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Replacing a Bathroom
Sink
There is a great variety of bathroom sink styles available
today. Pedestal, wall mount, countertop and more provide
options to fit any space and decorating scheme. Each has its
unique installation details. We'll cover some general tips for
just a couple here.
First, common to all installations: turn off the water and get
a bucket and some towels to catch any remaining water. Open the
valve to drain as much as possible. Now, onto the
options...
In one way, pedestal sinks are the easiest to install. Since
they come in two pieces (the sink and pedestal), and the design
is very open, it's easy to get around to hook everything up.
But they can be heavy and they require a bit more precision and
care than some other types because everything is so
visible.
Remove the old sink by disconnecting all hoses and pipes. It
will take careful measurement and placement to get the pedestal
sink in the right place. Some puttying and finishing work may
be needed to redo walls and floors if a cabinet-style
countertop is being replaced with a pedestal.
Some pedestals are heavy enough and shaped just right so that
setting them in place is all that's needed. Then the hoses are
re-attached in an operation that takes only a few minutes. For
other designs it will be necessary to drill some holes in the
floor and/or wall. Lag screws bolt the pedestal to the floor in
this scenario while the sink may provide a means for installing
a wall-mount bracket.
Wall mount sinks are a great option for those smaller bathrooms
that have little space and don't require any cabinetry. They
can fit in a corner or occupy a little more than a foot of one
wall. But because they are 'floating' the installation requires
great care to ensure they're well supported and don't tear out
the wall during use. Everyone leans on the sink at some
point.
Here again some wall and/or floor re-finishing will be needed
if the sink replaces a cabinet/countertop style. The tricky
part is it's best to do that once you're all done. Mounting the
wall mount sink requires drilling into available studs and
sinking secure lag screws and/or brackets. The inevitable slip
will produce cracks and tears that you don't want to have to
patch twice.
Tile walls will require use of a masonry bit. Even at that,
it's possible to crack a tile while drilling into it. Be
prepared to possibly replace one or two.
In all cases, simply following the manufacturers' directions
step-by-step will get you to your goal. Be generous and exact
with any Teflon plumber's tape. Wind in a direction so that the
fitting will squeeze it into the threads, rather than loosen
it. Be accurate with any plumber's putty used to seal a drain
flange and wipe up any excess before it dries. Be equally
precise with caulk. That gives a professional look at the
end.
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