How to Install Your Bathroom Vanity

If you have looked into the cost of installing your new bathroom vanity and decided that it would be more cost-effective to try it yourself, these are some basic guidelines to follow. Specific steps will vary by vanity, depending on what materials you are using. It is highly recommended that you seek professional assistance if you are not a moderately-experienced do-it-yourselfer. Depending upon whether or not you have had successful home-improvement experience, judge for yourself the complexity of installing your own bathroom vanity with this article.

These guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the instructions that come with your bathroom vanity. It is assumed that the homeowner already has plumbing installed in his or her bathroom, including a drain line, hot and cold water lines, and shut-off valves on each water line. (Most homes have this feature. If there are no shut-off valves, you can also shut off water to your entire home or install shut-off valves, which will not be explained in this article.)

Materials List:

Two pieces of flexible reinforced tubing (PB piping)* (You may have old water supply lines in excellent condition.)
P-trap (drain trap)* (You may have a used one in excellent condition.)
Tapered shims
Electronic stud finder
Electric drill
Several 2 inch drywall screws
Groove joint pliers
Standard and Phillips screwdrivers
Adjustable wrench
Spirit level
Pencil
Utility knife
Tape measure

Optional Materials:

Acrylic caulk and caulk gun
Trim
Channel-locking pliers or pipe wrench

*We recommend using plastic piping because it is easier to work with, but be sure to check your building codes to know what exactly is allowed.

Remove Existing Fixture
Before installing your new bathroom vanity, these are recommended steps to remove an existing fixture.

First, shut off the water valves to your hot and cold lines under your sink. Use an adjustable wrench to unscrew the nuts that connect your hot and cold lines to the shut-off valves. If you do not have shut-off valves under your sink, be sure to shut off the water to your home, and turn the faucet on to remove excess water.

Next, drain the pipe by loosening the slip nuts (by hand or using groove-joint pliers) on both ends of the j-shaped p-trap.

Now you can remove the existing fixture from the wall. Some cabinets and vanities do not have completely open backs, but instead have cutouts for the pipes. While removing the existing unit, avoid hooking the pipe fixtures on any backing that may be in place.

Prepare and Install New Fixture
After removing your existing fixture, prepare the wall and your new bathroom vanity. Remove all of the drawers on your new vanity and unscrew the hinges to remove the doors. Measure the height of the cabinet and draw a line on the wall at that height using a level. Next use the level again to draw a vertical line that will represent one side of the cabinet.

Next, you will need to level your bathroom vanity. Slide it into place according to the drawn lines. Use tapered shims by placing them under the new unit and adjusting them to level it. If the floor is badly unleveled, you will need to either cut the base of the vanity to match the floor, or install trim to hide the gap.

Locate the wall studs using a stud finder. Bore clearance holes in the back rail of the bathroom vanity at the stud locations and secure the cabinet to the wall using 2 ﾽ in. drywall screws.

The shims will likely be sticking out from under the vanity; remove excess shim material with repeated passes of a sharp utility knife. Caulk small gaps between the vanity and wall or floor, or add trim to cover large gaps.

Connect Water and Drain Lines
First, you will need to connect the water lines by using a supply tube between the shutoff valve and the faucet tailpieces on your bathroom vanity. Before you connect piping, wrap the faucet tailpieces in Teflon tape (plumber's tape), in the direction that you will attach the piping, to ensure a tight fit. For a supply tube, we highly recommend picking up some flex tubing, or flexible reinforced tubing, from your local hardware store. This is the easiest tubing to install because it easily bends from one connection to the next. You will find pre-measured flex tubing at your local hardware store that already has fittings on each end. Be careful not to twist the tubing when you install it, as this restricts water flow and can damage the piping.

Using two opposing adjustable wrenches, tighten each end of the grip fitting a quarter-turn.

Next, you will need to connect the drain line to the vanity sink with a plastic drain trap, sometimes called a p-trap, either new or reused, between the drain body and the drain line in the wall. (This is assuming that the drain body is already pieced together and attached to the sink drain. Not all of our vanities include this feature. If the drain body is not connected, please see your local hardware store for more information on this step.) You can hand-tighten this connection and then check for leaks. If needed, you can use channel-locking pliers or a pipe wrench to tighten no more than a quarter of a turn.

Remove the aerator on your faucet, if it has one, open the water shutoffs, run the water for several minutes, and check all connections for water leaks. Reinstall the aerator and the doors, and you have installed your own bathroom vanity!