One of the final stages of bathroom repair is the installation of the sink. When the room is completely ready for its installation, the question arises as to who will perform this work.
Someone decides to use the services of qualified craftsmen, and someone wants to save the family budget and install the sink yourself. But what if the owner does not have the necessary experience and skills? In this case, the recommendations outlined in our article will help to complete the work.
What you need to immediately pay attention to
The modern market offers us several varieties of similar products that differ in appearance. The bowl can be mounted on a leg, pedestal, stand or mounted on top of a suspended countertop.
Often you can find designs with two washbasins made in the form of a deep plate. Depending on the chosen variety, the possible ways of fixing the sink will differ. According to this criterion, all products can be divided into several groups:
- on hanging shelves;
- varieties mounted on brackets;
- sinks with a curbstone;
- products on a pedestal.
When purchasing this or that option, pay attention to its design features. Many kits already have special fasteners, which immediately indicates a method of fixing faience. The size of the product itself is also important. It must strictly correspond to the free space in the bathroom, otherwise the installation of the sink will be complicated.
What tools and materials can be useful during the work?
To install the washbasin, certain hand tools and materials are required. This list includes:
- Adjustable wrench (or a set of ordinary wrenches).
- A few dowels or a pair of brackets (a sink with a curbstone in the bathroom can be installed without the use of fasteners).
- Screwdriver.
- Plumbing winding.
- Self-tapping screws.
- Pencil or marker.
- Screwdriver (for mounting a sink with a curbstone).
- Silicone sealant.
- Drill or hammer drill.
When purchasing a sink, pay attention to its complete set. Some products are sold along with basic mixers, but in most cases they have to be purchased additionally. When choosing a faucet, you need to look so that it is compatible with the design of the selected washbasin: it matches the diameter of the hole and fits in size. You should also pay attention to the fact that some faucets are sold without connecting pipes. In such cases, they are purchased separately. When all the necessary materials are ready, you can start work.
Where to begin?
If the old washbasin is at the place of work, the installation of the sink in the bathroom begins with the elimination of the failed product. First of all, it is necessary to dismantle the mixer. To perform this work, you need to shut off the water. First, unscrew the nuts that secured the product to the washbasin. Then the cold and hot water pipes are disconnected, after which the tap can be freely removed.
Next, a siphon is dismantled. First, the metal grate (located in the hole of the old sink) is unscrewed, and then the plastic nut under the sink is unscrewed. The siphon should be kept very carefully, as there is water in it. If this element will not be operated with a new sink, then it is disconnected from the sewer. It is better to plug the remaining hole in the pipe with something, otherwise an unpleasant odor may appear in the room.
Now the sink can be removed from the fixtures and proceed with the installation of a new washbasin.
Sink height: at what level should the washbasin be?
Before the earthenware product is fixed at the base, it is necessary to determine the level of its fixation. Here, again, it all depends on the design of the washbasin and on the free space in the room. For example, products like "Tulip" have a standard leg, so simply cannot get the bowl higher or lower.
In addition, the growth of the owners of the premises is important. If small children or short people live in the apartment, then for their convenience the sink can be placed a little lower than usual. According to generally accepted standards, the height of the sink should be about 80 centimeters from the floor.
Bowl mounting technology for brackets
Brackets are considered the most reliable and popular way to fix the bowl against the wall. Such a mount is used for mounting a hanging sink or varieties on decorative legs.
Installing the bowl on the brackets is carried out in several stages:
- On the wall, the installation level of the ceramic product is marked. At a certain height, two marks are made (these will be the highest points of the washbasin).
- From the upper marks they retreat downward by a distance equal to the height of the back wall of the shell itself. Marks are also made at this level. In the space between the upper and lower points, the brackets will be located.
- Fasteners are applied to the wall. Pencil marks the place of their fixation.
- Using a puncher, holes of the required diameter are drilled at the indicated points. They are installed dowels, brackets are attached to the wall.
A washbasin is put on the resulting base. If the design of the brackets implies the presence of fixing bolts, then the sink is additionally attracted by these bolts to the base.
If the kit has a decorative leg, it is substituted under the installed bowl. This is done after connecting the siphon and mixer.
Mounting the bowl on the pedestal
Installing a ceramic sink on a pedestal is a fairly popular installation method. Here can be used coasters of a wide variety of types and shapes. And the bowl itself can have a different design. As a stand, a product made of wood, ceramics and drywall can be used.
