I realize it's as old as the hill and I think it's made out of birch, but I'm not sure. Anyways, I saw some granite and solid top countertops with sink included at BIG BOX STORE online for around $250 or so.

Is it worth it to replace the countertop and keep the old vanity? Maybe put new hardware on it or something and paint it?

Is it fairly easy to replace?

Also, IF I DID and the new countertop comes with the sink in the center instead of offset to the left like this one is, will that present a problem or is it an easy fix with the proper pipes?

Here it is:

 

If it's in good shape and solid.... keep it. Looks like it will require a paint job and some new hardware.

Hard to say what's holding the counter to the vanity. Try opening the door and looking up. It's either going to be screws and brackets or contractors glue.

As far as the countertop. A premade one will have the sink centered. Will the plumbing be able to connect to it ? My crystal ball says yes.

 

Ouch, 1970's revisited I'll have to take a different road. If you are looking at economy, do as Pete suggests. It ain't broke. If you are looking to upgrade, then pull it all, install a 21st century vanity and one piece countertop with side splash. Paint and knobs will only go so far to getting the drawers you really need on the sides.

 

If you keep the cabinet base the main concern is whether or not the plumbing will accommodate moving the sink. Should be fairly easy to determine by looking under the top. As Larry said, drawers are nice - how well does the current cabinet work for you?

If you decide to paint you'd want to determine what type of paint is currently on the cabinet. If it's oil base you need to either stay with oil base enamel or apply a solvent based primer first so latex will adhere well. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pa...latex-oil.html

 

Larry,

That 70's style is beginning to comeback.

Brian,

It's obvious that you have taken good care of that vanity/cabinet. It's a shame to remove a perfectly good unit. But as Larry says, its dated. The only thing I like is the drop in sink vs the under mount or molded in sinks.

 

Your vanity is pretty basic so I don't think there is any "retro" value but if it's in good shape it's probably worth keeping. If you replace it you'll spend $150 for something of much worse quality and probably $350+ to get something of similar quality. So, if you can re-paint it to something you like I would go that route.

 

How much for a descent new vanity with counter about?

Can I get something descent for around $700?

 

For $700 you can get a very nice vanity and sink. A lot depends on the area of the country you live in.

 

How come this vanity I have doesn't have drawers? Do you really need drawers though?

Maybe just a countertop and sink and fixtures and paint cabinet white?

 

You won't find vanities without drawers that have any width to them at all. Great storage and relocation places. Better than throwing things down on the floor of the vanity in hopes of finding them later.

Others have advocated leaving the vanity, and I wouldn't have a problem with the exception of the drawers. Your cabinet is probably made of sturdy plywood whereas todays are of presswood with hardwood facings. You can spend extra money and get solid wood carcasses . The one thing I DON'T like is the drop in sink. Too many seams. I would prefer a cultured marble countertop with an integral sink, or an undermount as a second choice with a stone top.

 

Larry, Larry..this is where we differ. True the material on the new stuff is not as good, but as I found out, once it's place the high quality of plywood is not necessary. It's not as if it' get moved. The front and drawer fronts are an exception and should be real wood. The problem with integral sinks is if damage occurs you must replace the whole counter top. And under mount is difficult for many people to repair/replace and a pro might be needed. But a drop in sink is an item in and of itself independent of the cabinet and counter top. Even better still is a porcelain drop in sink. I have two of them. Best buy I could've made.

 

That my friend is something that the little woman should have the final say.

 

I was looking around online. Some of the places I visited had no shame with over $1500 for a 48" vanity with drawers, countertop and sink.

I'd suggest you visit a Lowes or Home Depot and get a handle on prices before you make up you mind. Just a countertop, sink, faucet and plumbing parts may eat up your budget.

 

Just to add fuel to the fire........normal vanity height is only 32", and is dumb. When I decided to add a bathroom to my rental cabin I went to HD, purchased a kitchen cabinet without drawers , took my saw and cut the back out so it was only 19" deep to accommodate a normal vanity countertop. It is 34" high and much more user friendly.

 

Good point about vanity heights. For some unknown reason, manufacturers keep changing the height of vanities. Out store has about three different heights and it's very confusing. They run anywhere from 30" to 34" high.

 

Yeah, I think maybe just keeping the vanity and just a new counter, faucet and plumbing. I realize it's "basic", not too pretty, etc, but I think a new counter may dress it up some.

I would think if I did want a new vanity some time in the future, I could just add one and keep the counter and fixtures right?

 

A granite top with sink for $250.00 is a good deal. A custom top could cost more than 1K.
I would say the same as Larry, an undermount sink or integrated sink is best.
A self-rimming (drop in sink) is outdated and has caulk that requires maintenance, that maintenance never gets done.

