Thickness and finish for DIY vanity top

[Veekers]

Hello, first time poster!

I'm renovating my bathroom very cheaply, as a first-time DIYer, but I still want my efforts to look good and be durable. I've come across some cheap laminated timber panels at Bunnings (https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-range/building-hardware/timber/dressed-timber/laminated-panels), but I have a few questions I want to throw out there:

- The panels range in thickness from 26mm to 30mm. Is this too thin? Is there a minimum thickness for a vanity?
- Do I need to buy raw, untreated panels to be able to seal and protect the surface from water adequately? Some of the panels have been oiled.
- Will laminar timber panels even be suitable for this job, as I will have to cut them to size?
- What finish would you recommend for maximum waterproofness?

Thanks in advance :)

[Christos]

To me the 26mm seems a bit thin, if it is going to be for the top I would look at a thickness of 40mm plus. This also depends on the support to the top. The other concern I have is what type of oil did they use and will it bead off water?

If this is for the sides of the vanity then a thickness 26mm or more than fine. One thing that you might want to do while at Bunnings is take a tape measure and see how thick the vanities are at the store.

I think you will find that most of the vanities are made from laminated chipboard. The only draw back is when these get wet at the base of the cabinet, over time they will swell and the laminate will come off(it could take 20 years for that to happen). You can use either plastic or metal feet that will raise the vanity off the ground.

If I was going to make it out of wood paneling I would prefer to finish it using some type of poly.

[Arron]

there is no minimum thickness for a vanity top - it's just a taste thing. I think they will look good, others might like thicker.
Laminar panels should be fine. As long as the glue up is sound and the glue is waterproof, but these panels have been on sale for 10 years or so and are sold in their thousands so I think if they had a tendency to delaminates then we would know by now.
I prefer Wattyl 7008 for vanity tops. I used it on our wooden vanity top 10 years ago and it's still like new. Ring Wattyl and ask them about whether it is safe to go over the oil - you may need to scrub off the oil.

[jazzy69]

I helped my son-in-law build a bar using the acacia panels.We sanded that brown oil stuff off and finished it off with many coats of feast Watson floorseal oil. Came up looking like a million $ . We couldn't believe the amount of fiddleback there was. Being a vanity top it may get wet more often than a bar top so you might have to use some thing that can tolerate extra wetness. Aaron is on the money.
Regards,
Ross

[Veekers]

Fantastic, thanks all! I'm actually now looking at some hardwood slabs a bloke up on the Murray sells. He drills the holes and puts some hard kind of coating on the wood that water can't permeate. Once I've actually decided on and purchased a benchtop I'll post pics here :)