Sink Placement On Bathroom Vanities
The placement of the sink bowl, which is usually in the shape of a semi circle, can play an important role in the design of the bathroom vanity. You can work with the several placement technique to get a unique design which goes well with your bathroom vanity. You need to ensure that the sink is compatible with the countertop. There are several restrictions imposed on the material of the sink based on the material of the countertop you have opted for. The bathroom vanities with glass countertop usually have a glass sink or a plastic sink, whereas if you have a stone counter top you could easily go for a porcelain, vitreous china or even a stone sink. Sinks come in a variety of material these days and are not limited to the porcelain or ceramic ones of the yesterdays. Today you get sink materials ranging for different types of stone, china and glass. There are a variety of options which you can try to give that unique look you are seeking.
On basis of placement of the sinks, bathroom vanities are classified as below
- Undermount sink bathroom vanities
- Vessel sink bathroom vanities
- Framed sink bathroom vanities
- Drop-In sink bathroom vanities
Lets get into the details of each type of sink placement. You can judge to best sink placement for your bathroom vanity based on the information below.
Undermount sinks on bathroom vanities
This type of sink placement is very stylish and looks neat. A very contemporary design, the concept of undermount sink is relatively new. Any type of material maybe used for the sink bowl, it can be porcelain, stainless steel, vitreous china or stone. The countertop material is more important here, you cannot have a undermount sink if the countertop is made of a weak material like ceramic tiles or laminate. Undermount sinks sits comfortably when the countertop of the bathroom vanity is made of stones like marble, granite, limestone or any form of slate stone. Even composite stones like quartz or any other calcite compostion is fine. The stylish look rendered by a well placed undermount is sink is simple eye catching. It look great if you used a bold color for the counter top such a black, thick green or orange and fit a pure white porcelain sink as an undermount, this would give the bathroom vanity a very plush look.
Vessel Sinks On Bathroom Vanities
These sink design are relatively new and have captured the market to a good extent especially in the contemporary vanity segment. As the name suggests the sink sits on top of the countertop as if it were a bowl. The sink in itself looks like a piece of art and can be designed or plain glass, ceramic, porcelain, enamel, vitreous china or stone. It gives a rich look to the bathroom and is quite unique in its style of working. The faucets need to specially designed to accommodate the additional height of the vessel sink. The faucets are either mounted on top of the countertop on the bathroom vanity (called deck faucets) or they are installed onto the wall. The faucets have a long neck feel about them, the placement of the faucet is important to ensure there is no water splashing about in the sink due to height factor, else washing your hands can be an unpleasant experience with water splashing onto your pants and shirt. Vessel sinks are in the vogue and come in a variety of designs. If you are planning on buying a contemporary bathroom vanity, you should give vessel sinks a thought. The plumbing would need to slighting more challenging with a vessel sink and its more apt when you are building a bathroom in a new house, but even if you replacing an old vanity you could give this a try just make sure you get all the measurements right.
Framed sink bathroom vanities
As the name suggests the sink is framed onto the counter top usually using stainless steel. In fact in most case the sink is made out of stainless steel in this kind of a placement. Enameled porcelain, plastic, cast iron or copper can also be used as the sink material. This type of sink design is quite old fashioned and is usually found in apartments. They lack the style element and the design looks ordinary. These type of sink are more suited for kitchen vanities or kitchen basins. If you are looking for a stylish bathroom vanity then framed sink should not be your option. You would find framed sinks in old design bathroom vanities, mostly in apartments or in public places like restaurants. The preference for framed sinks in kitchen is more because of the fact that it allows for easier access while washing utensils and the like, it looks a little out of place in a well designed bathroom.Another restriction with frame bathroom sinks is that the material need to be compatible with the countertop, in case of a steel sinks framed onto a stone countertop there is a possibility of etching of the stone leading to a corrosion along the edges. When you go a contemporary bathroom vanity an undermount sink does more justice as does a vessel sink.
Drop-In sink bathroom vanities
This type of sink placement is very similar to framed sink except that there is no framing required here, the sink sits with its boundary protruding outside the countertop. This is again a very common design but looks more stylish than framed sinks Porcelain or vitreous china may be used as the sink material for this type of placement. The bathroom vanity would need to have a stone based or ceramic countertop to make this placement look good. This type of sink placement can be found in several classic bathroom vanities. Depending upon the finish of the porcelain sink there can be style element to a drop-in sink. You can consider a scenario of a vessel sink half merged into the countertop, which makes for a very stylish looking bathroom vanity. The frame finishing is of essence, look for a smooth plain finish rather than a corrugated finish. The countertops is cut in the shape of the sink while reducing the radius enough to make the sink stand out, without being completely submerged into the countertop. The right radius would give the perfect look.
Protruding-lip sink bathroom vanities
The front edge of the sink protrudes out of the edge of the bathroom vanity countertop. Depending upon the design this placement can look stylish. This design has a few cons though, the protruding lip of the sink will make the bathroom vanity occupy more space, it can get a little uncomfortable especially when you are trying to open the cabinets below (chances of your head banging below the sink are pretty high). More over if the design is not extremely good it might give a very awkward look. Think twice before going in for such a design. If you are looking to install bathroom vanity with a protruding lip sink, then consider using a plain bowl shaped sink (if possible a glass or stone sink) instead of the common flat liped porcelain sink. A glass bowl shaped sink which protrudes from the edge of the countertop would give an extremely stylish look (especially on a drak black countertop).The bottom line is that a good finish makes for a great sink, if you are planning on purchasing a contemporary bathroom vanity you should consider the placement of a smooth bowl shaped sink made from porcelain, glass or stone.