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December 4, 2007
Bathroom Vanities, etc.
Can anyone recommend a good place to shop for bathroom vanities, medicine cabinets, etc. besides Home Depot or Lowes? We are renovating a rental unit in our building and want to install something which is nice looking, durable, but not super expensive. Not thrilled with the selection from Home Depot or Lowes. Any thoughts much appreciated!
Comments
Don't go to the bathroom sections of HD or Lowe's, go to kitchens. Or go to another kitchen place you like. Any manufacturer of kitchen cabinets, even at the lower end of what the big boxes offer, will make you a vanity base cabinet in a standard vanity size in any of the door styles and finishes they offer for kitchens.
The bathroom vanities in the Lowe's bathroom departmetn will cost a hundred more with a more limited section for what you would spend in the same store in the kitchen section for the vanity of your choice.
The bathroom and kitchen people in the big box stores do not talk to each other and actually deal with different vendors under different contracts. It's like two entirely different operations.
P.S. Don't go for drawers in your vanity unless you know the drawers will clear your plumbing.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 4, 2007 12:13 PM
Or buy a small dresser, old or new, and make a unique, custom vanity. It's not a big deal to cut out a hole for the basin, and to accomodate the plumbing by either removing the drawers and gluing the fronts to the dresser front, or shortening the drawers. You can paint it, or leave as is for a more shabby chic look. A couple of coats of polyurathane will seal the wood.
A thrift shop dresser can cost next to nothing, and with only a couple of hours' work, can be quite beautiful.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at December 4, 2007 12:28 PM
Restoration Hardware, MCKB, ABC--there are tons of 'em.
Posted by: Rehab at December 4, 2007 1:12 PM
Pottery Barn has a lot of nice looking vanities and medicine cabinets.
Posted by: guest at December 4, 2007 2:06 PM
Hey, question for the first two repliers: I've read this suggestion a lot for using kitchen cabinets, dressers, or other pieces of furniture for a bathroom vanity and love the idea, but I'm wondering how they hold up to the damp? Especially in a very small bathroom with no window and minimal ventilation? I would just assume anything built and sold specifically as a bathroom piece would withstand moisture better over time... Any idea?
Posted by: guest at December 4, 2007 2:13 PM
2:123 -- I am not suggesting getting a kitchen cabinet. I am suggesting getting a vanity made by a company that makes kitchen cabinets, and that the kitchen people at Lowe's are going to help you better than the bathroom guys, and that you will have many more style choices. That said, there is really no difference in the materials used. Check out the vanities in the bathroom section of Lowes. They are made the same way as kitchen cabinets. So no difference with respect to teh water issues. The only part that gets wet is the top, which you get separately -- whether it be stone, corian or someother composite, cultured marble, etc. The body of the cabinet rarely gets wet unless you are sloppy or have leaks.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 4, 2007 2:29 PM
Leaks do happen in sink bases which is why for both bathroom cabinets and lower cabinets in kitchens you should choose real wood rather than laminate or ply interiors. That's the problem I have with Ikea. They only offer cheap interiors.
Posted by: guest at December 4, 2007 3:04 PM
do a custom one with a good millworker.
Posted by: guest at December 4, 2007 11:45 PM
I think a vanity made with solid wood, as 3:04 said, is best. I used a solid wood antique dresser, and put on about 4 coats of poly on the top, and 2 thin coats on the front and sides, and that was over the paint job. I've had no problem with anything warping or rotting, and that bathroom is not well ventilated, either.
Particleboard and laminates are not going to last as long as this will, and it looks unique and custom, too. I got the dresser from a Salvation Army place upstate.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at December 5, 2007 1:16 AM
Try Home Expo
Posted by: guest at December 5, 2007 12:54 PM
Despite numerous posts on Brownstoner warning us not to go to Brooklyn Kitchen & Bath/Garfield Kitchen & Bath, they do have a large selection of medicine cabinets. We purchased 2 medicine cabinets here and were very pleased with the service (on time arrival and they carried to our car) and the product is great. The ones we bought are manufactured by "Sofia" which is apparently based here in Brooklyn.
Posted by: guest at January 1, 2008 11:12 AM
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