We’re looking to put in a double sink in a bathroom (60″ space). We were thinking of using two 30″ sink vanities, instead of one 60″ sink vanity. I don’t see any real downside, but I thought I’d check and see if anyone knew of any.
We’re also thinking of using “kitchen” cabinets for the vanity, as they seem to be considerably less expensive.
Add a strap for easy carrying and pouring when working with 5-gal. buckets.
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Replies
Will that be one counter spanning two cabinets, or two separate cabinets and tops. If it's the latter, I would be concerned about keeping the space between them clean. I also think it would look wierd, but that just my opinion.
Kitchen cabinets are 24" deep, while bathroom vanities are only 20" or 22".
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See some of my work at TedsCarpentry.com
The idea was to have two 30" vanities, adjacent to each other, with a 60" solid top over both of them. There was no objective to have two vanities, I just thought maneuvering two 30" vanities might be a bit easier than one 60" vanity (getting that up to our second floor is going to be a pain).
Oh... well then, uhh....
nevernind. :D
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Edited 6/20/2008 11:12 pm by Ted W.
FWIW, I find vanities absurdly short. I'm not even all that tall - maybe I hate bending???? My kitchen counter is 37 1/2, and that's perfect. . . Kitchen height vanities are fine by me.Aesthetically: yeah, it starts looking 'different.' Oh well.
And a 60" box? Not being familiar with the product, I'm struggling to find a reason why it's necessary to have a single box that big.
Two issues: five feet is usually considered the minimal amount of space for two side-by-side sinks. You will find that kitchen base cabinets feel unusually tall for bathroom applications. I ended up cutting ours down and biscuit-joining the carcasses back together.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
Thanks. I hadn't realized they were different sizes, but looking into it you are exactly right. Bathroom vanity cabinets are 33 1/2" tall. Kitchen cabinets are 34 1/2" tall.
Also, the kitchen cabinets are 24" deep, whereas the bathroom cabinets are 21" deep.
I'm looking at the Masterbath cabinets available through Home Depot. We have just an inch or two over 8 feet in our bathroom, and an 18" linen, 60" vanity, and 18" vanity would be a good option.
>>>Also, the kitchen cabinets are 24" deep, whereas the bathroom cabinets are 21" deep.Yes, although in my experience the depth issue is less of a concern. In fact if you have the room it can be an asset, especially if certain members of the family like to spread all sorts of equipment, lotions, potions, gadgets, widgets, etc.... all over the counter.....Good thing my wife doesn't read this forum...Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
24" deep vanity! My mind is reeling!Another benefit is having room to get a washcloth between the faucet and backsplash.
Well... I guess it depends on what you call a 'vanity'. In our case it's made of three base cabinets: 18" + 36" + 18" for a total of 6' wide. I left the depth at 24" which seems quite comfortable, but the room was designed that way in the first place (one of the nice parts of drawing your own house).On the other hand, I made the mistake of installing un-chopped cabinets in the basement suite, and I think it feels weird. For some reason mincing onions and washing your face require completely different counter heights.Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
I agree with the other comments, especially the taller height. I've been recommending 34" to the countertop as a good height, unless a customer is very tall. I just finished one for a customer, and it's perfect. When I have to use my kitchen sink as a vanity, it's awkward leaning over it.
You can accomplish this with a standard vanity (21"d cabinet depth, off the shelf) blocked up to the appropriate height. Most standard vanities range in height from 30-31 inches.
The difference between 2-30" vanities and a standard 60" is that the 60" can often have a narrow drawer bank in between the sinks. This moves the sinks to 12" centers, which is the minimum spacing from wall to sink center, and can seem tight.
If you like the look of individual vanities, then I opt for 2-27" or 30", as you'll want some breathing and cleaning space in between. You can look for a vanity with a drawer on the bottom for extra storage.
I'll second what SK told you.
It's not at all a bad idea to size the lavatories down a size, from a 20" to 18" or even a 16" depending on the lip design. This "buys" you actual counterspace, both physically and preceptably.
Note that 60" is adequate for two bowls, but not necessarily for the "stuff" around them. Shop for accessory shelves and holders to get cutter up of fthe counter. A glass holder can be very handy, as you can use the hole to support a soap dispenser, which keeps that off the counter top. The floating glass shelves can be very nice, too.
Alternately carry SK's sink-drawer stack-sink configuration up the wall, using two 24" mirrors with a 12" inset shelf niche in between.
