How Selecting Vanities Became Sink Type Selection

Finding the ideal bathroom vanity is often less a matter of tracking down the perfect piece on a showroom or in a catalogue, and more a matter of just putting together the pieces in the right combination. Among the biggest wildcards of those pieces are the sink and its accompanying fixtures. There are several types of each, and a variety of materials from which they can be made. We'll cover the basics here.

Perfect vanities first need a sink which is perfect. There are several types of sinks that you can choose from. Which type you opt for will ultimately depend on your specific needs and desires, as well as the overall design of your bathroom. The most major types of sinks are drop-in sinks, undermount sinks, and synthetic molded vanity top/sink combos. Each type has its major pros and cons.

Drop-in sinks are the most traditional type of sink. You have probably seen many vanities with this sink type. A drop-in sink, as the name suggests, is dropped into a hole in the vanity top, and the lip extends over the sides of the hole. Drop-in sinks can be made of a variety of materials, though natural materials, especially ceramic, are more common. They lend your bathroom a classic look and feel. Undermount sinks are in a lot of ways, the opposite of drop-in sinks. They are mounted to the underside of the vanity top. As they are contrasted with the classic drop-in design, undermount sinks lend something of a new-age and modern feel to your bathroom.

Vessel sinks are the third major type of sink, and have been extremely popular in the last decade or so. Vessel sinks can be made out of any type of material, but unconventional materials like glass or stainless steel have become very popular for vanities with a sink of this type.Vessel sinks have the huge advantage that they are simply sitting on top of your vanity. So if you want to change them, and give a new look to your bathroom, you can just swap them out for a new one, without redoing the whole bathroom. However, they do have the disadvantage of being difficult to clean, due to the narrow space where the tops of vanities come to the sink underside.

Additionally, vanities can have a sink which can be made from many different types of materials. Again, there are some major pros and cons to each type of material. Some of the most popular types include porcelain, synthetics, glass, and stainless steel.

Porcelain is the gold standard of sink construction materials. Its aesthetic appeal is classic, and it is resistant to chipping, though not to breakage. Synthetic materials, on the other hand, are extremely resistant to all types of damage, but do not have the classic beauty of porcelain.

Slightly more modern materials for your vanities sink construction include glass and, for especially avant-garde bathrooms, stainless steel. Glass has recently become something of a modern classic, and is most often seen in vessel sinks. Stainless steel, on the other hand, is a bit more out there. Long the preserve of kitchen sinks and laboratory sinks, it is becoming more accepted as a material for artfully designed bathroom sinks.

The best vanities can have a sink made of any of these materials. Which one works best depends on the type of vanity, the type of sink, and the overall design of the bathroom.