A Guide to Installing Vessel Sinks

The vessel sink is elegant and luxurious. These sinks are compatible with most wall-mounts or counter top-mount and are known for their easy installation. The freestanding bowl requires no special cut out on your tile, granite or wood counter tops, other than a small 3 to 4 inch hole. The vessel sink is versatile and will make your old bathroom look beautifully new with great functionality. All mounting hardware usually comes with your purchase of the vessel sink.

Vessel sinks can be installed above the counter top or it can be sunk down up to a third of its height, like a regular sink. Whichever way you decide to install the vessel sink, know that with its cutting edge design this sink will look clean, sleek and smooth with a contemporary appearance.

Before installing your vessel sink, take the time to check out this web site, it will have a lot of helpful information and a variety of vessel sinks available at reasonable prices. The site is "sinksgallery.com".

Materials you will need:

* Clear silicone caulking
* Plumbers tape
* Rubber o-ring
* wrench and screw driver
* Vessel sink and hardware that comes with it

Ten steps to installing a vessel sink:

Step one: Remove old sink and counter top and install new counter cabinet. If you are going to install the vessel sink in a sunken in position, leaving the old counter top will be okay if it was a round circle.

Step two: You will need to drill out a hole in the counter top that will be large enough to accommodate the drain, usually a 3 to 4 inch hole will due. If you have chosen a flat vessel sink, the installation is pretty much straightforward.

Step three: The manufacturers of the vessel sink recommend that you put a rubber o-ring or a bead of silicone around the edge of the drain opening to prevent any leakage.

Step four: Set the glass vessel bowl on top of the opening.

Step five: Seal the base of the sink with clear silicone to ensure a good tight seal.

Step six: Install the drain through the hole you drilled out and through the counter top, ensuring a good fit.

Step seven: Attach the drain components following the manufacturers specifications.

Step eight: Tighten the nut on the drain that holds the sink in place. You will need to take extra care while doing this step, especially if you are installing a glass vessel sink. When you tighten the drain assembly do not over tighten it, as this will cause breakage and render the sink useless.

Step nine: Attach the drain to the P-Trap or S-Trap, whichever one you have, and connect the drainpipe to the wall mounting. Then attach the hot and cold water lines to the sinks faucet.

Step ten: Almost finished! Now you will need to check you work by looking for leaks around the base of the sink as well as the underneath plumbing. Then make sure that you check for leaks in the drainage system. If you find any leaks, apply more silicone to that area and that should stop the leaks.

References for this article came from worldsinks.com and bathroomvesselsinks.com