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Elegant Half Bath (page 2 of 2)

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How-To Steps 3 - 17

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3. Cut out the paper template supplied with your vessel sink and tape it to the center of the table. Drill a 1/2-in. starter hole inside the circle for the jigsaw blade. Then saw out the hole for the vessel sink with a jigsaw.

4. Roll a ball of plumber’s putty between your hands to form a putty “snake.” Press the putty around the drain opening. Slide the top of the drain assembly through the drain hole and press it into the putty. Install the rubber washer, plastic washer and nut and tighten carefully until the drain is secure and flush with the bowl.

5. Squeeze a pencil-width bead of silicone caulk (caulk is usually provided by the sink manufacturer) around the sink cutout and lower the sink into the hole. If your drain has a fancy pop-up lever like ours, face it to the front.

6. Center the table in its final location. Hold the P-trap assembly level and as high as possible on the tailpiece and mark the center on the wall.

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7. Hold the faucet spout above the sink and mark its center on the wall. Ask your plumbing inspector for the minimum height above the rim. Here, the spout outlet is about 3 in. above the rim of the vessel.

8. Turn off the water at the main shutoff valve and cut the water supply lines with a tubing cutter or hacksaw. Saw through the drain about a foot from the floor. Saw through the horizontal section of the vent pipe. Remove the sawed-out section of drain and vent.

9. Cut the stud and reframe the opening as shown if necessary to accommodate the valve (Photo 11). Drill a 2-1/8 in. hole through the stud centered on the new drain height and another hole below that to reconnect the drain and vent.

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10. Cut the plastic pipe and reroute the drain and vent as shown. Prime the pipe ends and the inside of fittings. Then spread PVC adhesive on the primed surfaces and quickly assemble each joint, twisting the pipe about a quarter turn as you push it into the fitting.

11. Follow the instructions provided with the valve for locating the blocking and attaching the valve.

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12. Connect the valve to the supply lines with 5/8-in. Outside diameter soft copper. Estimate the length needed and allow an extra 6 in. Slide a bending spring over the copper to prevent kinking. Bend the copper to fit. Hold it in place and mark the ends.

13. Cut, clean, flux and solder the copper tubes and fittings to connect the hot and cold supply lines to the new valve. Test the valve according to the instructions provided before covering the wall with drywall and tile.

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14. Relocate the light fixture boxes if necessary. Turn off the power at the main circuit box and test the wires to be sure it’s off. Carefully pry the boxes loose and remove the staples that hold the cables in place. Add blocking or slide the box on its strap to relocate it. Reattach the boxes and staple the cables within 8 in. of the box.

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15. Level the first course of tile with small plastic shims, available at tile retailers. Mark a line with a 4-ft. Level to indicate the top of the first row of tile. Draw vertical plumb lines at the outside edges. We extended the tile 1 in. beyond the table on each side.

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16. Cut the tailpiece to extend about 1-1/2 in. Into the trap and thread it into the drain assembly. Use a hacksaw with a fine-tooth blade to cut the tubing. Cut the trap arm if necessary to extend about 2 in. into the wall when it’s aligned with the trap. Slide the trap up onto the tailpiece and connect it to the trap arm with the rubber slip joint washers and large slip joint nuts provided. Hand-tighten them. Then tighten them an additional quarter turn with a large slip joint pliers.

17. Assemble the spout, faucet handle and rings to the faucet valve according to manufacturer instructions.

From The Family Handyman - October 2002