The Corner

Having committed myself to building a hanging sink vanity instead of one that is grounded to the earth through a big cabinet, I am consumed with fear and feelings of inadequacy about my ability to build a truly sturdy structure that has one corner hanging in the air.

I started with two layers of thick plywood and glued them together, fastened that to the wall studs on two walls with 4 inch lag bolts, tightened to a terrific torque and finished with thick braces underneath. (I'm preparing for the big one.)

A small elephant could tip-toe on this shelf with no give or creak at all. And still I am not confident in it, even to support a tooth brush, not without some more reinforcement somewhere.

And then there's the corner. I've given this corner more thought than all my combined other thoughts for the past two years, and I still haven't decided what to do with it. I could cut it off and put a tile on the angle, but how would that look?

My first attempt at cutting the hole and the top piece was a bust, but today I got it right. As I suspected, when I got the backer board in place, I changed my mind again about the corner. Nothing is fastened down yet, so I am free to waffle.

When I was a kid, my parents took me to Carter's barber shop. I remember the guy always swiveled the chair around so that I could see myself in the mirror, and he asked if it was OK. He always said the same thing. "I can take it off, but I can't put it back on." Same thing with the corner.