Choosing a countertop for a bathroom sink

Nowadays, many design solutions are embodied in bathrooms. The hygiene room has been transformed into a sophisticated place with maximum functionality and comfort. For an even more comfortable use of the bathrooms, you must choose a high-quality countertop under the sink.

Instead of the cabinet under the sink or the usual shelves, a horizontal surface is now installed, which can be used as a large table. On it you can place all the necessary items for your own hygiene. A sink and a faucet are harmoniously integrated into the surface. A washing machine, laundry basket and practical drawers for towels or other things can be safely placed under the tabletop.

When choosing, you must first of all pay attention to the room in which the tabletop is installed. The constant influence of steam, water, high humidity and temperature changes forms specific requirements for the materials from which it must be made. Therefore, when choosing a countertop, it is necessary to take into account not only decorative and aesthetic parameters, but also the peculiarities of caring for it, as well as the functional properties of the product.

The countertop in the bathroom is also a separate element of the interior. They differ from each other in their configuration, dimensions and dimensions, the materials from which they are made, as well as the method of fastening. Sometimes several sinks can be located on the same countertop. They can be angular, multi-level and with various interior curves.

An important nuance when installing countertops is the fastening of the structure.

According to the fastening method, the countertops are divided into three types.

• Overhead. Installed on the floor using supports or legs, like a table or cabinet.
• Suspended. They are suspended from the wall using special sturdy brackets.
• Semi-suspended. One side is suspended from the wall as in the suspended version of the fastening, and the other is installed on the floor, as in the surface-mounted version of the fastening.

By design, the countertops are also divided into three types.

• Solid-cast is a worktop that is one piece with the sink. This tabletop is not collapsible.
• With built-in washbasin. A hole is cut in the countertop to match the size of the built-in washbasin.
• With a countertop washbasin. An overhead sink is mounted on top of the countertop, which can be easily replaced if necessary.

Today manufacturers of bathroom furniture use a variety of high-tech equipment and the latest technology, so they can offer countertops from a variety of materials.

Suitable for those who value quality and decent appearance. This tabletop looks very noble and expensive. Has significant weight. It is also worth noting that the pattern of a stone cut on such a tabletop will never be repeated anywhere and never again, as it is unique.Its main advantages are heat resistance, durability, wear resistance. Such a surface is almost impossible to damage, and if scratches have formed, they can be easily polished. The disadvantages of this material include the large weight of the product, high cost, complexity in installation and processing.

Basically, marble and granite are used for the manufacture of countertops. Much less often - quartz, onyx and gabbro (frozen magma). The installation of such a tabletop, as a rule, costs one third of the cost of the product itself, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to install such a piece of furniture on your own.

It looks no worse than natural, while the choice of colors and various decorative solutions is much wider than that of natural stone. The construction itself is slightly lighter in weight compared to its natural counterpart.

It is divided into two types.

• Acrylic stone, which is the most common material in the production of countertops. Consists of acrylic resin, mineral chips and various colored pigments. The main advantages of this stone are maintainability, the ability to manufacture complex shapes, ease of maintenance, the cost is much lower than natural stone, invisible joints. Disadvantages: low strength, stains from acids and paints remain, low heat resistance, difficulty in installation and processing.
• Quartz agglomerate. Consists of quartz, granite or marble chips, polyester resin and various additives and dyes. It is produced using high pressure, which gives the material excellent strength. This stone has the following advantages: durability, heat resistance, ease of maintenance. Disadvantages: not repaired, complexity in installation and processing, large weight, high cost in comparison with acrylic stone, there is no possibility of manufacturing complex structures.

Countertops for bathroom sinks are made of three types of wood: oak, larch, teak. Manufacturers also offer countertops glued from pieces of various tree species and soaked in moisture-resistant liquids. In any case, these surfaces need to be covered with more than one layer of special varnish.

The advantages of wood: ease of installation and processing, the ability to manufacture complex shapes. Disadvantages: low strength, doubtful durability.

The glass table top is versatile, as glass, especially transparent glass, will suit almost any interior.

Also there are:

• frosted glass countertops - they are the most popular because they do not cast shadows, cover the contents under the countertop and hardly show scratches on them;
• optical glass tabletops - equipped with LED lighting, which creates a beautiful light effect around;
• colored glass products with patterns and a unique appearance - they are created from several layers, each of which can be of a different color, with beautiful patterns, and also have 3D effects;

• tinted - made of special thermally tempered glass or tinted with a film from the inside of the surface;
• mirror - are used extremely rarely due to the fact that any defects and even minor drops of water and fingerprints are perfectly visible on the surface.

Many are skeptical about countertops made from these materials, to put it mildly. But due to their low cost and ease of installation, they are popular. Panels for this type of countertop are made from wood scraps and sawdust. A toxic adhesive is added to the chipboard.MDF is produced using high pressure. At the moment of strong compression, a substance is released from the crushed wood, which is an adhesive base. The slabs are covered with a special moisture-resistant film, which gives ample opportunities in the choice of colors and various patterns.

