A 64 year old woman do it yourselfer.

ksspears · 12-11-2010, 07:22 PM

I am in a do it myself bathroom renovator. I need someone's advice on installing my vanity. Any help at all would be much appreciated.

**kwikfishron** · 12-11-2010, 07:38 PM

Welcome to the forum.

Post your specific question in the Remodeling Forum. Plenty of quality advice to help you through your project.

Pictures of what your doing always help too.

SeeDBee · 12-12-2010, 05:16 PM

Assuming this is a prefabricated vanity such as you'd purchase at one of the big box stores then it's a pretty simple attachment.

1) It'd be ideal if you could locate the studs behind the sheetrock and be able to place the vanity where you could use wood screws to tie into these. Studs are normally placed on 16 inch centers, but my experience with bathrooms is that the location where you want to install it does not accomodate that.

2) Assuming that it doesn't, then you'll have to obtain plastic screw inserts from a local hardware store.

3) You'll need to drill some holes. The size will be indicated on the packaging for the inserts, if you need to use inserts.

4) If you don't need to use inserts then you'll need to drill holes for the screws that are just a tad smaller than the actual screw.

5) and this should be above #1. Have some help.

ksspears · 12-12-2010, 05:52 PM

Thanks for your advice. I have plaster and lath walls. I'm replacing my old vanity with this one. It had a regular cabinet that was screwed into the wall. This one has all drawers and no place to put a screw in the back. It has cut outs in 2 top drawers for fittings and plumber cut behind the bottom full drawer for some pipes. It should have been plumbed thru the wall but he had hurt his shoulder twice crawling into such a small crawl space and decided to fix it to where he could still plumb it from the floor. My bathroom is small and this is the only space I can put it.

SeeDBee · 12-12-2010, 06:41 PM

Here's an idea. It might even be easier than my earlier solution.

1) at your local box store purchase hardwood trim about 1" square. Length is to be determined by the height of your vanity. You'll probably want to get oak wood.

2) With wood screws and Titebond glue attach these two pieces to the side of your vanity flush with the back of it. Let the glue dry overnight.

3) While at the box store purchase 4 3/16" x 2" Moly Bolts.

4) After the glue has dried attaching the hardwood strips to the sides of your vanity then drill the appropriate size holes into your plaster/lath to allow you to insert the moly bolts. Snug your vanity to the wall by attaching the hardwood trim to the wall and screwing it down.

No one will have to insert themselves into the vanity and it'll be securely in place. You can finish the wood strips to match the vanity.

ksspears · 12-12-2010, 07:16 PM

That sounds like a good idea. But it is a little out of my league so I will see who I can find to do it for me. This vanity cost me a pretty penney and would hate to ruin it which if I did it, I probably would. Thanks, Karen

clarebear · 12-16-2010, 03:30 AM

I'm new here and want to learn from others for the DIY things.

ksspears · 12-16-2010, 07:10 AM

I started by buying myself a miter box and watching HGTV. I learned to wall paper, miter corners, and to stripe your walls with clear polyurethane varish. You just got to have a picture in your head and go for it. I had just had a vinyl floor layed and didn't like the brown vinyl base cove, (base board) that they had put in. It went with the floor but not with my blue walls in the bathroom so I took theirs out and replaced it myself with a white base cove. Was afraid I would mess it up but it came out looking great. So just dig in and hope for the best. It generally turns out ok. Karen