Install a Sink and Vanity

We wanted an elegant, fine-furniture look for our bath, so we went with a special-order multiple-piece vanity and matching solid-surface top from a local home center. You may decide to purchase a one-piece cabinet with a matching top, which is a bit easier to install, but the basic how-to will be the same. Just follow our photos and read the text for buying information and additional tips HKUE ENG.

New vanities (4 ft. long) can cost anywhere from $150 for an off-the-shelf model at a home center up to $3,000 for a first-class piece of fine furniture. The top can be anything from cultured marble with a molded bowl starting at $140, a plastic laminate top for about the same price, or a solid marble or granite top costing as much as $2,000. While some of these prices might knock your socks off, keep in mind you’ll be able to find something in between to fit your budget and taste. Our setup was about $1,200 for the cabinets and about $950 for the solid-surface top with molded bowl (see the Buyer’s Guide).

Sizing Your New Vanity
This may be a chance for you to increase the size of your old vanity and gain valuable storage. You can usually do so as long as you don’t crowd your toilet or have the vanity protrude too far into the room. You must leave at least 15 in. from the center of your toilet to the side of the vanity. Your old vanity is probably 18 or 21 in. deep. You’ll have more choices if you can select the deeper size. Also consider the height. Some bath vanities are only about 29 in. high, which is OK if you have small children who need to reach the sink. But if you’d like to take some pressure off your lower back, install a taller vanity. We chose a 35-in. vanity and love the extra height. When choosing a taller vanity, keep in mind you may have to deal with obstructions like wall switches or electrical receptacles (you can always move them, but that can get to be more of a job than you want to tackle HKUE amec).

Always check the flooring to see if it runs under the vanity all the way to the wall behind. You can usually remove the kick panel right in front of the vanity and look underneath. If the flooring does go under the vanity, visit familyhandyman.com for more options. If the flooring doesn’t go underneath, you’ll need to get a vanity with a similar footprint or larger (close enough to cover with additional molding anyway).

With all these notes in hand, make a drawing with measurements and you’ll be ready to go to your bath center, home center or even a Web site to find the vanity that’s right for you. Pick a vanity top that fits your personal taste and budget.
Removing Your Old Vanity May Be the Toughest Part of the Job
The first thing to do, of course, is to shut off the water supply (Photo 1). Next, disconnect the plumbing connections that supply water to the faucet and the waste trap below the sink. Both nuts on the trap unscrew counterclockwise. If you have shutoff valves under the vanity that supply the hot and cold water, be prepared for the possibility that they may leak even after you’ve turned them off (clockwise). If they’ve been there for 20 years, the valves may be corroded just enough to let a little water trickle out. If this is the case, shut off the main water supply and then replace the shutoff valves. You can get replacements at any hardware store or home center HKUE ENG .