Remember the first time you saw a vessel sink? It may have been while watching a home show, visiting a friend’s house, or attending an open house. You may have felt confusion, wonderment, or delight.
Vessel sinks provoke many emotions, not only from homeowners but industry professionals such as designers, contractors, and bathroom remodelers. Sometimes that emotion is love, sometimes fervent dislike. Rarely does anyone have a neutral opinion about them.
Vessel Sinks Defined
A vessel sink is a basin that sits on top of a bathroom vanity or counter, rather than insets like traditional drop-in or under-mount sinks. These sinks are found only in bathrooms, not kitchens, as their size and style would not be practical for the kitchen environment.
More specifically, vessel sinks tend to be found in decorative bathrooms, such as powder rooms or guest bathrooms, where the sinks are not used very often.
The vessel sink basin can be any material—fired ceramic, glass, stainless steel, stone, copper, or marble. Glass and ceramic vessel sinks are the most popular types today.
Types: Above and Below Counter
There are two distinct types of vessel sink installations:
- Above-counter installation: The vessel sink basin rests completely on top of the counter or vanity. When people think of vessel sinks, this is the version they usually have in mind. After a drain hole of 1 5/8 inch to 1 3/4 inch is drilled, no additional cutting of the countertop is required.
- Recessed installation: Recessed installation allows for greater basin stability. A hole greater than the diameter of the drain hole, but smaller than the sink diameter, is cut into the countertop. This allows the sink basin to rest about halfway down.
Pros
-
Style: Add panache to your bathroom for relatively little money.
-
Changeability: Because vessel sinks are not stuck in place (as drop-in sinks are), they can be changed out fairly easily.
-
Space: You can gain a bit of extra counter room because the vessel sink basin takes up less space than recessed sinks.
-
Installation: Avoid costly and difficult sink cut-outs. You need only one hole cut out for the drain pipe.
Cons
-
Durability: Because of the exposed edges of the basin, they are prone to chipping and breakage.
-
Stability: Vessel sinks are secured only at one point, rather than the entire perimeter. A recessed vessel sink, which sinks about halfway into the vanity but not as far as a drop-in sink, adds greater stability.
-
Cleaning: Difficult to clean around the area where the vessel sink basin meets the vanity or countertop.
-
Overflow: Vessel sinks do not come with overflow relief drains.
Higher: The higher rim can be an issue for shorter folks.
Other Considerations
Over time, the vessel sink you purchased may no longer be available and, if it breaks, you may not find an exact replacement. This would require altering the existing top.
You still need separate holes in the top for the faucet, unless you are installing a wall-mounted lavatory faucet.
Depending on the material of the top, you may need a professional to cut or drill the openings for the sink. In addition, if you decide to replace the sink in the future, the holes may need modification, which isn’t always an easy task.
Installation
Within the category of sink installation, on a scale of one to 10, installing a vessel sink ranks around a three or four. In other words, vessel sink installation is decidedly not a mandatory professional-only installation. As a homeowner with little DIY skills, you can install your own vessel sink.
For the installation process for an above-counter vessel sink (rather than the recessed variety), it is important to note that your sink should come with a connecting ring that acts as an interface between the rounded bottom of the basin and the flat countertop. If not, then your sink basin may have a flat bottom that requires silicone caulking between the basin and counter.
Faucets
One advantage of traditional drop-in sinks is that the aprons of these sinks have pre-drilled holes for the installation of faucets and handles. But how do you handle the matter of fixtures when it comes to vessel sinks?
- Faucet configuration: Holes are drilled into the countertop or vanity to accommodate the faucet(s). It is entirely up to you whether you choose a single- or double-hole configuration.
- Choose “vessel-sink” faucets: Faucets are often advertised as being specially made for vessel-sink faucets. What these manufacturers are advertising is that their faucets clear the high rim of the vessel sink basin. Faucet heights of 4 inches or greater should clear most vessel sink basin rims with plenty of room to spare.
Cost
Not long ago, vessel sinks were exclusively high-end designer products. Now, with the surge in popularity of vessel sinks, homeowners at nearly any budget level can afford a vessel sink.
Prices for name-brand vessel sinks range from just around $120 to about ten times as much, or $1,200. These prices do not include installation, faucets, or vanities.
The average cost of vessel sinks is around $235.
Source: The Spruce
