1" Scale Bathroom Vanity With Real Running Water

I made a working 1 inch scale bathroom sink and vanity. I have a 1 inch scale dollhouse that is a work in progress and thought it would be cool to have real running water. Some of the parts are hard to explain because I used things I had lying around so a bit of an imagination must be used. Trial and error, I guess.

YOU WILL NEED:

1. Apple Phone Box or other box 5" long & 13/4" deep
2. Small Recirculatory Pump & Batteries
3. Waterproof Calking
4. Giant Craft Stick 1.25" x 10"
5. 1 Small & 1 Large Match boxes
6. A Plastic Tube (or other container that will hold water & the pump fits in & that will fit in back of cabinet)
7. 4 Small Beads for handles
8. 2 Long Jewelry Straight Pins (a flathead on one end)
9. 1 Regular Size Bendy Straw
10. 1 Crabby Patty Candy Container (makes a perfect sink)
11. Material of your choice (to cover clothes hamper)
12. Small Tubing for under sink from pump to sink
13. Bathroom Accessories (optional, cup, candle, washcloth, decor etc)
14. Hot Glue Sticks & Craft Glue
15. Paint in your choice of colors, I used White & Grey
16. Gloss coat Sealer
17. Clear Packing Tape

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

1. Ruler
2. Pencil
3. Exacto Blade
4. Scissors
5. A Rag
6. Hot Glue Gun
7. Large Needle or Pin
8. Paint Brushes
9. Water to rinse Paint Brushes

A. I used an Apple Phone box which I had to trim down to 5" long, & approx. 2 5/8" tall, See illustration ( 1a ) , you also need to trim some off of front bottom of cabinet and the one side still attached so it will be 2 5/8" tall. Whatever box you use, cut to this size. Save the two side pieces you cut off as you be using them later. Looking at front of cabinet the end piece you cut should be on the left.

B. I used a Crabby Patty package for my sink, you may use something else if you'd like. Decide where you will place the sink and trace sink outline on top of countertop leaving a little room behind it for knobs and faucet. Cut the hole out for sink. Try to think ahead a bit and see what you may want to use as your faucet. You can use a bendy straw or a smaller tube. Cut a small hole on top of cabinet at back center of sink for faucet.

A. Take the small Matchbox and cut it in half widthwise. Decide where on front of cabinet you want the drawers ( try to keep them close to top edge of cabinet so they wont be in the way of your tank). Trace outer part of matchbox on front of cabinet then cut the holes out.

B. Now from the long side of box you cut off in illustration 1.a, cut 2 strips widthways about 1/4 " then cut those 2 in half. Glue 2 pieces together for left drawer and other 2 together for right drawer. These are going to be spacers and not seen from front.

C. Now one drawer at a time fit it into the hole so from front you can pull out inner part of matchbox making it flush with cabinet. Glue outer part of matchbox to inside of cabinet (under top) and use the spacers if necessary to glue to first. Do both drawers.

D. Next, again using the piece you cut the spacers from, cut some drawer fronts that cover the drawer holes ( or you can use a popsicle stick cut to fit) Remove drawer and center it on the drawer front & make a small hole through drawer face and matchbox front. ( later after painting you will put the jewelry pin and bead through for handle) Glue the drawer front to front of matchbox drawer and set aside. Do same to other drawer. Now cut three 1" pieces from popsicle stick for cabinet fronts. Paint the drawer and cabinet door fronts and set aside. I used a grey paint for these. Make a hole the size of the bendy straw in bottom of sink. This is where your water will go down the "drain" through the bendy straw and back into your pump tank so it can do it all over again! You can paint the inside of sink at this time as well.

E. Finally, take a jewelry pin and put through a small bead and push through hole you made in drawer front in the previous step. Put a drop of glue to hold in place and snip off the extra pin. Do same to other drawer. Now you will be able to grab the bead and slide your drawer out!