Advantages: light weight, ease of installation and processing, easy maintenance, low cost, fast production time. Disadvantages: short service life, low strength.

This manufacturing method is used when finishing the working surface of the countertop with tiles or mosaics. To do this, use a galvanized profile so that it does not rust, and moisture-resistant drywall. This technology allows you to make any shape of the tabletop. After it is ready, ceramic tiles or mosaics are laid on it.

Maintenance of such a countertop is the same as for ceramic tiles. Advantages: versatility, durability, easy maintenance. Disadvantages: complicated assembly and disassembly.

Plastic countertops are lightweight and durable, come in a variety of colors and shades, and are low cost. Advantages: plasticity, durability, easy maintenance. Disadvantages: low strength, low temperature resistance.

The parameters and dimensions of countertops for a bathroom sink depend on the following indicators:

• the size of the room itself in which the installation is planned;
• size, for example, the width and shape of the shell (or shells, if there is more than one);
• how to install it / them;
• material from which the tabletop will be made.

Glass countertops are more elegant and slimmer. Models made of natural and artificial stone, plasterboard and natural wood will be more massive and bulky. Tabletops made of MDF and chipboard will have medium dimensions, something in between glass and stone products.

Today, there are many manufacturers of countertops for bathroom sinks, so choosing a worthy sample will not be difficult. The main thing is to decide on the choice of material from which the surface will be made, to discuss the timing, size and cost.

You need to pay attention to the fact that products made of natural stone are made to order for a long time, and if you are offered a short production time, then you should think about it. You can also familiarize yourself with the assortment of ready-made offers from large stores selling goods for renovation and interior design.

Among the manufacturers are:

• Vitra. This is a company from Turkey, which in 2011 took a chance and offered cooperation to a designer from Russia - Dima Loginov. The designer ceramics worktop of his authorship is very popular. For seven years of cooperation, several collections have been created.
• Ceramica Bardelli. This is a newcomer to vanity worktops. This company has recently begun to involve both famous and unknown designers in the development of its own collections. At the Ceramica Bardelli factory, products are produced according to the sketches of the famous Piero Fornasetti, professional Luca Scacchetti, innovator Tord Buntier, Joe Ponti and others.
• Pamesa. The company produces products under the logo of the Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. A distinctive feature of this brand is expressive, dazzling, poisonous colors.

The countertop for the sink is a fairly new solution in the interior of the bathroom. The advantages of such countertops are that instead of various cabinets and shelves, you now have a whole table on which you can store many accessories. A washing machine and any design with drawers can be placed under the worktop.

The operation of such a countertop is significantly different from the operation of a kitchen countertop. There are more aggressive factors in the kitchen, for example, mechanical or high-temperature influences.In the bathroom, vegetables are usually not cut, meat is beaten, and hot pots are not placed on the surface. The main factors of negative impact here are high humidity and constant contact with water and various detergents.

The most durable and durable stone is. A well-made product will serve for many decades. When choosing this material, one must take into account its large weight, high cost and a rather long production process.

Artificial stone is practically not inferior to natural stone in durability and strength, while having a lower cost. Also attracted by a huge selection of colors and graphic solutions for tabletops made of this material.

Glass countertops can be the best option. With their average cost, you can get an aesthetic appearance of the bathroom and good strength and durability of the product. This design will harmoniously fit into a bathroom of any size. This type of product is made of tempered glass or multilayer plexiglass. When broken, tempered glass crumbles into small cubes with edges that are difficult to cut against, and if damaged, multilayer plexiglass becomes covered with cracks, but does not fall apart due to the film between the layers of glass.

A plasterboard countertop for a bathroom sink is the choice of people who know how to make a beautiful interior with their own hands or want to implement their own design project, but manufacturers of standard countertops do not undertake it. Also, with the help of this design, you can advantageously beat the various disadvantages of the room.

A wooden countertop will fill the bathroom with the warmth emanating from natural wood, and the grace with which a wooden product fits into the design of tiles and metal is incomparable. But when choosing such a countertop, one must not forget that this material requires careful maintenance, and the wood itself, in comparison with other materials for countertops, is quite soft, prone to deformation and moisture absorption.

A table top made of MDF or chipboard is today not only one of the most budgetary options, but also the most short-lived product for bathrooms. Despite the fact that manufacturers declare moisture-resistant materials used in the manufacture of countertops, practice shows that the service life of such products is much lower than that of all others.

When choosing a chipboard countertop, you need to remember that the very composition of which the countertop is made can be toxic. The fact is that the adhesive used in the production of panels emits formaldehyde, which is dangerous to human health. Therefore, pay attention to the index E indicated in the documentation for the product. If it is equal to zero or one, then such material can be used at home.

