Re: New medicine cabinet for downstairs bath
Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:37 pm
The vanity.
By 11am, we had the vanity on the floor. Then we put the top on it. It felt good to have something to look at after spending so long on the toilet stuff which you can't even see. Of course nothing was actually installed but still. This also allowed us to notice the first problem for this job. The back splash, when properly placed on top of the vanity top, obstructed the outlet! Arrgh. So the adjusted plan was to pull the vanity out from the wall a tiny bit and slip the back splash in behind it. We then were able to trim the bottom of the outlet cover and that plan worked. One down and plenty of dry fitting yet to do. Once that was settled, we decided to install the new faucet. Easiest way to do that is to remove the top, and install everything that way. More access and general convenience. With the new faucet and drain tail piece installed, we decided if the placement of the vanity box and top was acceptable, with regard to gaps along the edges of the top, and the sides of the vanity box.
Once that was settled, we pursued fastening the vanity box. With it away from the wall, there was quite a gap so I made up some plywood. Finding the studs to screw them in was also a bit of a hassle but eventually we did, and attached them. Then I shoved some cedar shims to fill the rest of the gap, and screwed the back in, in several places. With that done, we turned our attention to the drain. Here you can see the top installed and placed correctly. Water comes out of that gray tail piece and is supposed to go into the black P-trap. Sigh. Thanks to an incredibly helpful department supervisor at Home Depot, we came home with this flexible coupler, 1-1/4". Stretched to the max, and pulling somewhat on the P-trap, it fits. Even if the top isn't flat. It seems to be leak-free so far but I will keep my eye on it for a while. If this doesn't work, I will have to install a new P-trap which means cutting it off at the wall and building back out. With the drain solved, and all final faucet things sorted (like the popup drain handle adjustment), we decided it was a good time to actually seal the top down. The material of choice for that was clear GE Silicone II. It should keep everything attached, but if I wanted to pull the top someday, the silicone will release, unlike some kind of construction adhesive. I basically siliconed along the plywood vanity box, and also against the wall where the back splash would go. Then I added caulk along the seam between the backsplash and top, and along the top of the backsplash. Anywhere you wouldn't want water to drip behind, where water would be present, basically.
Now that this was like 99% done, I felt it would be prudent to focus on a smaller detail.
Take a look at the gap on the right side of the vanity top where it meets the wall (scroll back up). It is flush with the wall in the front, but that grows to a gap at the back. Blame unsquare walls. Check out this elegant solution we came up with. This is a PVC product. I went into Home Depot looking for quarter round but this looked a little nicer. Made some straight and miter cuts, and attached with clear Silicone II again. I am very happy with this and it was a fun little detail to add. Hides the gap perfectly.
By 11am, we had the vanity on the floor. Then we put the top on it. It felt good to have something to look at after spending so long on the toilet stuff which you can't even see. Of course nothing was actually installed but still. This also allowed us to notice the first problem for this job. The back splash, when properly placed on top of the vanity top, obstructed the outlet! Arrgh. So the adjusted plan was to pull the vanity out from the wall a tiny bit and slip the back splash in behind it. We then were able to trim the bottom of the outlet cover and that plan worked. One down and plenty of dry fitting yet to do. Once that was settled, we decided to install the new faucet. Easiest way to do that is to remove the top, and install everything that way. More access and general convenience. With the new faucet and drain tail piece installed, we decided if the placement of the vanity box and top was acceptable, with regard to gaps along the edges of the top, and the sides of the vanity box.
Once that was settled, we pursued fastening the vanity box. With it away from the wall, there was quite a gap so I made up some plywood. Finding the studs to screw them in was also a bit of a hassle but eventually we did, and attached them. Then I shoved some cedar shims to fill the rest of the gap, and screwed the back in, in several places. With that done, we turned our attention to the drain. Here you can see the top installed and placed correctly. Water comes out of that gray tail piece and is supposed to go into the black P-trap. Sigh. Thanks to an incredibly helpful department supervisor at Home Depot, we came home with this flexible coupler, 1-1/4". Stretched to the max, and pulling somewhat on the P-trap, it fits. Even if the top isn't flat. It seems to be leak-free so far but I will keep my eye on it for a while. If this doesn't work, I will have to install a new P-trap which means cutting it off at the wall and building back out. With the drain solved, and all final faucet things sorted (like the popup drain handle adjustment), we decided it was a good time to actually seal the top down. The material of choice for that was clear GE Silicone II. It should keep everything attached, but if I wanted to pull the top someday, the silicone will release, unlike some kind of construction adhesive. I basically siliconed along the plywood vanity box, and also against the wall where the back splash would go. Then I added caulk along the seam between the backsplash and top, and along the top of the backsplash. Anywhere you wouldn't want water to drip behind, where water would be present, basically.
Now that this was like 99% done, I felt it would be prudent to focus on a smaller detail.
Take a look at the gap on the right side of the vanity top where it meets the wall (scroll back up). It is flush with the wall in the front, but that grows to a gap at the back. Blame unsquare walls. Check out this elegant solution we came up with. This is a PVC product. I went into Home Depot looking for quarter round but this looked a little nicer. Made some straight and miter cuts, and attached with clear Silicone II again. I am very happy with this and it was a fun little detail to add. Hides the gap perfectly.