Bathroom Sinks

Bathroom Lavatory Sinks: Buying Guide

Does your powder room need a shake-up? Has your guest bath overstayed its welcome? If you've decided to master a master bath--or any bath--you're in for a surprise. In recent years, plumbing fixture designers have penned a pack of pedestal sinks and high-style lavatories that turn what was once a mundane fixture into a piece d' resistance. It's time to say "au revoir" to your washed-up washbowl. But first, let's clarify the terminology. The correct term for a bathroom sink is "lavatory," a word rooted in the Latin word lavare, meaning "to wash." In the industry, lavatory is often shortened to "lav" or, in contractor lingo, "lavy." The term "sink" fits if the lavatory tops a pedestal, as in "pedestal sink." From white porcelain classics to colorful contemporaries, lavatories are made in hundreds of styles and finishes. Most bowls and pedestals are made from vitreous clay or fire clay, but you'll also find a variety of lavs made from glass, metal or any material that holds water. Of course, some materials are better than others. Rohl Corporation, for example, prides itself in the beautiful, high-quality porcelain its Allia pedestal and vanity bath fixtures are made from. "The primary manufacturer of Allia is in Limoges, France. It can draw on the wonderful, fine ceramic material they have to work with there," says Marketing Manager Greg Rohl. Prices for lavatories and pedestal sinks are all over the map. Low-end, value-priced fixtures can be purchased at home improvement centers for under $100. At the high end, the sky is the limit. Most large manufacturers offer fixtures at different price points. "For us, a good price would be about $200 for a pedestal," says Greh Rohl. "We have a better fixture at $365. And our best, classic style with an ionic column pedestal and a large squared sink that has a generous surface area around the outside of the bowl, nice detail on the side, and very clean, sloping lines would be more like $695." The myriad of lavatories are categorized by their support method: the familiar pedestal sinks, wall-mounted lavs and countertop-mounted lavatory basins, as well as the popular new "consoles." What is a console? Steve Bissell, Sr. Product Manager for Sanitary Wear at Kohler, refers to their new Memoirs Console table as "a cross between a pedestal lav and a bath vanity. We take a large pedestal lav basin, remove the pedestal, and put legs on it like a table would have." Starting at about $900, this particular model is reminiscent of the washbasins prevalent in homes during the 1920s. In related styles, Porcher's Bajade is a large, white ceramic lavatory set on chrome legs. Two cross bars double as towel racks, and the Spoleto Vanity by Hastings has a white Carrara marble top, china undermount basin and chrome or gold leg stand--a corner version is available, too. Though most consoles provide little or no hidden storage, Kohler's Revival console table offers an optional fabric skirting attachment. The Furniture Look Consoles are in keeping with the hottest trend today: lavatories that look like furniture. Watercolors offers wonderfully avante-garde European imports that, as owner Joyce Blum puts it, "are more like furniture than a sink." She adds, "We try to do things that nobody else does." Among both quirky and striking offerings, they have intricately curved wrought iron frames, finished in a variety of tones. These support china--or even terra cotta--surfaces and bowls that have been given beautifully-glazed finishes. How pricey? According to Blum, "We are upper middle to high end, about $1200 and up." Eljer Plumbingware's new Mardi Gras lavatory, which brings the flavor of New Orleans' historic metal and wrought-iron detailing into the bathroom, is a console that features an intricate scroll design on its metal base and a generous vitreous china basin. Barclay Products Limited's Versailles is an elegant, French-style wall-mount sink with two front corner legs. Hastings Tile & Il Bagno Collection offers a variety of artistic pedestals and consoles that utilize chrome, glass, polished copper and more. "Most people would consider our products to be contemporary," says Marketing Manager Mike Homola, "but it's really more of an eclectic kind of look. People are inter-mixing a variety of different mediums with these interesting pieces." At the upper end of the market, these pieces run from $1000 up to $6000. Clear Thinking One of the new looks in lavs is glass. "An exciting direction at Porcher is their Glacier Glass Bowls and Pedestals," says Linda Jennings, public relation agent for Porcher. "These are a special kind of glass...they have an etched bottom so spots don't show up." Kohler also offers lavs made from hand-spun glass, highlighted with the air bubbles and imperfections characteristic of hand-blown glassware.  ... Continued. For the continuation of this article and more free expert advice from Don Vandervort, visit www.HomeTips.com Don Vandervort, the author of this, is nationally syndicated and a familiar face on television. For more about him, please click here.