A plastic countertop is the most budgetary option and has an appropriate appearance. When choosing plastic, you need to remember that it can be toxic.

Not all types of countertops can be made by yourself. The surface of any stone and glass requires processing on special equipment and the use of certain skills and knowledge.To date, the countertop for the bathroom sink can be independently made of wood and drywall.

When making wood worktops, we need a wooden plate to match the size of the worktop., moisture resistant impregnation for wood flooring, joint sealant, tool. To begin with, we remove all dimensions in the place where the tabletop will be installed, think over the fastening method. Using an electric jigsaw, we cut out a countertop from a wooden blank using the dimensions and shapes that were taken in advance in the bathroom.

After that, in the resulting countertop, we make a hole for a siphon, if the sink is laid on, or we cut a hole for the sink, if it is built-in. A hole is also made for the faucet in its diameter if it will be mounted in a tabletop, and not in a wall. If the countertop will have two or more sinks, then we cut out holes for all the elements. At the same time, it is necessary to make all the necessary holes in advance for fixing the tabletop to the wall and / or floor, depending on its design.

When the shape of the countertop is ready and all the necessary holes have been made, we proceed to processing the edges. For this we need sandpaper and a special machine. The entire surface of the worktop to be treated must be smooth and even after processing. Having finished processing the edges and holes, we proceed to coating the wood and all its ends with a moisture-resistant composition in accordance with the instructions on the package. The next stage is varnishing, also according to the manufacturer's instructions. It is advisable to apply the moisture-resistant composition and varnish in several layers.

Don't forget about the ends, edges and holes. There, too, everything needs to be processed with high quality. After the applied products have completely dried, the worktop is ready for assembly. In this case, all joints adjacent to the countertop, the walls of the sink and the faucet must be treated with a sealant. This will exclude the ingress and stagnation of moisture in hard-to-reach places.

The technology of self-manufacturing countertops from MDF or chipboard is practically no different from the version with wood. You do not need varnish, moisture-resistant composition and sanding. But if there are rounded corners in the countertop project, then after cutting the ends of such corners will need to be sealed with a special film. You won't be able to do this on your own.

Making a drywall countertop is a more complicated process, but it also gives you more opportunities to make curved, rounded and other unusual forms of construction. We need moisture resistant drywall. It is sold in finished sheets. We calculate their number from the dimensions of the planned countertop and multiply by two, since the base is made in two layers.

We also need a profile, necessarily galvanized. It will be used in all supporting structures of the planned tabletop, and drywall will already be attached to it. Accordingly, the number of profiles depends on the size and configuration of the project. If bends on the surface of the product are conceived, then it is best to purchase flexible drywall for arches. You will also need self-tapping screws for metal, glue for gluing drywall sheets, tile adhesive, tile or mosaic, moisture-resistant sealant, joint sealant.

When everything is ready for work, then we start making the product. Having decided on the height at which the tabletop will be located, we draw a horizontal line and fasten the cut profile to the wall. If the structure will have several levels in height, then we fasten the profiles to the wall in accordance with the intended structure. After that, we also assemble the frame of our future table from the profiles.This type of tabletop cannot be suspended, so do not forget to make supports. When the frame is assembled, we sheathe it with sheets of drywall.

After the frame is sheathed with plasterboard and all the necessary holes are cut out, we begin to tiling or mosaic. The tile laying technology is the same as for walls and floors. When the tile or mosaic is laid, and all the seams are sealed, we mount the sink, faucet and siphon, we connect all communications.

For information on how to make a drywall countertop under a sink, see the next video.

When installing a structure under a sink in a bathroom, it is imperative to take into account its weight and mounting method. Suspended structures pose the greatest danger, so you need to pay attention not only to the fastening of the tabletop, but also to the strength of the wall to which they will be attached. The mounting bracket itself must be made of steel with an angle or square profile.

If the tabletop is heavy, then the bracket must have a diagonal reinforcement. This bracket looks like a triangle. You can also use brackets in the form of squares or rectangles. The bottom bar of this bracket can be used as an additional hanger for towels and the like.

If the structure is laid on and is installed on supports or legs, then it must additionally be attached to the wall, which will exclude its shifts in different directions.

All joints and places of accumulation of moisture must be treated with a moisture-resistant polyurethane sealant. When manufacturing and installing drywall countertops, do not forget to leave the possibility of access to pipes and taps for maintenance, repair or replacement. Otherwise, in the event of an emergency, you will have to destroy the fruits of your labor, and then spend time and money on recovery.

• Natural teak construction. Effectively and harmoniously blends into the interior of the bathroom, creating a pleasant contrast and giving warm shades to the atmosphere of the room.

• Natural stone construction evokes a sense of luxury and good taste. Natural colors and calm tones add a stateliness. This is the only specimen in the world, because the same stones do not exist in nature.
• Plasterboard construction. A great solution for a small bathroom. The product fits neatly into the space of the room, giving it additional functionality.