Bathroom basin and vanity unit

[Ntinyn]

Am agonising and agonising over basin choice in new family bathroom. I've never had a vanity unit under sink but want one now for storage. I'm worried about washing my face etc with a vanity unit under the basin. Most of the ones I've seen, the cabinet is flush against the basin, are these harder to use ergonomically or am I worried about nothing? Is a semi recessed one better since it has a sticky out bit?
Please help as I'm going mad!

We have one with nice wide flat bits either side of the basin - one big piece that sits on top of the unit.

Like this though ours is only 800mm I think. They come in lots of sizes. It's great

Thank you. Live the side bits! But we only have 600mm space so I doubt I can have sides.

We've got a 600mm vanity unit and it's great! I think you're worrying unnecessarily op 😊

Not hard to use at all. I advise getting a mirror cabinet for more storage, and so the glass is closer to your face.

A wall hung vanity is ££ but the best, as you can tuck your feet under so don't have to lean over so much.

Oh good point about tucking feet under dusty! That's made me feel a lot better. DH wants wall hung to create illusion of space but I wanted freestanding for more storage. Don't know why I'm agonising so much over these bathroom decisions, want to get it right first time as pregnant and have toddler and want to future proof too.

Ah - you will never agonise so much about so many things as when you are pregnant. Par for the course! Every single tiny decision will IMPACT YOUR FUTURE CHILD!! Happened to me too.

Wall hung also means you can clean the floor easily.

Feel your pain, we I spent an inordinate amount of time. You should be OK with 60cm but check the depth of the sink and the length of the tap. Some of the basins are quite shallow which means when you bend your head over the basin to wash your face, the water that drips off your face goes all over the tap/s if that makes sense. Yes to wall hung for the feeling of space and standing very close to the sink.

Thanks everyone. Now feel less weird at my behaviour. Womb population definitely leads to lunatic obsessive behaviour.

Poor DH is bored at looking at basin pictures now. The independent we're buying from doesn't have tonnes and tonnes on display so I've been scouring the catalogues and online making lists of heights, depths, widths. I'm giving away how crazy I am!!
We're also doing our cloakroom and luckily it's so tiny I could only choose between a few units.
Haven't even thought about taps! Here comes next obsession.... Are they the right height? Are they accessible for toddlers? Easy to clean? Water pressure? Aaaahhhh

We are putting in one similar to this. plumbworkz.co.uk/floor-standing-vanity-units/154895-900mm-floor-standing-draw-unit-ceramic-basin.html they make a lot of them in 600 width too.

the one in Dudgeon's pic is especially good because there is no wooden or laminated worktop that water will find its way into, and fall apart. The basin and worktop are all in one piece. Preferable ceramic, plastic ones are available but flimsy.

Please don't put a shelf or cupboard on the wall above it, as a glass bottle or jar will fall out and crack the basin. Just have a mirror.

The curved front looks as if it is cut into the cabinet front, but in fact they are usually made so they fit onto an uncut cabinet.

I prefer the ones with big roll-out drawers to the ones with cupboard doors, you are less likely to lose things at the back of shelves. The top space will be full of pipes.

The units are available in numerous widths, IIRC 1200, 1000, 900, 800, 600 and possibly 500 or 400mm (for cloakrooms).

It is always a bit of a risk having a cabinet made of chipboard or MDF in a bathroom, as they react badly to damp.

I took your advice from an old thread piglet John, and have a strict plastics rule for our mirror cupboard!

We have drawers and they are brilliant.

I've read you say that previously about mirror cabinets Piglet John and can totally see your point. Thanks for other advice.

So, ceramic basin is preferable. Are plastic options things like 'isocast', 'quattrocast', 'resin coating' ? I haven't even really thought about basin material, stupidity thought I would get whatever is sold with unit.

World's longest decision. The new PM has decided her cabinet in less time....

I like your choice Squinkie!

Cheaper basins are a pressed rigid material, don't know what it is made of. Probably acrylic or ABS. If you tap them in a showroom, they sound flimsy. I just looked online and couldn't find an example, perhaps they have fallen out of favour.

I haven't had a reconstituted stone bathroom basin. I've used the kitchen sinks, and been annoyed by stains from tea, coffee, and especially metal.

Yes, they are most often sold together, basin and cabinet. Have a look at Plumbworld, which sometimes have bargains. A good quality tap makes the biggest difference. Don't get a pop-up waste, it will leak.

I need to get out more. I've consistently read "wall-hung" as "well hung".

Agree about pop-up waste. Looks good but is, in fact, shite.

Lol Echt!!

Thanks for waste tip. The taps I've chosen for cloakroom come with click waste, A quick Google shows that this is different to pop up.

The waste on mine is pop up & hasn't leaked yet. It doesn't drain very well though.

All my bathroom stuff came from bathshop321 (link is to 600mm vanity units I hope)

It's generally very good quality with extremely reasonable prices & good customer service (although my fully-assembled vanity unit was missing a door, & when they sent the door there were no fixings, & when they sent the fixings it was a full set for the whole unit but even so the screws were the wrong length . Great apart from that though...)

There are often online order discounts, & also cashback from eg Quidco

Oh it isn't popup, it's click, sorry. Used to have popup & the knob was always coming loose & having to be rescrewed or else worked from behind (pedestal basin)