Installing the Bathroom Vanity

Installing the vanity began by enthusiastically ripping open the box.  We were delighted to find that the vanity came preassembled and all that needed to be done was add the doors!  The hubby put the top of the vanity on and pre-fitted the sink to make sure it worked with the vanity before we ripped our old sink out.   

While the hubby was doing all that jazz I promptly went into the bathroom to tackle one unsightly beast: the medicine cabinet.  Now don’t get me wrong….it was useful for the time being to store all my lady stuff….BUT no matter how you look at it medicine cabinets are very outdated.  Never mind the fact that about once a week all the contents would come spilling out after I jammed all of my stuff up there and swiftly shut the door.  This event would typically be followed by some light swearing.  I unscrewed the hinges and took out all of the contents.  It felt very validating.

The first order of business to get your existing vanity off the wall is to use a utility blade to cut the caulk.  This is plastic-ey stuff that prevents water from leaking behind your vanity causing mold or rotting.  But it also helps the vanity stick to the wall so if you want to pull that sucker off (yes please!) then the caulk has to go.    

 

Next you do some plumbing jazz so the pipes from your sink are no longer connected to your vanity.  I’m not going to provide an in-depth DIY for this one.  Plumbing makes me nervous….which is why the hubby does it.  *Disclaimer* The hubby knows what he is doing and has plumbed a thing or two in his day.  If you don’t know what you are doing and can’t find the answer on the internet/books/your friendly home depot sales associate hire a plumber.  Nothing sucks more than not turning off the water and having a flooded bathroom full of wetness.  PS do you see that little plumbers crack?  It is an essential to have on any plumbing job…..or else you are not a real plumber.      

Next scrape the gunk off the wall and get rid of any other attachments/fixtures that will be in the way of your new vanity.        

Then tug a little, say a prayer to God, and hope that thing comes off!  Ours did nicely so that was a bonus!        

 

Next bring your new vanity in and plumb the new vanity to the water supply.  This was a difficult step for us.  The plumbing didn’t exactly match up with the old vanity so we had to by some supplies to lengthen the pipes and fixtures.  The hubby did not measure right, which lead us to have a return trip to Home Depot, some heavy swearing, and a days worth of delay on the project.         

But we persevered!  The last step once everything is plumed is to apply a new layer of caulk between the vanity top and the wall.  This will prevent moisture from getting behind your vanity and rotting.  You don’t want that.  Apply a thin layer of caulk and the wipe away the excess with your finger.  Ya, it’s that simple.  Consult the package for dry time and don’t use your sink until the caulk is completely dry.         

After the vanity was installed I quickly put up many paint swatches.  I was thinking that I was going to want to go navy blue.  However after a bit I decided that I wanted to go with a color that was lighter and cooler to complement the color scheme in the living room and dining room and create a light feel.  So I’m back at square one for color choices!         

But we have made big steps with the vanity!  I am in love with the fairly big sized drawer in the front!  It is big enough to hold our electric toothbrush, deodorant, makeup, perfume, lotion, etc.     

The bottom was initially open, which left something to be desired in the storage department.  Since we have no linen closet in the bathroom (it is located in the hall) we brainstormed to add some customized storage.      

We bought some brackets and a simple white shelf to break up the big storage area into two shelves.  The hubby cut the board to length and notched out an area for the pipes.  I used three baskets to add storage and hold my hair supplies, medicines, etc.  Believe it or not this small little vanity holds everything we had in our old bathroom!