Construction - The Saga of the Pedestal Sink

The new upstairs bathroom was supposed to have a vanity sink like the one in the downstairs guest bathroom.

When it was time to install the vanity sink, the contractor asked if a pedestal sink might be considered. I stated that a pedestal sink would be acceptable, as long as it was one that had enough space to sit items, such as a soap dispenser & cup.

On the day the plumbers came for the trim-out, said contractor drove up, handed off the toilet and the pedestal sink to the plumber, and then drove off without comment. Within 15 minutes of his departure, the plumbers had finished installing the sink and toilet. They had arrived before the contractor, and they presumably did some preliminary work.

They, too, left without comment, at which time I went upstairs and saw a large hole in the drywall behind the sink. I also noticed that the pedestal sink had absolutely NO place to sit a soap dispenser – or even a toothbrush! The sink was 24 inches wide, which was not as wide as the medicine cabinet/mirror I had already purchased.

Trying to be agreeable and hoping to get the project behind me, I took the medicine cabinet back.

The contractor said he could fix the hole in the wall behind the pedestal sink and he proceeded to patch and fill the hole with Spackle. He planned to sand, texture and paint it. – It did not seem like the result would be satisfactory, but, again, I acquiesced.

After a half gallon of Spackle was applied - but before the repair was finished - I noticed that the pedestal sink was not level. I called the contractor, and the plumber eventually came back. He grabbed the sink with both hands and twisted it counterclockwise until the sink was level.

During this adjustment, it was obvious that the pedestal was wobbly. The plumber stated that he did not care for pedestal sinks because they are not stable and might fall over if bumped. – That seemed rather scary, so I went to the computer and started looking for information about the installation of pedestal sinks.

ALL literature states that the sink must be installed like a wall-mount sink. The sink must be anchored to TWO studs. It is also preferred - and safer – to also use good-quality wall brackets. The sink must be installed securely and the pedestal should NEVER be relied on for any significant support.

Additionally, MOST of the online literature about pedestal sinks says that the pedestal should be bolted to the floor. Only one site stated that an adhesive caulk could be used to secure the base to the floor.

HOWEVER, in the case of my pedestal sink, the pedestal was not anchored to the floor at all.

WORSE, the plumber admitted that the sink was NOT bolted to TWO studs; only ONE side was anchored. There were NO brackets. Without question, they were relying on the pedestal to support the sink.

THE PLUMBER STATED THAT HE HAD TOLD THE CONTRACTOR that he was not able to install the sink on two studs -- because there were not two studs.

So a Licensed Master Plumber and a Licensed Contractor knew the installation was not proper and they walked away, ignoring the major safety issues, and evidently hoping we would never notice.

It is my perception that this all came about because the contractor decided that a pedestal sink would save him money. For about $100 or less he got the pedestal sink, rather than having to pay about $250+ for a vanity cabinet and vanity top.

The plumber had done the original rough-in for a vanity sink and was then asked at the trim-out to make changes necessary to accommodate a pedestal sink. – But when he realized it could not be done properly, due to the lack of studs to anchor it to, why didn’t he refuse to do it?

After I told the contractor that the sink was only anchored to one stud, he said he could go behind the wall and add more support pieces. WHY didn’t he or the plumber do that in the first place?

But the concept of safety was challenged by the contractor. When he looked at the sink, he pushed straight down to demonstrate how sturdy it was. Of course, that motion would cause the pedestal to support it… but if bumped, the sink moves and so does the pedestal.

Because I had zero faith that the pedestal was ever going to be stable – and after the contractor didn’t show up for a 10 days, I called him and said the pedestal sink was not acceptable. I asked him to order the vanity cabinet, which he did. He said he will return the pedestal sink and credit me for the refund.

I paid $180 for the vanity cabinet and $115 for the vanity sink. Since I was supposed to have the vanity and a cultured marble sink to begin with, does he seriously think I am going to pay the difference?