Can You Make a Vessel Sink With IKEA Cabinets?

Cabinet

• IKEA sells a sink cabinet with a space in the top cut out for a drop-in sink, but for a vessel sink you will want to select a cabinet with a solid top. Look for sturdy wood cabinets with a thick top: You want to be able to cut out a hole for the drainage plumbing for the sink, and yet you want the top of the cabinet to support the weight of a heavy cast-iron or ceramic bowl sink filled with water. Cabinets without drawers will give you the greatest amount of space under the top to work when installing the plumbing. If you decide that you want a cabinet with drawers, choose a cabinet where the drawers are placed at the far ends and not in the center.

Sink

• The basin you choose for a vessel sink should be sturdy and long-lasting. It will need to be waterproof and capable of being filled with water and holding it. Vessel sinks that resemble large bowls will have the drain hole pre-drilled in the bottom. This will save you the effort of trying to cut through cast-iron, ceramic or glass. Look for a vessel sink with a finished surface on both the inside and outside because both sides will be exposed to water during use.

Plumbing

• The plumbing for a vessel sink mirrors that of a drop-in sink with the exception of the hardware between the bottom of the sink and the top of the cabinet. A chrome disk base supports the vessel sink on the top of the cabinet. Look for these where vessel sinks are sold. To hold the disk against the base of the vessel sink, you will need to install a drain nut and washer. The drain pipe fits into the opening at the bottom of the sink. Plan to drill a second hole in the back of the cabinet for the drain pipe to flow into the main drain in your wall.

Faucet

• Unlike drop-in sinks with the faucet attached to the top of the sink, you need to think outside the bowl for vessel sinks when it comes to adding a faucet. If you want to drill three more holes for the faucet and the hot and cold valve handles in the top of the cabinet to install the faucet next to the vessel sink, you can; but there is a better option that will require no more holes to be drilled in your IKEA cabinet: Add a wall faucet. These are plumbed like shower faucets with the handles and faucet coming out of the wall and flowing into the sink. This will give you the maximum amount of space on your cabinet top, and you will not need to put more holes in the cabinet than needed.