If the sink is mortise type, then at the base of the stand, you must first cut a hole of the appropriate shape and size. To do this, set the bowl on the countertop, perform the necessary measurements and make marks. A hole is cut out at the designated points. This work is done with a jigsaw. Next, the bowl itself is installed. The place of joining of ceramics and countertops can be greased with sealant. Such varieties are usually not attached to the wall, but can be equipped with mounting bolts for fixing on a pedestal. In this case, the nuts simply need to be tightened well.
Overhead bowls are simply placed on top of the finished countertops. In order to give the structure good stability, the pedestal can be additionally fixed to the wall (using self-tapping screws).
Washbasin installation
Washstands with hanging countertops are especially popular today. For this reason, the question of their installation is very relevant. It should be noted right away that the use of such varieties is possible only when all the plumbing is hidden in boxes or walls. Outside, only small sections of pipes should protrude, which do not impede the tight fit of the cabinet to the base.
Installation of a sink of this type is as follows:
- Since most often the cabinet is sold disassembled, it must first be assembled. This work is carried out in strict accordance with the diagram or instructions supplied by the manufacturer. For these works, a set of self-tapping screws and a screwdriver are used.
- If the back wall of the cabinet is fully open, then you can begin to fix it on the wall. In closed versions, there are usually only a few holes for connecting pipes. In these cases, the back wall often has to be cut or the dimensions of the base slots increased so that the water and sewer pipes do not rest against the curbstone.
- Next, proceed to fixing the countertops. To do this, the height of the installation of the sink and the location of the dowels are noted on the wall. Most often they need to make 4 pieces.
- Holes are drilled at the designated points, dowels are driven in.
- The curbstone rises to the desired height and is fixed against the wall using self-tapping screws.
If the bowl is already fixed on the base, then you can start connecting plumbing. The overhead sink is installed on top of the cabinet and bolted to the wall or to the base itself. On this installation of the sink with a pedestal in the bathroom can be considered complete.
Installation of corner washbasins
Very often, the bathroom area does not allow to install a full wash basin. In these cases, owners acquire angular varieties of shells. Their installation does not cause any special difficulties and is identical to the previously described processes.
If the bowl is placed on the pedestal, then the base itself is pre-installed in the selected angle. It is pressed tightly against the wall and fixed with several screws. A sink is mounted on top of the cabinet. She can just stand on the countertop, and can be fixed to it with bolts.
Suspended varieties are mounted on brackets and screws. To do this, make marks on the wall, drill holes for plastic dowels, fix the product itself. Then connect the siphon and mixer.
Mixer installation
Installing a faucet on the sink is a simple process. To carry it out, you only need to have a set of hoses, sealing gum and wrenches.
First, gaskets are put on the hoses, after which they are screwed to the body of the mixer itself (from the inside). A rubber o-ring is put on the tap base . After that, the product is installed in a special hole in the bowl, and the tubes are passed under the sink.
A gasket and a pin are connected to the tap from the bottom. Using a bolt and nut, the mixer is locked in place. Hoses are connected to water pipes and screwed with nuts.
During the installation of the mixer it is very important not to overtighten the connecting elements. All should be twisted by hand, and only slightly tighten the hose connection points with a wrench. To avoid water leakage, it is better to glue threaded joints with a special tape.
Siphon connection
The siphon connection technology is universal for all varieties of the washbasin and does not depend on the method of installation of the sink.
This process is as follows:
- A siphon neck is installed in the drain hole of the bowl. On the outside there is a grate with a rubber gasket, which is tightly attracted to the hole with a plastic nut (it is twisted under the washbasin).
- A lock nut with a wedge-shaped ring is put on the pipe from the grate. A siphon glass is connected to the pipe.
- Next, the glass is pressed against the locking ring, after which a nut is screwed onto it.
- A sealing gum is inserted into the sewer hole, the diameter of the hole in which is slightly smaller than the siphon pipe.
- The corrugated plastic tube fits snugly into the gum. For reliability, the place of their docking can be coated with silicone sealant. This will prevent the flow of water and the leakage of unpleasant air into the room.
To check the tightness of the drain, water is drawn into the siphon. If there is a leak, tighten the nuts better.
To summarize
Despite the fact that the range of washbasins today is very extensive, the installation technology of all varieties is very similar. All work uses the same fasteners and tools. Therefore, if the owners of residential premises will be able to independently install the sink, then its subsequent replacement or repair will no longer cause any difficulties. We hope our article will help you cope with this task and reduce the cost of paying for the services of specialists.