How To Replace a Bathroom Vanity Basin
If you’re a keen do-it-yourself enthusiast, the bathroom is a great room for you to increase your experience and improve your skills, while at the same time adding value to your home. The simplest way to change the look of your bathroom is to add a simple coat of paint, but apart from that, a new sink and vanity is easy to install and adds value instantly to your home. Before you decide to replace the unit in its entireity you should take a few minutes to evalute if you should replace the entire vanity unit or if just getting a new bathroom vanity basin will acheive similar results with a lot less expense and work.
Frequently, the bathroom vanity basin and cabinets are actually still in good condition but may have the appearance of looking old or damage due to the countertop and basin having stains or chips. If this is the case you can sand down and paint the cabinet with a fresh coat of paint and then complete the look with a new countertop and sink. This will make your bathroom look like new again for only a small cost. Your first step is to identify if you have a laminate countertop including a separate wash basin or a molded single unit.
If your sink is in a recess that is lower than the counter top level and there is no apparent seam, you will have an all in one type design. However if you can see a lip round the basin edge and if you look under the counter top you can see that it is placed into a cutout, your basin is then a separate item. If the latter type of sink basin is installed, you can choose to either replace your basin with a similar size new basin or replace both the countertop and the sink. Whichever you choose, the replacement method is similar.
You should start by finding the valve which shuts off the cold and hot supply lines for water. If it appears that the valves are not actually installed under the sink then turn off the supply to the whole house and add shutoffs as appropriate as part of your project. Once you have cut off the water supply to the fixture, disconnect the supply lines by unscrewing them and remove the drain line at the point of the trap. You will then need to remove the existing countertop or sink. Most countertops are screwed to the base of the vanity at each corner. These screws can be acccessed from the under side of the counter. Removable sinks are often fixed in place with caulk and could also have retainer clips which are screwed into the counter base. If you wish to reuse your existing countertop you can cut the caulk with a razor blade and then pry the sink away from the base. Apply some painter’s tape to the sink to avoid scratches during the process.
After removing the original fixtures, replace them with the new bathroom vanity basin and then connect the water supply and drains again. This simple project takes only a few hours to complete but will add value and beauty to your home for years.