48" Open-Shelf Bathroom Vanity

Rip the 3/4" sheet into 20-1/4" wide strips and build the basic box for the vanity with pocket holes and 1-1/4" pocket screws. This box is the foundation — check it square across the diagonals and make sure it sits flat, because every part after this references it.

Attach the fixed shelves in the two door bays. If you'd rather have adjustable shelves, drill shelf-pin holes instead.

Tip: if you plan to edge-band the front edges, cut this shelf 1/8" shy at the front so the banding sits flush.

Build the open center section and make the middle shelf adjustable, cutting it down in size. You'll need to notch or cut its center out to clear the drain and supply lines — do that fitting against the actual rough-in, not a guess. Keeping this shelf removable is what lets a plumber work in there later.

Build the face frame as a separate assembly with 3/4" pocket holes and 1-1/4" pocket screws, flat on the bench where you can keep it square. Then attach the whole frame to the front of the carcass with 1-1/4" brad nails and glue.

A face frame built off the cabinet and dropped on as a unit comes out far cleaner than trying to attach stiles and rails one at a time in place.

Add the back supports using pocket holes on the back side so they don't show. Then install the cleats the drawer slides mount to, attaching them with nails and glue. The cleats have to be dead level and parallel or the drawers will bind.

Measure your real openings and your slides, then build the drawer boxes to suit — the pictured boxes are 1/2" stock joined with 1/2" pocket holes and 1" pocket screws, with a 1/4" plywood bottom glued and pinned on.

Install the boxes inset 3/4" from the face frame, which leaves room for the drawer faces to sit flush later.

Build the two frame-and-panel doors from the 1x3 frames and 1/2" plywood center panels, and cut the drawer faces, all sized to your actual openings — not the drawing. Hang the doors on the non-mortise hinges and float the drawer faces on the boxes for even reveals.

Making the faces last, to the real gaps, is what gives cabinetry its tight, consistent lines.

Sand everything, fill any holes, and finish with a moisture-tolerant paint or topcoat — this is bathroom furniture and will meet splashes and humidity daily. Add the knobs and pulls last.

The countertop and sink are separate; buy or cut them to the finished 48" base and seal around the basin.