Should a bathroom vanity go on top of the tile?

Hi, another bathroom vanity question. We're having a new tile floor put in our new bathroom. Should the vanity go on top of the tile, or should it go in before the tile so the tile only goes to the edge and not underneath? TIA

Steve

Reply to
mrsgator88
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Steve,

Normally the tile goes around the vanity, but.....if you've already tiled I would put the vanity on top of the tile and then finish around the vanity with tile molding or wood molding. Most vanitys are fastened to the wall and the plumbing also goes to the wall. If you decide to put the vanity on the tile I personally would put a bead of silicone at the bottom of the vanity before you put it on the tile.

J
Reply to
Joey

But say some years down the line you want to put a new vanity in. At least the entire floor will be tiled and you don't have to worry about finding one the same size.

Reply to
Ray

I suspect that "normally the tile goes around...." is due to the vanity being either solidly fastened or for some other reason that would make it difficult to remove. New vanity, new tile. Tile first. Mechanically, tile under a vanity is much better as well as much easier to install.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Your answers to this one will be about 50/50. Everyone thinks their way is the only way.

I always put the tile down first. Properly grouted and caulked that gives a very water resistant barrier to the sub-floor which is a real problem to replace later. It also eases my misery when I have to replace the vanity in

7 years or so since I have a finished floor under the old one.
Reply to
Colbyt

I agree with Colbyt. TB

Reply to
tbasc

We haven't tiled yet. However, our contractor has laid cement board over the entire floor, including the area where the vanity will go. But, he said he wanted to tile around the vanity.

Steve

Reply to
mrsgator88

Usually, the vanity goes in and the floor is tiled up to it.

Principal reason is money. If your vanity is five feet by two feet, that's ten square feet of tile plus setting. from 60 to 100 bucks.

Doesn't mean much in the context of one bathroom ... but if you're building a couple of hundred homes a year with three baths each ...

No reason you can't put the vanity on top.

Ken

Reply to
bambam

So???

Ken

Reply to
bambam

Reply to
Don Young

The vanity goes in first normally. As floors are not generally level, the vanity can be leveled with shims, then the tile will butt up to the vanity and hide the gaps.

Unlike kitchen cabinets which cover large areas, bathroom vanities are generally small, so setting the vanity over the tile isn't necessarily bad either, assuming it can be set flat on the tile.

In my experience as a long time tiler, it's more likely that the tile will be replaced before the vanity, and it's a pain in the neck to remove tiles that are set under a vanity.

Also, if someone replaces a vanity in 10 years, most likely the tile won't be left behind anyway, as it too will be outdated.

The answer to the question is..... either way will work.

thetiler

Reply to
thetiler

Think Resale!!! Will people interested in your home like your vanity? What if they want to add a smaller or larger vanity? If you have the option to tile under the vanity, do so. It is easier tiling and it will look nicer in the end. You may not have to add molding around the vanity base if your vanity sits on top of the tile - just silicone should do the trick.

snipped-for-privacy@nospam.tnx wrote:

Reply to
Newfie

underneath?

Tile the floor and put the vanity on top, it's a cleaner installation. If you've something underneath, another room for example, think water leaking down. Then as previously mentioned, if you ever want to change the vanity think of the complications if you only tiled around it--could even mushroom into a new floor. MLD

Reply to
MLD

Tile under the toilet is a no-brainer. Anyone who tiles around a toilet is an idiot. The need to pull a toilet to fix a bad seal or do a cleanout is aways a present possibility.

Maybe people up north change out vanities often, leaving the old tile, but in my experience I've seen very few vanities changed out in less than 15 or

20 years of their use.

thetiler

Reply to
thetiler

You must not work on much rental property.

For homeowners I would agree with you.

Reply to
Colbyt

Rueful chuckle. Yeah, there are a lot of slob tenants. But there are also a lot of slumlords who only put in cheap pressboard crap, which only makes 3-4 years with even a careful tenant. But if I was rehabbing a house for rental use, I would definitely do the bathroom with wall-to-wall floors, and any other tricks I could think of the make future refresh cycles easier.

aem sends...

Reply to
ameijers

True I haven't worked on much lower end rental stuff, just expensive seasonal rentals out on the water as far as rentals go. People paying 2K a week don't usually trash the vanities :) Even a cheap vanity could last 20 years in a private home.

I can agree that in the case of a rental where the vanities may be misused, tiling all the way under might be a good idea.

thetiler

Reply to
thetiler

replying to mrsgator88, Maria wrote: You lose height on the cabinet if you install it first and tile up to it. It's a pain to salvage the old one in decent condition to donate if you tile up to it. Either way, you need base shoe at the toe kick of the vanity.

Reply to
Maria

replying to mrsgator88, Susie wrote: but I want the tile under and behind the vanity and he said I was wrong because of water splashes over back of the vanity. the vanity top has a backspash on it.

Reply to
Susie

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