Bathroom Sinks

Most bathrooms consist of a shower and bath. But they are in no way complete without a bathroom sink. Bathroom sinks are one of the most important components of a household where the majority of shaving, tooth brushing and appearance maintenance occurs. This is why it is so important to find a bathroom sink that not only suits your bathroom and house, but one that you can stare at several minutes everyday just before you go to work or go to bed.

With the Bathroom Sinks Guide, I hope to address the many options you have as well as the many variables you must consider before proceeding with your choice.

There are a wide range of sinks that you can buy that will suit any bathroom. The most traditional models are constructed from porcelain and are round, oval or square. Porcelain is the most popular material because it is smooth, strong and waterproof. If you want something more personalized then it is possible to have custom-made sinks made to your color and liking. This is of course a more expensive option than buying off the floor.

The more modern bathroom sinks can be made from glass or metal, like a beautiful copper vessel sink. Glass bathroom sinks can be made with a colorful and unique look. Metal sinks can be constructed from brass, chrome, copper or stainless steel. While these are more expensive than porcelain sinks they can look fantastic in more modern bathrooms.

Fundamental Types of Bathroom Sinks

There are two basic designs of bathroom sink fixtures. There is the vanity and pedestal sink arrangement.

The vanity sink is simply a sink on top of a vanity unit. The vanity unit is the most obvious thing about the fixture that you can inject a bit of your personality into or help to create a theme in your bathroom. There are many different styles to choose from, including a corner bathroom vanity, but ultimately it comes down to what you like. The unit has two purposes. The first is to store stuff in. If you have a need for lots of storage space in your bathroom then this might influence your choice of vanity unit. The second purpose is to hide pipes that connect the sink to the water supply. The piping is relatively unobtrusive but some people prefer not to see it. Vanity sinks can utilize an undermount bathroom sink.

A pedestal sink is the exact opposite of a vanity sink, in that it does show the piping. It simply attaches to the wall with a bracket or two. All the plumbing behind the sink is exposed. This is probably the easiest sink to install as there is very little to do. Simply turn the water off and remove the old unit. Add the brackets if needed and then attach the sink. Connect the pipes and it should be ready to go. Bathroom pedestal sinks are also used in small bathrooms where there is not much space for vanity units or other storage units.
_____________________________________

_____________________________________

Design Styles of Sinks

Self-rimming (top-mount) sinks sit in appropriately-shaped holes roughly cut in the countertop (or substrate material) using a jigsaw or other cutter appropriate to the material at hand and are suspended by their rim. The rim then inherently forms a fairly close seal with the top surface of the countertop, especially when the sink is clamped into the hole from below.

Bathroom Sinks

Bottom-mount or under-mount sinks are installed below the countertop surface. The edge of the countertop material is exposed at the hole created for the sink (and so must be a carefully finished edge rather than a rough cut). The sink is then clamped to the bottom of the material from below. Especially for bottom-mount sinks, silicone-based sealants are usually used to assure a waterproof joint between the sink and the countertop material. The advantage of an “under-mount” sink is that it gives a contemporary look to the kitchen but the disadvantages are extra cost in both the sink and the counter top. Also, no matter how carefully the cut out is made, the result is either a small ledge or overhang at the interface with the sink. This can create an environment for catching dirt and allowing germs to grow.

Solid-surface plastic materials allow sinks to be made of the same plastic material as the countertop. These sinks can then easily be glued to the underside of the countertop material and the joint sanded flat, creating the usual invisible joint and completely eliminating any dirt-catching seam between the sink and the countertop. In a similar fashion, for stainless steel, a sink may be welded into the countertop; the joint is then ground to create a finished, concealed appearance.

A Belfast sink is a large ceramic sink with a traditional appearance, often set under work surfaces.

A farmer’s sink is a deep sink that has a finished front. Set onto a countertop, the finished front of the sink remains exposed. This style requires very little “reach-over” to access the sink.

