Sheer frustration

[Harlan Messinger]

Why it takes me so long to get up the steam to start a home improvement project:

I got a pedestal sink to replace a vanity sink in a powder room. I need to put in a backer board. I remove some of the drywall and find two plastic pipes from above, presumably drain pipes, one straight down the middle between the water supply pipes and one on the left just inside the stud, and BOTH smack against the back of the drywall.

So, no backer board, hence I trash the pedestal sink, OR I build a projection in front of the wall and hang the sink from *that* but then I have to have the sink's supply lines and drainpipe extended forward; and by then the sink's too far into the room anyway.

Or I can go big time and have all the plumbing *inside* the wall rerouted. Yeah, right.

How do all of you ever get anything done?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I think about it for a couple of years. Or eight.

The sink in my bathroom is set into the type of wooden counter popular in homes from the 1950s. Someone tried recoating the sink sometime in the past, and it's flaking off. Really ugly. No big deal, right? Just replace the sink. Wrong. The whole counter is covered with standard

4-point-something-inch tiles. And, what are the tiles called that curve over the edge of a counter? Whatever they are, they also curve over the edges of the sink. The only way to remove the sink is to smash those trim tiles.

OK - so, replace the tiles, right? They come in plenty of colors. I should be able to find one that matches the Pepto Bismol pink of the entire bathroom. Maybe, but until I smash off those tiles, I have no way of knowing the actual size of the sink. No, it can't be measured from underneath and I don't wanna discuss why or I'll start drinking in the morning.

So, maybe if the sink doesn't match any "standard" size, I could have one made by some custom pottery place in FRIGGIN' ITALY for $8000.00. Or, replace the whole countertop. But, that's another issue. The tile of the countertop meet the tiles on the wall, and it's all grouted together. And, the countertop's not a nice, simple rectangle or square. Its front-to-back dimension tapers as it heads toward the door, or the door wouldn't close.

I could take out the sink and have it recoated correctly, but I'll think about it for another year while I go fishing.

[Speedy Jim]

So, don't use a "board".

How about a 1/4" thk steel plate notched into the studs? Tap the plate for bolts or permanently fasten threaded studs to it.

You might even be able to notch a piece of plywood into the studs if steel isn't your thing.

Jim

[Harlan Messinger]

Nope, there isn't even a quarter inch between the front of these pipes and the back of the drywall. But there IS about a sixteenth of an inch. I could screw a steel sheet between the studs, after having screwed rectangles from a 2x8 to the back of the sheet to cover the space between the intruding pipes. (I do have over 2 inches between the front of the supply pipes and the back of the drywall.) The wood would span the locations of the bolts. Does that sound sufficiently solid?

[Speedy Jim]

That sounds workable. And you could make the steel plate as "tall" as you need to give the stiffness.

[dpb]

The height won't add much stiffness. What would do that would be a vertical angle attached to it alongside the pipes where there is clearance.

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[Speedy Jim]

Very good point. Could even be made a bendment in the sheetmetal.

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[dpb]

Yeah, I was going to add that as an alternative/enhancement but you beat me to it... :)

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[aemeijers]

You don't need to notch the studs. Just replace a section of drywall with smooth-finish plywood the same thickness, screwed to the studs, seal appropriately, mud into the drywall, prime, and paint. If you do it right, it'll vanish completely.

aem sends....

[Jim Redelfs]

I don't. I try to avoid doing projects for exactly the reasons you gave. My sig says it all.

[Eric9822]

This is exactly what I did and was preparing to propose. It worked great and you can't see it unless you poke your head up under the basin.

[Harlan Messinger]

That certainly sounds *easiest*. I'm concerned about thickness: all my resources talk about using backer boards that are 1" or 2" thick.

[Harlan Messinger]

I suppose I could combine this with another of the offered solutions and screw a steel plate into the back.

[aemeijers]

Use a board bigger than the back of the sink (ie, bigger than the 2x6 the book says to use), and lots of screws into the studs. A 12" tall panel of

1/2 " or 5/8" plywood, across 3 studs, with 4 or 5 screws per stud, will be plenty strong enough to resist the twisting action from the weight of the sink. If you can exactly spot where the bolts for the hangers need to go before you put the plywood up, some bigass fender washers on the back, versus butterfly bolts or whatever, can't hurt.

aem sends...