Bathroom/Lavatory Sinks, Basins & Vessels

If you are considering a major bathroom home improvement or just wish to spruce up an existing bathroom you will have a very wide selection of sinks to choose from.

There is a wide selection of materials to choose from:

Stainless Steel
Baked Enamel
Porcelain
Glass
Composite
Molded

And, all of those materials are available in a vast array of colors, sizes and mountings.

Quality is generally determined by the finish and thickness of the material used.

Some basins and sinks are designed to have the faucets mount through the sink rim. This means that the faucet set must match the hole centering of the sink. The most common hole mounting for a lavatory one piece faucet is 4 inches with a center hole. For faucets that have separate valves and spout, the common hole spacing, center to center, is 8 inches. The advantage to having the faucet mount through the sink rim is that any water that collects on the faucet will run into the sink, rather than onto the counter top.

It is important to understand the installation requirement of the product. Some basins and sinks require caulking between the rim and the counter top to ensure that water does not seep between them.

Almost all basins and sinks connect to a 1 1/4" PVC, brass or copper drain line. All basins must have a trap as part of the drain system and for proper water drainage, to avoid gurgling sounds, the system should be vented.

Pedestal sinks have the drain pipe connecting to the sink through the pedestal leg. For proper appearance the drain pipe must come through the wall directly behind he pedestal leg.

Each manufacturer defines their own colors, there is no industry standard. A white from one manufacturer will not be the same as a white from another manufacturer. If using colors in a bathroom it is always wise to choose an ensemble of product from one manufacturer in order to ensure color match.

Following is a selection of some very modern washbasins: