Things are beginning to move quickly with the bathroom renovation now that it's past the rebuilding stage. With the toilet and shower in place and working, the installation of the vanity, sink and faucet will result in the return to a working bathroom space. The original vanity Sarah picked out wasn't satisfactory. She decided that it took up too much space in the room and was too bright for the color scheme she was using in the room. Sarah liked the overall width of the original model &
#151; four feet — but needed something narrower than the 22-inch standard so that it wouldn't extend so far toward the center of the room. She special ordered a19-inch-wide, mission style piece. She opted for the smaller unit in light-colored wood (figure A). It cost more than one off the showroom floor, but she was much happier with it. Steps: - Once Sarah decided where to position the vanity along the wall, her father cut out a hole in the backside (figure B) to fit over the pre-installed water supplies and drain.
- Securing the unit in place was fairly simple. Long wood screws were used to attach it through the wall into the wall-studs (figure C).
- Adding the hot and cold water supplies was also fairly easy to accomplish. Sarah installed the valves right after the rough plumbing was finished (figure D). She used flexible lines — with nuts already attached — to connect the faucet.
- After wrapping the threads with Teflon tape, Sarah tightens the nuts with a wrench.
- The harder part of this process is the attaching drain to the drain-pipe. Sarah had to use PVC cement to attach a reducer to the new, two-inch pipe installed by the plumber (figure E).
- The solid surface top and sink (figure F) also had to be special ordered. This unit is amazingly light, weighing about 20 pounds.
- The brushed chrome faucet she selected fits her idea of a cooler color scheme. It attaches easily with large nuts screwed on from underneath (figure G).
- She assembled the visible part of the sink drain (figure H) according to directions, making certain to place a ring of plumber's putty underneath the drain ring. The putty creates a tight seal when the tailpiece is screwed in from the bottom.
- Sarah gets underneath the sink to make the connection from the tailpiece to the drainpipe (figure I), using a trap in between. The curved shape of this pipe traps water below the level of the drainpipe. This design prevents sewer gas from seeping back up into the bath while allowing the water to drain out of the sink.
- Each connection has a large plastic nut that fits over a nylon washer and is hand tightened on the threads of the adjacent pipe (figure J).
- Once the connections are all made, it's time test the faucet. Sarah first opens the valves on the water-supply lines, then removes the faucet filter to allow the lines to clear of any debris (figure K).
- The faucet is turned on to check for proper operation and make certain there are no leaks (figure L).
In the segment that follows, finishing touches get underway with installation of a decorative light fixture and towel racks. Next: Ironing Center Installation
RESOURCES :
The Complete Book of Kitchen and Bathroom Renovation
Time Life Books
Website: www.timelife.com
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