Oh, also, are there any countertop materials that are especially well- or poorly-suited to this task? I'm hoping to do something middle of the line -- not super high end, but not the cheapest thing possible, either. It's a small counter, so I don't think material cost is going to be a major issue.

Having done a kitchen renovation/expansion that started because my wife wanted to replace the ouch in the adjoining family room, and just finishing an addition for a large closet that started because we needed to replace the shower in the adjoining bathroom, I understand all-too-well the slippery slope of home renovation projects!

My quick answer is that it all depends how the countertop was put on. If it was glued with an epoxy, it may prove difficult to cleanly separate the top from the cabinet. If it was just held in place with something like a simple silicone adhesive, then it may not be too difficult to get it off without damaging the cabinet. If this was new construction in 1988, I'd guess the builder would have done the least amount necessary. Unfortunately, it's hard to know for sure until you try it. Hopefully others with more experience will jump in with info on what you should try to do.

-- Eric

When I was remodeling and replaced the entire vanity, I was able to successfully remove a solid surface integrated countertop from a vanity (prior to removing the vanity). It was siliconed in place and required some prying, but eventually it came loose. We did damage the wall in the process (was siliconed to the wall as well) and had to patch that up.

I think it is definitely doable and smart if you like your current cabinet. Really there's no way to know until you try. Measure your cabinet and find out some possible options for a replacement countertop. Then try removing the countertop and sink and see what happens. What type of flooring do you have? Depending on how the flooring was installed, you may not need to replace it if you eventually have to replace the cabinet. And if you do need to replace the flooring but there's nothing wrong with your toilet, there's no reason you can't remove the toilet (carefully) and reinstall it once you've replaced the floor. I do agree that it can be a slippery slope, so start small and see what happens.

The flooring is just ordinary vinyl. I'd be happy to have something different there, it's just not really a project I feel like taking on. I think we could remove the vanity with minimal damage to the floor if we had to. But if the new vanity doesn't cover the same footprint (or larger, I guess), we'd have a bit of a problem because I don't see any clean way to extend the flooring. That's my biggest concern.

The other annoying thing here is that if this is truly going to be a bathroom *remodel* rather than just replacing the sink, I'd probably rather just hire someone to do it. I'm not super handy, and I know from experience that I don't enjoy DIY projects at all (my degree of perfectionism exceeds my level of skill and patience). Replacing a vanity top is something I'm willing to do on my own (partially because it's hard to find someone competent who is willing to come do such a small and simple job). If it's getting into replacing cabinetry, laying a new floor, etc., it's not something I really look forward to.

Yes it's a slippery slope. If you do decide to get a new vanity, a new vanity was the most challenging decision for me but I learned in my case ordering it from a kitchen cabinet store meant it was exactly the size, style, color that I wanted. Here's a thread about a couple of forum members who also ordered from a cabinet company instead of buying one off the shelf. Then you know for sure it will cover the space on the floor so you won't need to replace the floor.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bathroom forum discussion on finding a vanity