Heating, Cooling and HVAC

There are seemingly endless choices available for bathroom sink vanities. You can spend $50 for an inexpensive wall hung sink or upward of $5,000 for a furniture quality cabinet vanity. Some types of sinks are self contained, others must be installed in or on a countertop, and some are mounted in a piece of cabinetry. There is no one best style and many options exist because of the wide variety of situations presented by bathroom designs.
In this tutorial we’ll review the most common types of bathroom vanities and sinks available including the following:

*wall mounted sink,
*pedestal sink,
*vessel sink,
*framed sink
*drop-in sink,
*undermount sink, and
*cabinet style vanity

Let’s take a look and see which style makes sense for your next home repair project.

Wall Mounted Sink…
The wall mounted sink is one of the most basic and common of bathroom sinks found especially in older homes and apartments. It is used most often when space is tight and so is the budget.
These sinks mount, as the name suggests, directly to the wall with no floor support. They attach to special hanger brackets fastened to the wall and wall backup. Plumbing waste and supply lines may either be exposed or concealed in a “shroud” or cover fastened to the underside of the sink.

Pedestal Sink…....
The pedestal sink is a classic. This floor mounted sink is commonly found in apartments, older homes and newer homes. Like the wall hung sink, it is often used when space is tight but is elegant enough to be used as a focal point in the bathroom design when space is not an issue.

As the name suggests, these sinks mount atop a pedestal which supports it off the floor and is fastened to the wall for stability. Plumbing waste and supply lines are concealed in the pedestal.

Vessel Sink..
The vessel sink is a fairly new arrival on the bathroom scene. This sink sets atop a countertop that is often fastened to a floor mounted vanity base which like most all vanities, is fastened to the wall for stability. Vessel sinks require a non standard faucet and waste drain system and are used in new construction or major bathroom renovation. The faucets for these sinks are either deck mounted on a pedestal or are wall mounted.
The sink, as the name suggests, is simply a vessel into which a faucet pours water. The vessel becomes an art object of sorts and can be as simple as a porcelain china bowl to granite or alabaster stone or blown art glass. The design options are essentially unlimited and the nice thing is that you can have a very striking and custom looking piece for a reasonable amount of money. Plumbing waste and supply lines are concealed in the vanity base or exposed but if exposed, they are designed to visible and attractive.

Framed Sink…
The framed sink is a commodity sink and installed in a vanity counter top. This style sink is commonly found in apartments, older homes and less expensive newer homes. They are installed into plastic laminate counter tops.
As the name suggests, these sinks drop into a counter top and are trimmed out with a metal “frame”. The sink itself can be porcelain enameled cast iron or pressed steel (usually the latter). Plumbing waste and supply lines are concealed in the vanity base.

Drop-In Sink..
The drop-in sink is often called a self-rimming sink or surface mounted sink and is typically installed in a vanity counter top. This style sink is very common to older and newer construction and remodels alike. These sinks can be installed into any type of counter top including plastic laminate, stone, tiles or synthetic composite tops such as Corian® or Silestone®.
These sinks have a lip that is over-sized to the hole and they simply “drop in” a counter top and are pressure fit to the top surface with a clamp system from underneath. This creates a self trimming installation without the use of a frame. The bathroom sink itself is typically made from porcelain enameled cast iron or vitreous china. (Kitchen sink versions are often stainless steel). Plumbing waste and supply lines are concealed in the vanity base.

Undermount Sink..
The undermount sink is clean looking sink found most often newer construction and remodels. They cannot be installed into plastic laminate or tile counter tops. They can only be installed into solid surface counters such as stone or synthetic composite tops such as Corian® or Silestone®.
As the name suggests, these sinks mount from the underside of the counter. They are slightly larger than the opening of the top, with the top creating a slight lip or overhang into the sink bowl. The bathroom sink itself is typically made from porcelain enameled cast iron, vitreous china, metal like copper or stainless steel, or out of a a composite resin material. If the sink and the top are composite resin then the sink can be manufactured integral with the top (like the “cultured marble” tops of old). Plumbing waste and supply lines are concealed in the vanity base.

Cabinet Style Vanity
I’m including the cabinet vanity as a style of vanity although it can be used with many of the of different sink types discussed in this tutorial. It can be used with vessel sinks, drop-in sinks, surface mounted sinks and undermount sinks.
The cabinetry style vanity can be a single or double bowl style and and can be a high quality piece of furniture. It typically has a solid surface counter top. Plumbing waste and supply lines are concealed in the vanity base.

Sources:http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/vanity_types.htm