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 vanity top. Let’s see what the options are and which one is right for you.
There are two basic types of vanities, built-ins and freestanding. Recessed is exactly what its name implies, a solid vanity base and countertop that sits against the wall and is designed to look like part of the structure.
For those leaning toward modern décor, or remodeling the bathroom in a contemporary home, loft, high-rise condo, or luxury townhome, a freestanding vanity will definitely engage your creativity due to the greater variety of more unique designs that are available. available. These vanities also enhance the visual space of smaller bathrooms and vanities found in today’s new construction.
Built-In Vanities: The Traditional Experience
Deciding on a built-in vanity is a two-stage process. First, you choose the base of the dresser. Walk into any home improvement 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 location of doors and drawers, but that’s about it. If you have an old and traditional house, this style is probably your best option.
Now that you have selected your vanity base, one thing is still missing…the vanity top. Most of the time, 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 countertop, forming a single unit. part. leak-free unit. 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 out.
Whichever type of vanity top you choose from one of the big box vendors, the tops you can take with you are fairly limited and conventional in appearance and configuration. However, those retailers always have a wide selection of dressers 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 DIYers to make the necessary connections. The problem lies in the access to the connection points. With built-in vanity bases, as well as some of the fine furniture versions and the occasional freestanding one, 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 plugins stems from their name. You cannot move the base or countertop to get to the water lines. Depending on the exact configuration of your bathroom lines, it may not be a big deal, but other times it will be necessary to reroute the entire water supply line to avoid a cabinet structural element. At worst, you could end up adding a number of very colorful epithets to your vocabulary as you pull the entire unit out for a mid-project supply line review. However, as they say in the military, proper planning prevents poor performance.
Freestanding Vanities: Contemporary to Eclectic
Freestanding vanity bases allow you to be a little more adventurous in 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. Holes for bowl and faucet are pre-drilled and ready for installation.
These vessel 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 be mounted 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 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 forms. Other vanities are designed with flat surfaces, where you can use some of the cutting edge sinks (vessels) by mounting them on top of the solid stone or glass vanity top.
You can find everything from chrome pedestals that sit on the floor to cantilever wall brackets that hold the sink up in the air. Do you prefer slim cabinets? Common wood choices range from wenge (usually painted ultra dark brown, almost black) to oak. Exotic hardwoods, such as sapele or zelkova, are available from time to time. These rich 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 antique dresser.
Freestanding vanities eliminate the installation issues mentioned above because open designs are easily accessible. Drain 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 on display.
Odds and ends – build it yourself
There is a third vanity alternative that deserves a brief mention, namely custom building a 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 woodworker with the ability to visualize in three dimensions is often needed for such a project to be successful.
conclusion
An old adage in woodworking advises that one should measure twice and cut once. When choosing a new dresser, take the time to browse home improvement stores for common offerings, and look online if you’re looking for something more expressive. In other words, do a lot of research, choose 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 in the reprint.