Bathroom Vanities
The vanity is the storage in most bathrooms and the piece people notice first. Size, sink type and how it meets the existing rough plumbing are the decisions that matter.
- NJ HIC Reg. #13VH12107200
- 14+ years in North Jersey
- Kitchens and bathrooms only
In most bathrooms the vanity is the only storage in the room and the largest piece of furniture in it. It is also frequently bought before anyone has measured the door swing or looked at where the drain comes out of the wall, which is how a vanity ends up sitting in a hallway for three weeks.
Getting the size right
Width is the obvious dimension and depth is the one that causes problems. A standard vanity is about 21 inches deep plus the counter overhang. In a small bathroom that projection is often what makes the room feel tight, and an 18-inch-deep unit gives back three inches that you will notice every day.
Check three things before ordering:
- Door swing. Does the bathroom door clear the vanity through its full arc, including the handle?
- Toilet clearance. Roughly 15 inches from the toilet centerline to the vanity side.
- Walking space. At least 21 inches in front, more if the room allows.
On height: standard 30 to 32 inches is a holdover. Comfort height at 34 to 36 inches is what most adults prefer and it is the default now unless the bathroom is primarily for small children.
Wall-mounted, freestanding and pedestal
Freestanding vanities sit on the floor and are the simplest to install. They hide the plumbing completely and give the most storage per inch of width.
Wall-mounted or floating vanities show floor beneath, which makes a small bathroom read larger and makes the floor easier to clean. The requirements are real: solid blocking in the wall installed at rough-in, sized for the cabinet plus a stone top plus a person leaning on it. Drywall anchors are not adequate. The plumbing also has to be positioned so the supply stops and trap sit behind the cabinet rather than hanging in view.
Pedestal sinks and console sinks offer almost no storage and the most visual space. They suit a powder room, where storage matters little, better than a main bathroom.
Storage that works
The P-trap is the enemy of vanity storage. In a cabinet with a door, the trap runs through the middle of the usable volume, so everything ends up stacked around it.
The better arrangements: a U-shaped drawer that wraps around the trap, recovering most of the volume; a top drawer that is shallow and clears the sink bowl entirely, ideal for small items; a mix of a single shallow drawer over a lower deep drawer; and internal dividers or a pull-out organizer, which turn a deep drawer from a pit into usable storage.
Add a recessed medicine cabinet where the wall allows: four inches of depth between the studs, at no cost in floor area.
Tops and sinks
Integrated tops are a single piece with the bowl formed in, usually cultured marble or solid surface. No seam, nothing to clean around, and the least expensive route. They look what they are.
Stone tops with an undermount sink are the most common upgrade: quartz or granite with the bowl mounted below, so the counter sweeps into the sink with no rim. Requires the top to be drilled and polished at the fabricator, so the faucet must be chosen first.
Vessel sinks sit on top of the counter. They look striking and they raise the effective rim height by five or six inches, which means the vanity beneath has to be shorter or you end up washing your hands at chest level. They also need a taller faucet.
Drop-in sinks sit in the cutout with a visible rim, work with any top material, and cost less to fabricate.
Not sure what will fit? Wall width, door swing and where the drain comes out of the wall answer most of it.
Call (862) 218-7292Faucets
Faucet configuration is set by the holes in the top, so this is a decision made before fabrication or before buying a pre-drilled top.
Single-hole is one hole, cleanest look, easiest to keep clean around. Centerset is 4 inches between the outer holes, the traditional three-hole arrangement. Widespread is 8 inches or more with separate handles, which suits a wider vanity. Wall-mounted faucets come out of the wall, which looks excellent and requires the rough plumbing to be positioned precisely at the right height and spacing before the wall closes. There is no adjusting it afterward.
Practical point on finish: brushed and satin finishes hide water spots and fingerprints far better than polished chrome or polished brass. In a bathroom used daily by a family, that matters more than the showroom appearance suggests.
Lighting and the mirror
These are decided with the vanity because they share the same wall and the same electrical rough-in.
A single overhead fixture casts a shadow down your own face, which is the worst possible arrangement for a mirror. Sconces on either side at roughly eye level light the face evenly. A fixture above the mirror is the next best. Ideally both.
Mirror width should relate to the vanity, either matching the vanity width or running the full wall. A small framed mirror over a 48-inch vanity looks like an afterthought. A wall-to-wall mirror also makes a small room feel considerably larger.
While the wall is open, add a receptacle inside the vanity for a toothbrush charger or a hair dryer. It costs almost nothing then and it removes the permanent cord across the counter.
Installation
The vanity goes in after the floor tile, set level and shimmed against a floor that is rarely flat, and scribed to the wall where it meets one. Then the top, then the sink and faucet, then the trap and supply connections.
Two details that separate a proper installation: the cabinet is fastened to the wall framing, not just resting on the floor, so it cannot tip when a drawer is fully extended; and the joint between the top and the wall gets a bead of sealant, so water running off the counter does not go behind the cabinet.
What drives vanity cost
- Width and configuration, including single versus double sink.
- Construction quality, plywood boxes and dovetailed drawers versus particleboard.
- Top material, from cultured marble to stone.
- Sink type, since undermount requires fabrication.
- Faucet, with wall-mounted needing rough plumbing work.
- Wall-mounted installation, which needs blocking and hidden plumbing.
- Plumbing adjustment if the new cabinet does not clear the existing rough.
Related work
A vanity swap on its own is a good standalone job. If the room is coming apart anyway, see full bathroom remodeling, and in a tight room, small bathroom remodeling covers the space trade-offs.
Vanity work across our service area
We install vanities in Union, West Orange, Livingston, Westfield and across our full service area. Back to bathroom remodeling.
Essex County
Every town has its own bathroom remodeling page covering the housing there and what it means for a project. See the full service area.
Vanity questions
What height should a vanity be?
Standard height is 30 to 32 inches, which dates from an era of shorter average height and is low for most adults today. Comfort height is 34 to 36 inches, the same as a kitchen counter, and it is what most people choose now. The exception is a bathroom used mainly by young children, where the lower height genuinely helps.
Can I install a vanity without changing the plumbing?
Usually, as long as the new vanity's cabinet interior clears the existing supply stops and drain. A wider vanity almost always works. A narrower one, or one with a full-depth drawer bank, may collide with the rough plumbing, in which case either the drawer gets notched or the plumbing moves a few inches. Worth checking before ordering.
Are drawers better than doors?
For usable storage, yes, by a wide margin. A cabinet with a door has a P-trap running through the middle of it and everything at the back disappears. Drawers pull out so you see the contents, and a U-shaped drawer that goes around the trap recovers most of the volume that would otherwise be lost.
What is involved in a wall-mounted vanity?
Solid blocking in the wall, installed while the wall is open, sized to carry the cabinet plus a stone top plus whatever people lean on it. It cannot be hung on drywall anchors. The plumbing also has to be positioned to stay hidden behind the cabinet, since there is no floor-to-cabinet space concealing it.
Single or double sink?
A double vanity needs roughly 60 inches of width to give each sink usable counter beside it. Below that you get two cramped bowls and almost no surface to put anything on, which most people regret. In a 48-inch vanity, one sink with generous counter is nearly always the better room.
How do I know which faucet fits?
By the hole spacing drilled in the top. Single-hole, 4-inch centerset and 8-inch widespread are the three common configurations and they are not interchangeable. Choose the faucet before the top is drilled, or buy a top already drilled to match. Wall-mounted faucets need the rough plumbing set at the right height before the wall closes.
Call about a vanity
Wall space, door swing and where the existing supply and drain sit are the three things that decide what fits.