Ok this gets a little tricky because I used what I could find lying around that I thought might work. When my pump came in the mail ( from Wish.com) it had a piece of hose on it a little bigger around than a straw. The wires on it were about 5" long that lead to the switch and battery box. The battery box takes 2 double A batteries to run the pump. I don't know what the setup you will have will look like so you may have to make adjustments for things to fit right.

A. The water pump tank. I found a round thin plastic tube. I think one of those scalp massager things came in it. It looks sort of like a whisk until someone snipped all the wires at tip and you put it on top of your head pushing down and the wires form shape of head and sort of massages scalp. It is thin clear plastic which I added a layer or so of clear packing tape around it to make it a bit sturdier. I then used clear caulking on ends to ensure no leaks. Maybe you have another container that will work. It needs to fit in back of your cabinet.and not stick out farther than cabinet as the cabinet needs to sit flush up against a wall. It also must have an opening big enough to put pump into and be deep enough to submerge the pump in water. Of course, it has to fit lengthwise as well.

B. I laid my tank in place and marked it for an opening which I cut out using exacto knife heated up with a lighter so it cut through real nice. My opening is on top and large enough to push pump into it. I was careful not to cut too far down on sides so water would not spill out.

C. Remember I said there was already a piece of tube on my pump? I found a smaller piece that slid right into the one that came with it, it may of been oxygen tube. Again I laid tank in place and lined the tube up with the hole on top of cabinet that the faucet will go in and I cut the tube so it was not touching cabinet, but close.

D. Put the bendy straw into drain under sink and trim it way down to where it will come from under sink and into pump tank to return the water. Caulk the straw in place on bottom of sink.

E. Next I painted my cabinet white and touched up the grey on drawer & cabinet fronts and sink.

F. I found a smaller piece of hose to use as faucet and it fit well in other tube. I had to run a thin but stiff piece of wire through faucet tube so I could get faucet to crve down into sink. we will come back to plumbing.

A. I put large Match box at left side of cabinet that still has no end piece. I marked and cut it as shown in illustration #1.

Cut outer part of box as shown saving the shaded parts. This is the dirty clothes hamper that will actually house the battery box. Top flap of matchbox flips up and down like a perfect lid. Cover this piece (top & side) as shown in illustration #1, in material or even paint, of your choice. I used a bamboo placemat as I was going for a wicker look. While thats drying...

B. As shown in illustration #2 remove one panel of pull out part of match box and cover it in same material.

C. Remember the end piece of cabinet i said to save at the beginning? Now you are going to return it to open end of cabinet. You will need to do a bit of trimming on it so it fits again. Also as shown in Illustration #3, cut a small square out of top back corner for battery wires, then glue it onto cabinet. Let dry.

E. Now take your hamper, #1 and glue bottom flap on right side to the end of cabinet you just added. When you are looking at front of cabinet the opening of hamper faces sink. The single end piece that you covered to match hamper you will glue to hamper side opening making it enclosed except for back. Just put glue along bottom and bot side edges. This will help stabilize the hamper. Do not glue top edge or you wont be able to open lid.

A. Ok set your tank in place under cabinet and line up tubes. Place your sink into hole ( sinkhole ha)and glue making sure drain straw is aiming into tank. Now bend your faucet over and down aiming into sink and put it through hole on top of sink and into tube on pump. Caulk in place.

B. I kept my wires pushed toward front of cabinet and stood my battery box in hamper. I pt the on off switch into drawer closest to hamper and glued it to bottom of drawer. Now you need to open drawer to turn pump on and off.

C. Glue your cabinet door fronts on front of cabinet. Add couple small beads for hot and cold knobs. If you'd like you can add some accessories to countertop.

D. Fill the tank up with water, covering pump and you can turn it on and watch water come out of faucet. I forgot to mention, you may want to paint your faucet. ALSO, DO NOT RUN PUMP UNLESS IT IS SUBMERGED IN WATER OR YOU WILL RUIN IT.