The hours, by vanity type
| Vanity type | Install visits | Hours on site | Calendar time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freestanding, integrated top (stock) | 1 | 2 to 4 hours | Same day |
| Freestanding, separate stone or quartz top | 2 (set cabinet, then set top) | 2 to 3 hours, then 2 to 3 hours | 1 to 3 weeks between visits |
| Wall-hung (floating) | 1, plus blocking weeks earlier | 3 to 5 hours | Same day, if the blocking went in before drywall |
| Double vanity replacing a single | 2 to 3 (plumbing rough-in, cabinet, top) | 6 to 10 hours in total | 1 to 4 weeks, permit and inspection included |
| Custom built-in | 2 to 3 | 6 to 12 hours | Follows a 6 to 12 week build; see the lead-time guide |
The first row is the one most people picture: the old vanity out, the new one in, the faucet connected, done by lunch. Every other row has a second visit or a prerequisite that sits weeks earlier in the project. The tiers and their order lead times are in bathroom vanity lead times; this guide is about the days the vanity is actually installed and what has to be true in the room first.
Why a stone top turns one visit into two
A stone or quartz vanity top is cut to the cabinet as it sits in the room, not to the catalogue dimension, because walls are out of square and cabinets get shimmed. The fabricator templates after the cabinet is set, level and fixed to the wall, with the faucet and the sink on site so the holes land where the hardware needs them. Then the slab goes to the shop for 5 to 10 business days. The cabinet stands there with no top, no sink and no working faucet the whole time, which is the same gap a kitchen suffers, explained in when to order a countertop.
If the bathroom is the only one in the house, buy a vanity with an integrated top or a pre-cut stock top. The 1 to 3 week templating gap is bearable in a second bathroom and miserable in the only one. Stock tops in standard widths (24, 30, 36, 48, 60 inches) come with the sink bowl and faucet holes already cut.
What has to be finished before the vanity arrives
The installer's list, in the order the work happens. Every item here is cheaper to do before the vanity is in the room than after, and several are impossible after.
| Prerequisite | Why it comes first | The standard, so you can check it |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing rough-in at the right heights | The drain and supplies must land inside the cabinet, clear of the drawers | Drain stub 18 to 20 inches off the finished floor, centred on the sink; supplies 20 to 22 inches, 4 inches either side of the drain. A wall-hung vanity needs the drain higher, inside its box; a drawer-front vanity needs an offset drain or a drawer cut-out |
| Electrical | Outlets and light boxes are centred on the vanity, so its width and position must be final | GFCI outlet within reach of the top, no more than 36 inches from the sink edge; sconce or bar light box centred on the mirror, 66 to 78 inches off the floor |
| Blocking (wall-hung only) | A floating vanity hangs off the studs and a horizontal brace hidden inside the wall | 2x6 or 2x8 blocking between studs at the mounting height, in before the drywall is closed and inspected |
| Finished floor | The vanity sits on it; the toe-kick and the countertop height are measured from it | Tile grouted and cured (24 to 72 hours), or plank floor laid through the vanity footprint |
| Walls painted | You cannot cut in cleanly behind or beside a vanity that is fixed to the wall | Two coats on the vanity wall and side walls; touch-up after install is normal |
| Faucet and sink on site | Hole spacing depends on the faucet; the undermount sink shape is cut into the stone top | Single hole, 4 inch centreset, or 8 inch widespread, chosen before templating or before buying a pre-drilled top |
| Mirror and medicine cabinet decided | A recessed cabinet needs a framed opening between studs while the wall is open | Width and centreline match the vanity; a recessed box sits between studs 16 inches on centre |
Moving a drain or adding a circuit for a second sink is the line between a swap and a remodel, and it is also the line where a permit usually starts. The trigger list is in do you need a permit to remodel. A rough-in inspection has to pass before the wall is closed, which is another reason the vanity install cannot be scheduled until the walls are.
Where the vanity sits in the bathroom sequence
Vanity day is late in the job. A typical remodel runs demo, rough plumbing and electrical, inspection, drywall, tile and floor, paint, then fixtures: toilet, vanity, mirror, lights and accessories in that order, because each one has to sit on or against something finished. The week-by-week version is in how long a bathroom remodel takes. With a stone top, the cabinet is set in the fixtures week and the top follows 1 to 3 weeks later; the shower glass, which is also templated after tile, usually lands in the same second visit.
What goes wrong on install day
- The drain lands in a drawer. Furniture-style vanities with full-depth drawers collide with a centred P-trap. Fixes are an offset drain kit ($30 to $60), a plumber moving the stub, or a U-cut in the drawer back. The rough-in should have been set to the vanity's drawing.
- The faucet is not on site at templating. The fabricator cannot drill for a faucet they have not seen. The visit is rescheduled, and the top slips a week.
- The wall is out of plumb or the floor is out of level. Normal in any house over ten years old. The installer shims and scribes a filler strip; budget an extra hour and a tube of colour-matched caulk, not a callback.
- The mirror is centred on the old vanity. A 30 inch vanity replacing a 24 inch one moves the centreline by 3 inches. Patch the old mirror clips and light box before paint, not after.
- The new vanity is taller. Comfort-height vanities are 34 to 36 inches to the top versus 30 to 32 for older units, so the backsplash line, the outlet and the towel bar all move. Decide the height before the electrician sets the outlet.
What the install costs
| Job | Typical labour | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Swap a stock vanity, same footprint | $200 to $500 | Remove the old unit, set and secure the new one, connect the faucet and drain |
| Vanity with a separate stone top | $450 to $1,000 labour, plus $40 to $100 per square foot fabricated | Two visits, templating, sink cut-out and faucet holes, seam and caulk |
| Wall-hung vanity | $400 to $900 | Locate blocking, hang and level, plumb inside the box; blocking itself is a framing-stage cost |
| Single to double conversion | $1,200 to $3,000 including plumbing | Second drain and supplies, vent, permit and inspection, the double cabinet and top |
Materials are a separate line and range from $300 for a stock vanity to $3,000 and up for a custom piece with a stone top; the full bathroom picture, line by line, is in how much a bathroom remodel costs. The short version: the install is a half day of labour. The weeks are in the top and in the rough-in, and both are decided before the vanity is ever ordered.