Replacing Your Bathroom Vanity

Does your bathroom need a face lift and you just don’t have the money for a contractor to redo the bathroom? You can replace your bathroom vanity yourself. Choose the theme of your bathroom and what type of vanity you will be putting in place of what you have. A basic vanity costs around $150 to more elaborate vanities of $450+. You can get it for less if the store has some that has been returned, so ask. If you are creative you can find a cabinet that will work. This doesn’t include the toe kick, caulk, finishing nails, countertop, and fixtures. This project will cost $250+ so price it before you take anything out of your bathroom if you are on a budget.

The first thing you want to do is to get your old vanity out. This sounds easy but every time we touch something it becomes a major project. First, if your luck is like ours turn your water main off. Then unhook the pipes. I don’t want to scare anyone but if you live in Florida in an old house have bug spray handy (Palmetto bugs). If you want to reuse your faucet or countertop now is as good as any time to unhook it. Once you have the pipes out you can start pulling the cabinet out. If you are using the same toe kick be careful to take it off before you remove the cabinet. (We scraped ours taking out the cabinet, which didn’t matter because we weren’t going to use it.)

Once you get the old cabinet out you may need to clean the wall up a little. I would take the time to clean the wall and if you are painting your bathroom as well as replacing the cabinet, I would paint around the cabinet area while you don’t have a cabinet in the bathroom. If you are installing a smaller cabinet I would definitely paint the area while the cabinet is out. You want to make sure you have time to do this because you need to let the paint dry before putting in the new cabinet. Once the wall dries finish your project.

Put your cabinet up against the wall where you want it to be leaving three quarters of an inch for the countertop. You can raise the cabinet as much as you need and you will have the toe kick on the bottom to finish it. Toe kicks are an extra $12-$16. Once you install the cabinet put the toe kick on. Now all that is left is the countertop and faucet.

The countertop will cost $50 for the most basic to $450+. If you are trying to sell your house you may want something a little more elaborate. If you plan on staying there awhile less is more. The countertop should fit nicely onto the vanity base and you should have the hardware with the vanity to attach it. Next you will want to put your faucet and knobs on. These usually start around $20. This is the hard part because you need to hook all of your pipes back up. Remember to use plumber’s putty. After you have hooked your pipes up and put the faucet and knobs on you want to try it out before you caulk.

Use a caulking gun and cut the tip of your caulk at an angle. Be sure to keep steady pressure on the caulking gun as you caulk. This will make a steady bead. Once you have the bead down take your finger and smooth it. Wipe up any excess before it dries. I like to use the 50 year all-purpose caulk. This works fine not only for bathroom and kitchen applications but also around the house for molding or windows. It is also able to be painted. It costs $3-$4.

Now that you have finished your cabinet sit back and admire your job.