How to install new Vanity Top in Bathroom

Replace old vanity counters yourself.

A vanity, which includes the sink, cabinet and countertop, is a key component of any home bathroom, aside from the bath/shower and toilet. Replacing a worn or out-of-date vanity countertop can update a bathroom room decor. You can hire an experienced contractor to complete the job for you, but if your bathroom has basic water valves or your home has a water main that feeds the entire house, you easily can install new a vanity countertop yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Protective gloves and eyewear
• Screwdriver
• Adjustable wrench
• Pan
• Rag
• Utility knife
• Flat pry bar
• New vanity countertop with sink and faucet or countertop with hole drilled for sink
• Screws
• Caulking gun
• Silicone caulk

Instructions

1. Place on protective gloves and eyewear.

2. Shut off the hot and cold water valves below the vanity. If you do not have shutoff valves, turn off your home's main water supply.

3. Remove the faucet from the old sink or countertop. Unscrew the supply line nuts under the sink using a wrench to disconnect the water lines. Then loosen the faucet's mounting bolts. Pull the faucet off the top of the sink.

4. Prepare to remove the old sink, if your new counter has an attached sink. Lay a pan beneath the sink's vertical drainpipe, then unscrew the nuts holding the pipe using the screwdriver or adjustable wrench. This pipe will be filled with water, so reposition the pan to catch drips or spills. Stuff the rag into the waste pipe to help block odors while you work.

5. Remove the old countertop. Hold the utility knife carefully and slice away old caulking around the sink. If reusing the sink, use the pry bar to pull it from the old vanity top being careful not to damage it; if replacing the sink, leave it in place. Unscrew the vanity top from the cabinet, and remove for later disposal.

6. Position new vanity top and sink, if included, into place.

7. Remove the rag from the vertical drainpipe and reattach it to the new sink, if applicable.

8. Screw the vanity countertop into place.

9. Apply silicone caulk around edges of the new vanity and the new countertop using the caulking gun.

10. Reattach the old faucet or a new one. Turn on water valves or your home's water supply.

Tips & Warnings

• It is just as easy to replace the entire vanity, including the cabinet, as it is to replace the countertop.

• If you are planning to reuse the sink, make sure it will fit in the premade hole in the new countertop. You can use a jigsaw or rotary tool to alter the shape and dimensions of the hole slightly, but to completely change the dimensions of the hole made for the sink, contact a contractor.

References

• This Old House; "How to Replace a Bathroom Vanity"; Richard Trethewey
• Lowe's Video and Project Center: Installing a Bathroom Vanity