After we’d finished with the tiling the floor, one of the last things we had to do in the bathroom was install our new sink and faucet and the sewing table we’d use as the vanity. Both the sink and vanity came with all the parts we needed to install them and directions that were easy to follow (a rare case). The installation was only slightly problematic because of our existing plumbing. The first thing we did was deal with the waste drain and water lines.

With the old sink and cabinet removed, we realized that the two water lines didn’t have shut-off valves. So I picked a couple up at the hardware store. These first two valves didn’t fit. So I went back to the store, returned them, and got two more. These also did not work (I can’t actually remember why now–probably a mix up with inner diameter vs. outer diameter measurements, which I’m not so good at). My third trip to the store got me two shut-off valves that fit just fine. These valves allowed us to turn the water back on at the meter without water making a mess in the bathroom. (If you don’t have shut-off valves on your sinks, I highly recommend putting some in. As long as you get the size that fits, all you have to do is screw them on the water line.)

When we were ready to put in the vanity and sink, we had to decide where the vanity would be and where the sink and faucet would be in relation to the water lines. The faucet ended up offset so it sits about 2 o’clock on the sink. The water supply lines that came with the faucet were just long enough to reach from the lines to the faucet.

After we knew where the sink and faucet would go, I had to drill holes in the sewing table for the plumbing. I used a 1/2″ speedbore drill bit and had a hole for the faucet and a hole for the sink drain in about 15 minutes. Drilling through the solid pine boards went somewhat slowly but without major issues.

With the holes drilled, installing the faucet consisted of basically (1) screwing in the water supply lines in the bottom, (2) threading those lines through the hole in the table, and (3) connecting them to the shut-off valves I’d installed earlier. The supply lines that came with the faucet were helpfully color-coded blue and red for cold and hot water, respectively.

Installing the sink was arguably the easiest part of all of this. The sink just sits on top of the hole in the table, and the 6″ waste drain that came with the sink screws in through the bottom of the table. To be honest, the sink rocks a little bit, but it doesn’t leak. (We’re thinking of either installing a sink washer or drilling a bigger hole to stop the movement.)

Then came the fun amateur plumbing part. The waste drain that came with the sink was too short to reach the P-trap I got at the store. And the P-trap wasn’t long enough to reach the waste drain hole in the wall. So I had to get creative. For some reason, I couldn’t find P-traps that had longer waste pipes–I’m not sure whether these exist or not. To make the sink drain reach the P-trap, and to make the P-trap waste pipe reach the wall, I bought two 6″ extension pipes. These pipes come with slip nuts that allow them to be attached to the P-trap itself.

In order for the extensions to fit, I had to cut them to the size I needed. I used a bi-metal blade on my hacksaw (that I used for this threshold job), and cut the pipes to the lengths I needed them. When I cut the pipes, I got the cut started, and after I was through the metal, I’d turn the pipe itself and keep in line with the initial cut. So I didn’t cut straight through the entire pipe the whole time. I only cut through about a centimeter of it at a time.

With the pieces cut, I attached them to the P-trap using the slip nuts and plastic gaskets that came with the extensions. (*I’m sure that the way I fixed this problem is not exactly up to the plumbers’ code. So I’m certainly not suggesting that this is the best way to make a P-trap reach your plumbing, but it’s working for us so far.) After a few tests to find any leaks and disassemblies to get the gaskets in the right places, I had a sink drain system that was leak-free.

Before:

And after:

If you want to see the bathroom remodel from the beginning, check out demo, cement board installation, hanging and painting beadboard, tiling the shower, and tiling the floor. You might also want to take a look at my How-To’s: cement board and tiling and grouting.