Jan 11 2010
Are Modern Bathroom Vanities Better?
Posted by Annett,
We’re renovating two of the bathrooms in our house this spring, and we’re starting to look at what we want to do. We’re not out to spend a fortune, just to update the overall look of the bathrooms since they’re about 25 years old and looking a little dated. One of the things we’re debating is whether or not to replace the existing vanities. Are modern bathroom vanities better than older models or is it just a matter of design and appearance? The ones we have would be fine if the tile and paint were updated, but if they’ve changed in some way that would make buying new ones worthwhile, that might be the way to go. We want to sell the house in a couple of years, so we’re doing this partly to improve the resale value when the time comes.
10 Responses to “Are Modern Bathroom Vanities Better?”
Changing the vanity in our bathroom made a huge difference in the look & feel. It wasn’t an expensive change, but it sure gave the room a more up-to-date look. Plus, it had more storage under the sink so it let me hide some stuff too.
We just replaced the doors on our old vanity, and gave it a new coat of paint and it looks like a million bucks. We use those invisible hinges, so the doors made it look a lot more modern even though it’s over 25 years old.
I don’t think there’s any new “vanity technology” that you need to know about. If you update the hardware on your existing vanity and maybe refinish it somehow, you’ll be just as happy as you would if you replaced the whole thing.
If you’re selling your house anyway, you’re better off to spend as little as you have to to get something that’s current looking. There’s a point of diminishing return, and unless you’re planning to completely renovate your bathrooms, there’s really no need to spend a whole bunch of money.
To add to that last comment, if you’re planning to keep your house, then spending more might make sense since you’re doing it to make yourself happy, not some potential homebuyer. Don’t discount the value in buying something that you will enjoy looking at for the next decade or more.
Why not take it one bathroom at a time and use your experience from the first one to help choose the right fixtures and other stuff for the second? If you do a touch-up on the first one and aren’t really happy with it, go all out for the second. Just do the less important one first.
Ok, not to be rude here but that last comment is nuts. Don’t use your home as a “guinea pig” for stuff like this, especially if you’re planning to sell it. If the first bathroom turns out badly, you might end up renovating “three” – the first one twice.
If your existing vanities are fine, other than the finish, I would stick with updating them rather than replacing them. Replacing them can be a lot of work, especially if you have to replumb the sink, so doing as little as possible to update them is a better idea, in my opinion.
I’m going to agree with several other commenters – just update the ones you’ve got and leave it at that. There’s no sense spending more than necessary if you’re selling the house anyway, and I don’t think vanities have really changed much in the last 25 years (or 50 for that matter).
Have you checked with a Realtor about the value of your home? If you’re planning to sell, it might be worth getting an appraisal done, and get some advice about exactly what you should do to improve the value of your house as much as possible.