Which bathroom vanity is for you?

Are you planning to remodel your bathroom? You will discover very quickly that one of your most important decisions involves the selection of a new vanity base and a new vanity top. Let’s see what the options are and which one is right for you.

There are two basic types of vanities, built-in and freestanding. Built-in is exactly what its name suggests, a solid countertop and vanity base that sits against the wall and is designed to look like part of the frame.

For those who are inclined towards modern decor, or are remodeling the bathroom in a contemporary home, loft, high-rise condo, or luxury townhouse, a freestanding vanity will definitely appeal to your creativity due to the greater variety of more unique designs that are available. available. These vanities also enhance the visual space of the smaller bathrooms and powder rooms found in today’s new construction.

Built-in Vanities: The Traditional Experience

Deciding on a built-in powder room is a two-stage process. First, you choose the base of the vanity. Walk into any home remodeling center and you’ll find rows of vanity bases bolted to the wall, ready to take home. There are variations in style, including length, height, number and placement of doors and drawers, but that’s about it. If you have an old, traditional home, this style is probably your best bet.

Now that you’ve selected your vanity base, there’s still something missing… the vanity top. Most often, the vanity top will be made of cultured marble, ceramic, or granite, and usually the sink (or basin or bowl, depending on the manufacturer’s description) will be an integral part of the counter, forming a single part. unit that does not leak. In some cases, the top of a vanity will have a cutout (or cutouts in the case of a double vanity) to allow the sink (or sinks) to drop.

Whichever type of vanity top you choose from one of the big box vendors, the tops you can take with you are quite limited and conventional in appearance and configuration. However, those retailers always have a wide selection of vanities from various manufacturers that can be custom ordered. Prices are reasonable and you can choose from a wide variety of top sink shapes and locations. If you’re redoing an older home or just prefer a traditional built-in vanity, this is a great way to add a little “pop” to your bathroom while maintaining a traditional look.

Another thing to consider, if you plan to do it yourself, is the relative difficulty of connecting the supply and drain lines. When it comes to modern sink and faucet installation, it has become easier for do-it-yourselfers to make the necessary connections. The problem lies in the access to the endpoints. With built-in vanity bases, as well as some of the fine furniture versions and the occasional freestanding, you’ll end up with your head stuck in a cabinet, trying to screw a nut into a hard-to-reach area. .

Much of the problem with accessing these built-ins stems from their name. You may not move the base or counter to reach the water lines. Depending on the exact configuration of your bathroom lines, it may not be a huge problem, but other times it will be necessary to re-route the entire water supply line to bypass a structural element of the cabinet. At worst, you could end up adding a series of very colorful epithets to your vocabulary as you pull out the entire unit for a mid-project supply line overhaul. However, as they say in the military, proper planning prevents poor performance.

Freestanding Vanities: From Contemporary to Eclectic

Freestanding vanity bases allow you to be a little more adventurous in your design. Unlike built-in vanity bases, they usually come complete with the vanity top. Because of this, you have the opportunity to evaluate the entire look before committing to a particular style. Some freestanding bases look like fine furniture and use tops similar to recessed ones, made of granite or glass. The bowl and spout holes are pre-drilled and ready for installation.

These vase bowls are contemporary, artistic, and sometimes exotic. They range from tempered glass to antique hammered copper, cultured stone, real stone, and stainless steel. Some of them are designed to mount on the flat counter, while others sit inside the vanity top with only a few inches of the bowl above the counter surface. In either case, many leave the supply and drain lines exposed. If you like to be up to date, these types of containers or sinks are made for you.

Integrated countertops with sinks are also available as one piece, usually in interesting ceramic or glass shapes. Other vanities are designed with flat tops, where you can use some of the state-of-the-art sinks (vessels) by mounting them on top of a solid stone or glass vanity top.

You can find everything from chrome pedestals that sit on the ground to cantilever wall mounts that hold your sink up in the air. Do you prefer fine cabinets? Common wood options range from wenge (usually painted an ultra-dark brown, almost black) to oak. Exotic hardwoods, such as sapeli or zelkova, are available from time to time. These richly grained woods are highly prized by custom furniture makers. It’s even possible to find a freestanding dresser that looks and functions exactly like an old dresser.

Freestanding vanities eliminate the installation issues mentioned above because the open layouts are easily accessible. Drainage hardware is also designed to stay outdoors. The P-trap drains, in particular, are very modern in design, so you don’t mind them being in plain sight.

Odds and Extremes – Build It Yourself

There is a third vanity alternative that deserves a brief mention, namely building a custom vanity base from scratch. This option provides the ultimate in flexibility (and is sometimes your only option if you have an oddly shaped space) by allowing you to build with any type of exotic hardwood. However, think carefully before going this route, because an experienced carpenter with the ability to visualize in three dimensions is often needed for such a project to be successful.

Conclusion

An old woodworking adage advises that one should measure twice and cut once. When choosing a new vanity, take the time to browse home improvement stores for common offerings and search online if you’re looking for something more expressive. In other words, do a lot of research, pick once. Do that, and you’ll end up with a new bathroom to be proud of.

Steven Pollack is the owner of Bath Plus, an importer of exotic wood bathroom vanities. This line can be found at http://www.BathGems.com You may reprint this article, unedited, as long as attribution and links remain on the reprint.