If at all possible, get an inset medicine cabinet on either side of the 60" space, that's another way to store clutter out of sight.
You occasionally have to be careful substituting cabinets from one use to another. KD (knock down) cabinets can make that easier, as you have more lattitude to configure them to suit your specific situation. I once did a remodel install where I cut down a vanity height drawer stack to 18" deep, and installed the customer's already purchased cabinets on either side. The three inch depth difference allowed for all of the plumbing to run neatly behind the drawer stack.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Bathroom vanities are wayyyyyy too low for me! But then again I am 6' 8"
When I built my house, I used kitchen cabinetry that I also elevated so it finished at 38" from the floor.
Aside from the good points above, if you use one 60" bath vanity you can possibly get a small draw stack in the middle. Drawers are nice. With two 30" cabs drawers are out.
In the housing market I build, double sinks in the master are nearly a requirement. People want storage and places to put their stuff too.
Granted everyone has different tastes... but... as far as the picture above with 2 pedestals in a 60" space - if I did that I'd make sure my resume was current...
The 30" cabinets we've been looking at have 12" drawers. So, drawer space is the same with 2X30 or 1X60. The only real difference is door swing. With the 60" vanity, the two cabinet doors are in the middle and open out in the middle.
With the 30" cabinets, if you have the two cabinet doors in the middle, they would swing "together" (hinges right next to each other). Or, the doors could be on the outside side, and the drawers would be together.
One of my concerns is whether the doors would rub together, or rub against the wall. You hate to install something and thing figure out that the doors won't open right. Well, or to be more accurate, you hate to special order something, bring it home, and then figure out that the doors won't open right.
>> The 30" cabinets we've been looking at have 12" drawers. << I'm not following you.... are the 12" drawyers in the top? If so, where is the sink gonna go? Even if there were - say a stack of 4 down one side, I still don't see how a sink would fit. I know you can do some crazy stuff with knothcing the back of drawyers and such but to me that is last resort type of stuff.
All ,
There are many configurations , they may have 18" sink hole to the left and 12" drawer stack to the rt . The one I build typically will have a false sink front panel or two across the front,then you can center the bowl if you want to and usually a few drawers down the one side with a door under the sink.
I work it from the sink bowl size out . In 60" I would not use the largest of sinks , the space against the wall from edge of sink , well it is gonna be close , 6 or 8" is better then 2 or 3" .
dusty
PS - here is a super quick sketch of the kind of cab I'm recommending. Hate to admit it but I build some pretty cheap stuff. This is not high dollar stuff...
Matt's drawing reminded me of another modification that I had to do. We wanted to have our own 18" drawer cabinets at each end and a 36" door cabinet in the middle. This mean I had to cut a half-moon shape out of the top-middle of the 18" cabinets in order to accommodate the sinks. Luckily it had no effect on mounting the drawers.Also, if you're going to use the factory-made drawer assemblies (ours are from Ikea), you won't be able to cut down the depth of the cabinets, only the height.Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
You could always swap the doors with each other. I little wood putty to fill the old holes in the frame. Even if you didn't fill the holes you would only see them when open and if you looked for them.TFB (Bill)
if I did that I'd make sure my resume was current...
I agree! But for some the double pedestal is what they want and so be it, but I wouldn't want to put that in a spec.
I'd say for the average home buyer/owner the space in a master to store stuff is paramount. I don't think I have installed any cabinets in masters that have been under 34-36" for some time now.
Doug
I really like that.
"Coming to recognize you are wrong is like coming to recognize you are sick. You feel bad long before you admit you have any of the symptoms and certianly long efore you are willing to take your medicine." -Charlton Heston.
This is the 30" vanity we were considering:
View Image
and this is the 60"
View Image
Our space is exactly 8' 2" (98") from stud to stud (it's currently open). So, with 60" of vanity (1X60 or 2X30) and 2X18" linen closets we have exactly 2" to spare, not counting drywall. So, we have a little bit of extra space, but not much.
Sorry... I must be missing something...
How are 2 sink bowles gonna fit on either of those cabinets? Or are the top drawers blanks?
The top part is not a drawer.
That 60" one looks like it is meant for a single sink.
you made a much beter choice than either of those two."Coming to recognize you are wrong is like coming to recognize you are sick. You feel bad long before you admit you have any of the symptoms and certianly long efore you are willing to take your medicine." -Charlton Heston.