Any insight on future trends

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P14224

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I purchased a bathroom undercounter style bath sink and now during the bathroom construction it appears that its going to be a little large for the place its intended. Now I'm rethinking the situation. Maybe a vessel sink on a wall mounted type cabinet. A couple of questions about the trends and styles and insight. I'm guessing that the (transitional) vessel sink setups are more of a fad than the (contemporary) undercounter type sinks and stone top. Love to hear any and all thoughts on this subject as I'm thinking in terms of resale value.
 
Welcome to the Plumbing Forums!

Considering the fact that I still wear Pendleton's, Levi's and tennis shoes, I'm probably not the best one to answer this. I do believe the vessel sink will be a short lived fad, but a nice undercounter sink with a stone top will be here for decades to come.

I would also like to hear what other people in the industry think about your question!
 
If you are looking for an opinion, I have never cared for vessel sinks. I believe they destroy the flow lines in the bath area. Many are glass and are not child friendly. I agree that undermount sinks will be around for a long time.
 
Nowadays many style and unique shapes have crept in.You would be able to find these in any hardware store.But remember don't just go by the beauty but also take care of the quality and size.
 
just keep in mind that you will have to go with a wall mounted faucet and that will effect your cost. also not everyone will like this European style so you will be limiting your buyers. if its for resale i find it is best to go with the usual and appeal to more. as for resale value i don't think you will be able to get more for your house with a vessel sink over a standard granite top with a under mount sink.
 
I have worked plumbing retail for most of my life, so i know a little bit about trends. I would say that vessels aren't going to disappear for quite some time, but they are definitely a fad. They currently account for about 3% of my current bathroom sink sales (a few years ago they were almost 30%.

As others have stated, they are not child friendly at all (especially the glass ones). They can also be a pain to keep clean looking (again, glass are the worst) and they are hard to renovate around as they interrupt the "flow" of the bathroom.


Wall mounted cabinets are also kind of faddy. They have good functionality for the wheelchair bound (something I didn't really appreciate until i had to spend a year in a chair) but overall they are not practical. Under the cabinet provides no storage, the wall mounting system is not child friendly (kids like to pull and climb) and the relatively high plumbing will add to future renovation costs.
 
I have encountered a few vessel sinks that don't drain properly due to the lack of an overflow. I know it sounds weird but it's true. The sink will drain to a certain point and then stop. If you take a drinking straw and insert it into the drain about an inch, the water will start draining again. The overflow acts as a vent and allows the air between the trap and the sink to escape as the pipe fills with water. On most vessel sinks, this isn't an issue. But I've seen it happen a few times. I'm not sure if it's due to the sink's bowl shape, the type of drain or the length/size of the tailpiece or a combination of these things. The first time you encounter it though will drive you crazy.
 

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