawer at the tallest position the opening allows so the step sits as high as possible. If your vanity has inset drawers above, you may need to set the depth back to match.
Hold the old toekick over the closed drawer with a couple of 2" finish nails and mark its exact position. Pull the drawer, then fasten the face permanently from behind — a pocket-hole jig gives the cleanest result. Test the swing: closed, it should read as the original toekick; open, it's a solid step.
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