A vessel sink is a free-standing sink, generally finished and decorated on all sides, that sits directly on the surface of the furniture on which it is mounted. These vessel-style bathroom sinks have become increasingly popular with bathroom designers because of the large range of materials, styles and finishes which they can show to good advantage.
_____________________________________

_____________________________________

Tags: bathroom sinks, copper vessel sinks, modern bathroom sinks, pedestal sinks, porcelain, stainless steel, undermount bathroom sinks, vanity sink

If you are thinking about completely remodeling your bathroom or just giving it an update, one of the first things you should consider are the types of bathroom sinks you may want to incorporate. One of the most important parts of any bathroom is the vanity area, including the bathroom sink, or sinks. A well-coordinated sink sits on a beautiful vanity like a jewel on a crown. There are bathroom sinks for sale at almost any decent sized hardware store or online. Bathroom sinks range in price anywhere from free for a used bathroom sink to thousands for a handcrafted copper bathroom sink.

Here is a list of choices of standard bathroom sinks for the average household along with a brief description of each. [...]

Continue Reading: Bathroom Sinks for Sale – A Buyer’s Guide

After shopping at various decorative bathroom supply stores, home improvement stores, and even design centers, you have found several small bathroom sink solutions that will fit into your limited space. Some may be out of your budget and others may be shockingly inexpensive, but before paying for anything, consider how the sink will be used.

For a high use sink area, small bathroom sinks that are made from porcelain are the most reasonably priced, and the easiest to maintain. Porcelain is very resistant to staining and the finish is durable enough to withstand years of hard scrubbing. Porcelain is no longer the plain, boring choice of decades gone by. There are many options of porcelain sink colors as well as unique looks available on the market.

Small spaces require special considerations as to where the sink will be mounted. If it is in a vanity, small bathroom sink cabinets that fit the space can be hard to find. This is especially true for a small corner bathroom sink or corner bathroom vanity, and it may be necessary to have a unit custom-made if one can not be found. [...]

Continue Reading: Small Bathroom Sink

Corner bathroom vanities, as their name implies, are designed to fit into the corner of a room, flush with a wall. They may contain a single sink or act as a dressing table, particularly in bathrooms already equipped with a pedestal sink that offers no counter space.
A corner bathroom vanity, or corner bathroom vanity units, come in a number of styles, ranging from ornate antique designs to stark modern models.

A vanity that is designed to accommodate a sink, or one that is sold with a built in sink unit is called a corner bathroom vanity vessel sink. This is the ideal option for those with a water line that runs through the corner of a bathroom, or a home in which the sink was initially placed in a corner. In most cases, these units are sold with a built-in sink, though it may be possible to replace this basin with the basin of your choice. [...]

Continue Reading: Corner Bathroom Vanity

The use of copper for the wash basin is not a brand new concept. Before the modern manufacture of vitreous china sinks, copper was one of the better choices available and was mined for use in many objects, not just the bathroom and kitchen where we so often see it today. A modern copper vessel sink integrates the traditional with the contemporary.

Today, copper sinks can be found in the kitchen, where a popular sink is the single large basin farmhouse sink, as well as in bar areas, where round and square hammered copper vessel sinks dominate, and of course in the bathroom.

Accustomed to seeing the impenetrable surfaces of vitreous china sinks, one may question how practical a copper sink is for even a modest amount of regular use, let alone in an area that is visited several times a day. The answer is simple: it’s virtually maintenance free. Copper sinks do not require any chemical cleaners. Acidic substances should also be kept away from the copper vessel bathroom sink. [...]

Continue Reading: Copper Vessel Sink

These sinks may also be referred to as pedestal vessel sinks. You’ll find them incorporated into modern house construction more and more often. Both wall-mounted vessel sinks and pedestal links have become popular because they save significant space compared to traditional bathroom sinks with vanities. This smaller space footprint also often makes for a simpler and cheaper installation. Bathroom pedestal sinks work great in smaller bathrooms like powder rooms.

A corner pedestal bathroom sink can bring both form and function into even the most limited of bathroom spaces. Contemporary pedestal sinks tend to be comprised of various small pedestal bathroom sink designs, but with a little searching you can still find larger designs as well.

Bathroom Pedestal Sink Materials

While a classic pedestal sink can still be found, a broad variety of colors and shapes are now available in all manner of contemporary design. You no longer must adhere to the classic oval or round pedestal sink. I’ve seen square pedestal sinks that look great in the right bathroom design. The only limitation you might have with a pedestal bathroom sink is that they can only be about 55 to 65 centimeter in diameter or width. Anything wider will look odd upon the column or stem. [...]

Continue Reading: Bathroom Pedestal Sink