Do It! Raise a Vanity Countertop

Here’s a before-and-after photo that shows this vanity’s elevation by 3 1/2 inches.

Is your vanity countertop too low for comfort? If so, you can simply raise it — and yes, you can do it yourself!

The first step in raising a countertop is separating the counter from the cabinet. If you intend to re-use the existing countertop, this must be done with care to avoid damaging the counter material.

This cultured marble top will be polished and re-used, so we carefully cut the adhesive holding it to the cabinet with a putty knife. The caulk around the edges is also cut so that when we lift the front, the leverage gently breaks the seal under the back edge.

We’re raising this top by three and a half inches so a two-by-four is the ideal choice to add to the top of the cabinet.

Along the back, the sides and the center supports, we add two-by-fours that are screwed together as we go.

The front piece we’re adding is a cabinet grade one-by-four, which we’re attaching with small head cabinet screws so we can hide the fasteners with putty.

We’re tacking a piece of screen molding over the seam between the cabinet and the one-by-four to mask the joint.

Once the cabinet and the new wood are primed and painted, our addition becomes almost invisible and raises the vanity to a more comfortable height.

Watch the video above to see the process step by step.

This segment was featured in the “Bathroom Makeover” episode of “Today’s Homeowner.” Click here for more projects from this episode.

: Don’t miss “Today’s Homeowner,” which airs each week on television nationwide. Check your local listings for time and channel.

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Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford is among the country’s most sought-after home improvement experts.
The seasoned remodeling contractor and media personality served as the home improvement expert for CBS’s “The Early Show” and The Weather Channel for over a decade and has made more than 180 national television appearances on “Fox & Friends,” “Inside Edition,” “Morning Express with Robin Meade,” Fox Business Channel, Rachael Ray and more.
He travels the country making appearances as a brand ambassador and spokesperson, and each year contributes expertise to hundreds of popular magazines and online media outlets.