Vanities buying guide
This guide covers the choices that stay the same whichever vanity you pick: how it is mounted, what it is made of, the top and the basin, the tap hole, the size against your room, and how it is fixed, sealed and looked after. The vanities on this page are mostly wall hung, with a few floor standing, in widths from compact powder room units to wide double basin sizes. Where a fact comes from a listing, a guide or an installation sheet, we say so.
Wall hung or floor standing
Mounting is the first decision because it sets the wall, the floor and the plumbing. A wall hung vanity needs studs or reinforcement behind the wall to carry the cabinet and the top, and an Australian guide notes that a stone or solid surface top may need additional load-bearing fixings. A floor standing vanity needs a level, solid floor, and its kickboard covers pipes that come up through the floor. Builder guides say a wall hung vanity is easiest to plan at framing stage, while a floor standing one is often more practical when the walls are already tiled. See wall hung vanities and freestanding vanities.
Cabinet, drawers and doors
The carcase on the Otti Hampshire listing is moisture resistant plywood, with soft-close drawers on full extension runners. That is the construction to look for on any vanity in a room that sees steam, and the listing is a useful model of what to check on others: carcase material, runner type and finish.
Drawers and doors suit different storage. A retailer's range guide describes mixed layouts as drawers for small items and cabinets for bulkier ones, and an all-drawer layout as the opposite end of the scale. Check the layout against the plumbing before you order, because an installation sheet warns that water supply fittings inside the cabinet can stop a drawer closing.
Fluted, grooved and curved fronts
Several of the vanities here have a textured or shaped front. For the fluted and grooved fronts, see fluted vanities, and for rounded fronts, curved vanities. For the Ingrain textured fronts, see all Ingrain vanities. A natural timber veneer varies from board to board, so the colour can differ from the photo. Order a sample if the shade matters.
Choose the top and the basin
Many vanities are sold as a cabinet, with the top and basin chosen separately, so read the inclusions on the listing. The Hampshire listing shows how this works: it comes with a solid surface or Natural Carrara marble top, and the basin and waste are sold separately, to be chosen from the above counter basins. The listing also says Natural Carrara is a natural stone product that is pre-sealed but may need regular upkeep to prevent staining.
Our recommendation: choose the top, then the basin, then the tap. Check the basin size against the depth of the vanity so the basin sits back from the front edge with room to use it. An above counter basin adds about 100mm to 150mm to the finished height, and a stone or timber top adds about 30mm to 50mm.
Tap holes
The tap hole position is set when the top is made, so choose the tap before you order the top. The Hampshire solid surface top is semi-drilled in three places on the underside, so the tap hole is chosen on site with a 50mm diamond drill bit, and because the holes are not visible from above, it also suits no tap hole. Its Natural Carrara top comes with no tap holes, for wall-mounted tapware. If you choose a wall-mounted tap, its rough-in is set before the wall is lined and tiled. See taps and mixers.
The waste is the other fitting to match. An Australian guide gives 32mm or 40mm as the typical waste size, so check the waste fits the basin and the plumbing. Tighten a waste by hand only, because overtightening stresses the basin. Warm timber finishes sit well with brushed brass or brushed nickel, and matte or painted finishes with black, chrome or gunmetal.
Choose the width
A powder room takes a vanity about 400mm to 500mm wide and 220mm to 350mm deep. A small ensuite suits 500mm to 750mm, and a small main bathroom 750mm to 900mm. Many small bathrooms work best at 600mm to 900mm, and 600mm or 750mm are safe starting points. A double basin needs about 1500mm in practice, and a 1200mm vanity is not automatically a double, so confirm the bowl layout on the listing.
Test the footprint before you buy. Mark the width and depth on the floor with masking tape. If you have to turn sideways to pass, the vanity is too wide, too deep or both. Measuring by wall length alone is a common mistake. Measure depth from the finished wall to the front of the top or basin, not only to the cabinet face.
The size pages list each width: 400mm to 600mm, 750mm, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm. For small rooms see small vanities, and for two basins double vanities.
Fit and walkway
Allow about 700mm to 750mm clear in front of the vanity to stand and move, and keep at least 450mm from the centre of the toilet pan to the side of the vanity, a common trade rule of thumb. Set the plumbing positions from the vanity you receive, not from the drawing, and check them against the cabinet's interior layout before you fix it.
Height and the mirror
Floor standing vanities are usually 850mm to 900mm to the top of the benchtop, and a comfort height is 900mm to 950mm. A wall hung vanity is set on site, about 800mm to 900mm, by the installer from the users, the basin and the wall. A cardboard mockup at the planned height will show you whether it is comfortable.
A mirror looks best slightly narrower than the vanity, about 50mm to 100mm in from each side, hung about 100mm to 200mm above the bench or basin rim so it clears the tap handles. A double basin takes one mirror over each basin or one wide mirror. See mirrors.
Fixing the vanity
Manufacturer installation guides say a wall hung cabinet is fixed to support nogs fitted between the studs, the nog must be wider than the vanity, and the cabinet is secured to at least two studs or nogs. The nogs go in before the wall is sheeted. The guides ask for the wall to be plumb and straight and the floor level, and for the vanity to be packed out if not, because a bowed wall twists the cabinet when it is fixed. Fixings clear water and electrical services, and transport blocks come off only after the cabinet is fixed to the wall.
Manufacturer guides ask for a qualified tradesperson, and a licensed plumber for the plumbing. Check the vanity for damage when it arrives and confirm it is the right product before you fix it, because the guides do not recognise a damage claim after installation.
Sealing and moisture
Installation guides ask for a continuous bead of non-acidic silicone on every edge where the cabinet or top meets the wall or floor, and for tiles to extend behind and beneath the furniture. They say bathroom furniture should sit at least 300mm from wet areas, that the materials resist moisture but are not waterproof, and that the room needs ventilation, because steady high humidity damages the materials over time. A basin sealed to the top gets a continuous bead as well.
After fitting
Doors and drawers can move during transport and installation, so the guides expect an adjustment once the cabinet is fixed. A drawer that will not close usually has an obstruction such as a pipe or a tap hose, or the cabinet is not level and plumb. A waste that will not hold water is usually debris, a plug that is not locked in, or silicone missing under the waste rim.
Looking after the vanity
One manufacturer's care booklet says to wipe a cabinet with a soft cloth and a weak solution of non-abrasive detergent, and to dry any spill. Wipe away pooled water around the basin, and avoid strong chemical cleaners and abrasive pads. Glazed ceramic scratches cannot be repaired, and some mirror guides say to avoid ammonia or vinegar based cleaners because they can erode the silvered backing. Supplier guides add a pH-neutral cleaner and a monthly check of the silicone, resealing any that has lifted.
More sizes and styles
For a white cabinet, see white bathroom vanities. Every size and style is in the bathroom vanity guide.
