Our Guide on How to Install a Vanity Sink

Just had a new wall mounted vanity sink delivered? Well now it’s time to install it! Don’t worry, we’ve enlisted the help of our resident expert Craig Phillips to ensure you know exactly how to install a vanity sink.

To Install your Vanity Sink You Will Need:

Drill
Drill bit suitable for your wall type
Wire and pipe detector
Hacksaw
Tap connector
Various spanners
Tape measure
Pencils
Spirit levels
Silicone and silicone gun

1 – Mark Out Where to Mount Your Vanity Unit

To begin, mark where you’ll be mounting your vanity unit. You’ll find two brackets at the back of your vanity, loosen these using a screwdriver.

Loosening the brackets on the back of the vanity sink.

Where you mount your vanity will be dictated by your waste pipe. If you’re using the same pipes in the same position as your old sink this is great. If you’d like for them to be moved, we’d always recommend sourcing a plumber. Rest your brackets in place against the back of the vanity, measuring from one side to the other inside the vanity.

Measuring distance from one side of vanity sink to the other.

Your waste pipe will be in line with your centre point, so mark the centre of your waste pipe, using a spirit level to bring this up into a straight line on your wall.

Using spirit level to find centre point.

Check the instructions to see how far off the floor it’s recommended you mount the vanity. Ours suggests 753mm from the finished floor level. So, from the floor, we measure 753mm. Luckily for us, this is on a grout line, which we know is straight. If this isn’t the case for you, measure 753mm up from your finished floor height, marking where this lands. With a spirit level, mark a horizontal line. Where this meets your vertical line is the centre point.

Measuring up from floor level suggested in vanity sink guide.

Taking the measurement you took earlier from one side of your vanity to the other, half it. Mark where this falls either side of your centre point. Ensure these two points are straight by using a spirit level.

Measuring either side of centre point for wall brackets.

These new marks will be where the outside edge of your wall brackets sit on the wall. Your horizontal line will be where the top edge of your wall brackets sit on the wall. With your wall brackets pressed into position against the wall, mark where any pilot holes sit.

Marking holes on wall for wall brackets.

2 – Mount Your Wall Brackets

Before you begin drilling holes into your wall, use a detector to ensure you’re not drilling into any wires or pipes. Where you’ve made your marks either side, drill your holes. With an appropriate drill bit, begin to drill on an angle, when you feel it pierce the wall raise it up to be at a 90 degree angle. Drive the drill into the wall to create an appropriate hole.

Insert your raw plugs, securing them using a rubber mallet. Place your wall brackets into position and screw your screws into your new holes using a cordless drill.

Securing brackets to mount vanity sink onto.

Remove any drawers from your vanity to make the carcass lighter and easier to lift. Lift the carcass into position onto your mounted wall brackets.

Tighten the brackets you loosened earlier using a screwdriver, using a spirit level throughout to ensure this is even on both sides.

Tightening wall brackets on vanity sink.

3 – Plumbing Your Sink

Unscrew any components that come with your plug, leaving the top rubber washer in place. Remember the order of these, you’ll reattach them later. Slide your plug through the appropriate hole. If your plug has an overflow, ensure this towards the back of your sink.

Place any washers back in place on the underside of your sink, around the threads. Place your nuts back into position and tighten. To secure even tighter use grips or an adjustable spanner.

Tightening nuts on plug on underside of the sink.

Now, secure your bottle trap, tightening by hand, ensuring you keep the overflow towards the back of the sink.

Attaching bottle waste to underside of sink.

Double check the washers are in place in the flexible hose’s. Unscrew the nut on the underside of your tap, and remove any washers that are in place. Thread your flexible hose’s through the appropriate hole.

Feeding flexible hoses through sink hole.

Place your washers back in place on the underside of your sink. This should be a rubber washer, then a metal one. Replace the nut removed earlier, tightening as much as possible by hand, tightening further with a tap connector. Ensure your tap is straight and in the correct position throughout.

Securing washers and nut into place on waste under the sink.

Lift your sink into position on your unit, against the wall. You may notice you need to cut away some of your waste pipe for it to fit with your bottle trap. Mark on your waste pipe where it meets with your bottle trap and cut using a hacksaw.

Place your sink into position on your vanity and slide your waste pipe into the back of your bottle trap, tightening by hand.

Securing the waste pipe to the bottle waste.

Your flexible hoses should have washers on, so attaching these is a simple case of screwing them onto the end of the pipes. Screw these by hand and use an adjustable spanner to tighten further.

Screw the last part of your plug into place.

4 – Finishing Touches

Use some silicone sealant in a silicone gun to run a line of silicone behind the sink where it touches the wall. Press your sink up against the wall so the silicone grips the sink onto the wall.

Run a second line of silicone against where the sink touches the wall, and smooth it over with a wet finger. This will prevent any water from splashing down the back of the sink.

Placing silicone line where sink touches the wall.

Now your sink and plumbing are both in place and installed, you can put your drawers back into place, securing any screws you had to remove earlier on.

Now you’ve successfully learnt how to install and plumb a vanity sink! If you’d like to watch the video version of this tutorial, be sure to check out our YouTube Video, How to Install a Vanity Sink. For the exact vanity used in this tutorial, check out our Austin Gloss White Wall Hung Basin Drawer Vanity. Be sure to tag us in your DIY projects on our Instagram, @Bathroommountain. We love to see what you’ve been up to!