Bathroom Vanity Materials
Bathroom vanities can have two main functions. When chosen and built well, they can be a very pleasing and interesting focal point in your bathroom. A more utilitarian function is that they house the sink and serve as a storage drawer or cabinet for your toiletries and bathroom linen.
The styles and designs of bathroom vanities are almost endless, ranging from the classical, traditional, and contemporary. Materials used for their construction also vary. These are stones, wood, ceramics, glass, and metals.
The most common stones used in bathroom vanities are marble, granite, and travertine. They are used as the vanities’ countertops.
Marble has been used by sculptors and architects since classical times and they continue to be used today because of their attractive and colorful patterns. They could be white, black, blue grey, red, yellow, and even purple. Granite is a hard and tough igneous rock that is more durable than marble. When polished it can be very reflective giving it an appealing luster. It also comes in various colors and patterns. Travertine is a stone belonging to the limestone family and is often found near hot springs. It has a porous surface which must be sealed and polished before using it for construction. It also comes in different colors from grey to coral red.
Wood used in vanities are hardwoods such as oak, maple, and birch. Rubber tree is also used. These are used mostly for the internal frame of the cabinets and sometimes for cabinet doors and drawer fronts. The sidings are often made of engineered wood that are protected with laminates, paints, and special sealants.
Although glass sinks or washbasins are already available, those made of ceramics are still very popular. Ceramics are abrasion- and wear-resistant, hard, strong, and resistant to chemicals. When coated with glazing, they acquire a polished look and protection from water stains.
Glass sinks can either be basins sitting atop a stone countertop, or are an integrated sunken portion of an entire glass countertop. Both types can come is different colors. With technological advances in the annealing of glass, these are now tougher and less brittle than ever allowing their use as vanity countertops. Glass is also used in place of wood for cabinet doors and sidings. Often these are translucent or colored opaque to conceal what is stored inside. Others use open glass shelves.
Metals are used for drawer and door pullers. These can be in brass, chrome-finished aluminum, or stainless steel. Hinges are always in metal, whether they be European style, piano hinges, or the regular kind. In some contemporary designs, towel racks made of stainless or chrome-finished steel are included. Some cabinets made of wood stand on metal feet to protect them from wet floors.