The plumbing can be adjusted, a picture with the doors open will tell the difficulty level.

As far as the vanity face, that can be removed and changed. Building a new vanity face frame was one of my first projects long ago as a new homeowner.

It takes only a few tools to build the frame and some very nice doors can be ordered at a reasonable price.
I built my own doors but probably spent more than the cost of custom made doors.

 

I like this one
Home Decorators Collection 49 in. W Marble Single Basin Vanity Top in Arabescato Venato with White Basin-ARAVEN4922-2CM - The Home Depot

Then faucets are gonna run about <$200

Can I do the plumbing myself?

 

Here's some more pics of the plumbing and the inside. I was wondering how hard it would be to go from a left offset sink to center on the new vanity top I'm thinking of installing.



What kind of wood is this?


I think the TOP is GLUED ON?




Old drop-in sink pink? lol

 

You're showing us mostly doors and toilet paper . We need better pictures of the plumbing (not close ups) in conjunction with the entire sink/vanity set up. Say from the front, with the doors open and encompassing the entire vanity and drains.

 

The water valves shouldn't need to be moved, just the drain.

It looks like the drain pipe is galvanized. That pipe would need to be cut off near the wall, leaving a 2 - 3" stub out.
From the stub out, you can steer the new drain towards the sink using a no-hub coupler, 45° street elbow and a male trap adapter.

 

LOL, sorry about the TP! Chandler, there's a white pipe (pvc I think) coming in in between those 2 water pipes and then just the TRAP thing. I'll take another pic tomorrow like you describe.

 

[QUOTEIt looks like the drain pipe is galvanized. That pipe would need to be cut off near the wall, leaving a 2 - 3" stub out.
From the stub out, you can steer the new drain towards the sink using a no-hub coupler, 45° street elbow and a male trap adapter][/QUOTE]

Thanks. Do you mean the drain pipe (silver) is galvanized? There's a pipe in between that comes out of the wall and I believe that is plastic (PVC?). Is that the one that I'd "cut and leave a stub", etc? I guess I'll need a crash course in basic plumbing. Off to the interweb! lol

 

Pictures...........

I think I see what Brian is seeing, but not for sure. Is that a drum trap? Again, we can't see it.

 

Here's some more pics Chandler:

 

So, does anyone see any problems with getting the plumbing over to the center for switching to center mount sink?


To me it looks like all that I'd have to do is turn that pipe on the TRAP to the right to line up with the drain pipe for a center mount. ?


PICS are below.

 

No pictures below. .

 

They're in the post I made below the previous one ray. 1-28-17 at 5:30PM

I'm also wondering about the small medicine cabinet embedded in the wall. Do you think that would be difficult to get out? It's most likely glued in? I want to close it up and install the outlet in the wall as a GFI instead.

 

Have you looked at the pictures that you posted? All we can see is the bottom 1/4 of the mirror. We can't tell you anything about it. Medicine cabinets are most likely screwed in from the inside on each side.

Plumbing can be extended, but you will need to do away with that drum trap and install a ptrap.

 

Thanks Chandler. I'll look for the screws. So you think the plumbing is doable? No idea what a p-trap is. So is the drum trap outdated or just not feasible with the adjustment?

 

Ok guys. So say I get the new countertop and manage to get it installed. That might be a little of a challenge for me right there!

So what I'm wondering about are the pipes for the sink. I know NOTHING at this point about plumbing at all! Heck, I don't even know what type of cement they use to put the piper together, etc!

So say I manage to install the new sink and glue it all down. It comes with a sink, I think it's an undermount. So now I've gotta go about basically doing the following. I'll explain from my very naive plumbing perspective at this moment.

From what I gather I've gotta hook up the HOT and COLD lines to the new faucet. Then I've got to hook up the drain pipe to the one coming in from the wall underneath the counter. Feel free to correct me at anytime.

So if this is the case, what I'm wondering is - How do I manage to find the right pipes so that everything will line up correctly?

1. Do I measure beforehand and go to the hardware store?

2. Exactly WHAT piper will I need for the drain?

3. I should replace the drum trap with a p trap?

4. How do I get the pipes to (stick - pardon my naivety) together? Cement?

So, I'm basically just making a drain pipe with a trap correct?

Thanks

 

This is a p trap Everbilt 1-1/2 in. Plastic P-Trap-C9704B - The Home Depot

Your faucet will come with a drain tailpiece that will fit into the p trap. You may have to adapt from 1 1/4" to 1 1/2", but it also will come with a washer for that. No gluing of anything in the drain system.

Install your faucet and the drain tailpiece before you install the sink on the cabinet. Much easier than laying on your back doing it. Hot and cold stainless hoses will connect to the faucet at the same time so they just hang down for connection to your stop valves.