DIY River Rock Bathroom Counter and Vessel Sink

Eileen
by Eileen
7 Materials
$150
4 Hours
Easy

This is our natural river rock counter for our rustic , nature like half bath off our family room. We wanted something “artsy” and different because you can see the bathroom from the family and kitchen area as we have a very open house plan.

We painted the room a warm Med brown . The cabinet is beige gray and we have a green wreath and two Paintings with green ferns in them.

Faucet bought at Lowes
Select your sink parts


Here's the faucet we went with.

Make wood tray to hold stones


We made a wood tray 3 “ deep and painted it the exact color of the cabinet. We then installed the vessel sink and faucet.

Tray being made

Plan placement of sink and faucet


We went with a vessel sink in glass, so that you would get the full effect of the stone vanity top.

Close up of faucet and glass vessel sink

Add holes to your tray


We added holes to our tray so that the wood wouldn't lock in any moisture or oversplash and then warp or get moldy.

Pour your stones into the tray


We added small multi colored pebbles and used a long stick to push them evenly under the sink so when you looked down into the sink through the glass all spaces were covered in pebbles. We then added large river rock stones and then more gravel stones on top to fill in any holes.

Prepare your stones


You can buy stones or collect. Make sure to clean them thoroughly before adding them to your sink. You'll need smaller pebbles and larger river rocks.

Here are some of the smaller pebbles and rocks.

You can see here how we gathered the smaller stones under the basin of the sink.

The stones get larger as you move out from the center of the sink.

Here's how the complete look turned out!

Cool, right?

Finished!!

We purchased a stone look a like soap dispenser and pushed it into the rocks. Lastly we added a rustic mirror and light to finish the look. We call it our rain forest bathroom because we also have shower doors in it that have glass that looks like rain on them.


I know there has been many questions about cleaning this counter. I would not do this in a main bathroom or highly used bathroom. If I did I agree resin would be the best option to keep clean. My project was done for a small 1/2 bath occasionally used. The water does not splash out of the deep bowl sink. I have very little dust but can easily get out with a vacuum attachment


follow me on https://pattysperspective.org for more ideas

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  • Katherine Forsten Katherine Forsten on Jun 02, 2020

    This looks like a really unique way to personalize a bathroom. And, I don't see any reason, whether you use pebbles and stones, or seashells, or even leaves or flowers - why you couldn't use an epoxy/acrylic resin to fill up the empty space, and seal and protect what you've to carefully placed. Maybe you could even install some shelving glass, or a sheet of plexiglass over your special countertop. I love the look of the exposed stones... But I do have 6 "mostly adult children", and 3 grandchildren - and I assume there will be more to come. So many children walk through my home, and although I suspect Lysol can work wonders for disinfecting - I'm even more concerned about the choking hazards that I would literally be serving up on a tray. So, if you're going to leave it open and exposed, maybe glue them down...(?) What a beautiful idea, though.

  • GuineaPigglers GuineaPigglers on Jun 02, 2020

    Do you take the stones out Everytime you want a clean bathroom?

  • Cindy Bates Cindy Bates on Jun 02, 2020

    I do have one question. Since you drilled holes into the wood tray so that water could “drain,”where did the excess water drain to? Definitely inspired! However, with 16 grandchildren, both bathrooms in our home are “well used!” I was thinking of white rocks, maybe some shells? And definitely using a clear resin!

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  • Lisa West Lisa West on Jun 02, 2020

    Yes use epoxy or resin all the way to the top of the counter. That say every thing is sealed and easy to clean. No bleach or any scrubby type cleaner. Because it silll ruin the finish. It's beautiful. It I feel will look fantabulous with the resin. You can also add a tiny iron even some glitter to give it the sun or moon light hitting the water look to. Omg I have so ma y ideas lol. Love your idea. It's truly great and impressive. Can you imagine the resale value of your customer's bathroom sink and counter. Very natural. You can go with rustic farm houses or shore look in there. Just gorgeous. Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea.

  • Gene Gene on Jun 02, 2020

    I definitely would try this idea. Its absolutely amazing,I live it!!! GREAT JOB!!!😃😃

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