A bathroom vanity not only holds your sink in place, it also doubles as storage. As one of the most essential pieces of furniture in a bathroom space, a vanity is often one of the most replaced pieces of furniture in a bathroom remodeling project. By replacing your dated vanity and sink basin, your old bathroom space can come to life. But you don’t have to hire a bathroom remodeling contractor to install your bathroom vanity. Use these six steps and install your own bathroom vanity with ease.
1.Take out the old vanity- Now that you’ve removed the old sink basin, you can begin to remove the vanity. Cut the old caulk that may be holding the vanity to the wall. Remove the old doors and drawers for easy access and back out the screws that are holding the old vanity to the wall. Mark their location on the wall with a light pencil mark for future reference.
2.Prepare the new vanity- Take off the doors and pull out the drawers to make the job easier. Transfer the recently marked screw locations to the inside of the vanity by measuring off of the nearest wall. Back the new vanity up against the old vanity and transfer the location of the plumbing pipes with a pencil. Now you can cut out the back of the new vanity (if you need to) to fit the plumbing pipes in place. Test fit the new vanity against the wall to ensure it fits tight without banging up against the plumbing pipes.
3.Leveling the vanity- Once the vanity has been pushed tightly to the wall, you can begin to level the cabinet. Begin by measuring from wall to wall to ensure the vanity sits evenly. A level on the top of the vanity both vertically and horizontally will make sure the sink and counter sit level after installation. Use a few wooden shims under the base to help balance the vanity permanently.
4.Secure the vanity- After you’re sure the vanity is level and evenly placed in the room, you can secure it to the wall with a few wood screws. Using at least three 1-1 ½” screws per wall stud, attach the new vanity to the wall. Try to hit the same screw holes that the old vanity used. If you start adding screws to new places, you run the risk of hitting the plumbing pipes behind the drywall. You may need to use a stud finder to locate the studs.
5.Attach the hardware- Attach the doors and drawers to the new vanity. You may need to make a few adjustments to the doors and drawers to ensure they open and close correctly.