Here we had a customer request a complete replacement of their master bathroom vanity. The old one was in fairly good shape but had suffered a bit of water damage along the base of the unit. Unfortunately, the base was made from a particle board material and you can see water was soaked up along the bottom edge. Why would they make it like that? I have no idea….
We forgot to show the removal of the old vanity, but once it was unhooked and removed, we were left with this.
The new vanity comes partially assembled. First it is temporarily positioned to determine the best fit. You need to consider a few things here like how the plumbing will connect and how that lines up. You want to consider the space around the vanity and how the countertop and backsplash will fit.
Besides the plumbing and fitment of the countertop, you must also consider the opening and closing of the vanity cupboards and drawers. Sometimes you don’t have many options but often a cupboard door is reversible or another minor adjustment can eliminate any interference. Take the time to open and close everything in the room and try it out before you start screwing things down. Do you like exactly how it sits or does it look a little better 2 inches to the left maybe?
Once you’ve found the spot you like, make sure the vanity sits level and flush against the wall. It’s a great idea to test fit all the parts now before you start cutting, glueing or screwing anything that’s permanent. Test fit all the plumbing parts to make sure the drain will fit nicely without butchering the vanity. Go ahead and level the vanity and set the legs and any other details that you can now to make sure it will work.
When you’re sure everything is perfect, you can go ahead and fasten the vanity to the wall. Don’t cut corners. Plumbing that jiggles will eventually leak. besides that, who wants a wiggly vanity when they lean on it? Take the time to mark out the studs and use the proper fasteners to secure vanities and similar furniture to the walls and you’ll sleep a lot better at night.
Follow the directions! Don’t just grab a tube of caulking from the back of your shop. Look at the materials you are sticking together and use an adhesive that is designed for that application.
Double check as you go! It’s usually easy to fix something if you catch it right away. If you let the sealant dry and it’s not level, well good luck getting the countertop off then! You still have options if the adhesive is still wet. Luckily, our bead of sealant/adhesive was nice and uniform and the counter was perfectly level.
Take your time to apply these products like the manufacturer says and it will last for years.
Here we just used a small piece of 2X4 to prop up the counter while we applied the adhesive. Make sure you cut a little notch in the end or cut an angle or whatever so the board doesn’t kick out if you do something like this!
One item was forgotten – the mirror still needed to be removed to fit the backsplash.
After the backsplash was installed, the faucet and sink drain could be installed.
And here is the finished product.
