How to choose a bathroom vanity top and sink

People shopping for a bathroom vanity usually start with the cabinet: the door, the color, the width. We cover that in our guide to choosing a bathroom vanity. This guide is about the two pieces that sit on top of it, the countertop and the sink, because they are the part of a vanity your hands and your toothbrush actually touch, and because they have to be decided in a particular order.

The top: granite or quartz

We carry custom vanities with granite and quartz tops, so those are the two worth comparing here. Our countertop comparison goes into all three popular stones in detail. For a bathroom, the short version is this.

• Quartz is engineered stone bound with resin. It is nonporous, so there is no sealing, and it comes in a huge range of colors, including marble looks. The trade-off is that it can scorch under a very hot tool, and a bathroom has curling irons and hair dryers.
• Granite is natural stone, and every slab is one of a kind. It handles heat and scratches well and is sealed once or twice a year. You pick the real slab, so color and movement vary and you want to see it before you buy.

A bathroom top is small, so it is a good place to spend a little more on a stone you love. A vanity is a few feet of counter, not a whole kitchen. That is one reason people choose a more dramatic slab for the bath than they would dare for the kitchen.

The sink is not an accessory

The sink changes how the top is cut, how it looks and how it feels to use. We carry undermount and vessel sinks, and a third style, the drop-in, is the one you see in the photograph at the top of this page, where the bowl sits down into the counter and its rim shows on top.

• Undermount. The sink hangs below the stone, so the counter has a clean edge you can wipe straight into the bowl. It is the usual match for a stone top, because the stone is what you are showing off.
• Drop-in. The bowl drops into a hole in the top and the rim stays visible. It reads as more traditional, and it suits a cabinet with detail on it.
• Vessel. The bowl sits on the counter like a basin on a table. It becomes a feature, and it raises the working height, so check the height against the person who uses it most.

None of these is the right answer for everyone. The right one is the one that suits the cabinet, the stone and the person using it every morning.

Pick the sink before the counter is templated

This is the part that costs people time. On our fixtures and sinks page we say it plainly: pick the sink before the counter is templated, not after. An undermount sink is not dropped into a hole of a standard size. The fabricator cuts the opening to that exact sink and polishes the edge to it.

If the sink is still undecided when the templater measures, the counter waits. And fixtures are special order, so they arrive on a lead time rather than off a shelf. That is why we ask people to settle the sink early, and why it is worth choosing the faucet with it. The sink and the faucet have to fit each other and the top, and the faucet holes are cut into the stone.

What templating means for a bathroom

Templating is how the top gets made to fit your actual walls rather than a drawing of them. Bathrooms are old and walls are not square, so a top cut from a catalogue size can leave gaps where a templated one will not. Our bathroom remodeling work includes vanity top templating, fabrication and installation, priced as a package with the tops. So you are not buying a slab and then hunting for someone to measure and cut it.

Bring the sink with you

If you are shopping from Greenwood Village or anywhere else in the southwest Denver metro, the simplest way to save yourself a second trip is to arrive with the sink and the faucet already in mind. A photo is enough. Two finishes that are both called brushed nickel can come out as different metals, and a screen will not show you that.

From there it goes the way the rest of the bathroom does. Buy the vanity and top and install them yourself, bring your own contractor, or let us handle the whole job. Our vanities page shows what we carry, including custom vanity tops in granite and quartz, and our bathroom remodeling page shows what a full project includes.

A short checklist before you order

• Choose the top and the cabinet together, not one after the other.
• Decide the sink style, and the exact sink, before anyone measures.
• Choose the faucet with the sink so the holes agree.
• See the real stone sample under real light, not on a screen.
• Ask who templates, fabricates and installs the top, and whether it is priced as one package.

Related: How to choose a bathroom vanityCountertops comparedBrowse vanitiesBathroom remodeling