Vanity units for small shower room - avoid?

last year

last modified: last year

Hi. I'm looking for vanity unit for a small en suite shower room (3.5 sq m). There will be an extractor fan and a radiator but I'm concerned that with the area being so small there's a danger the unit will fail through excessive moisture, even if I'm scrupulous in wiping it down. My budget is up to £300 and I'm wondering if the ones I see online are up to it. Most of the reviews are done at the time of installation but I'd like to know if they stand the test of time. Is there anything to look for/ beware of ? Thanks

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Comments (5)

Isla Cherry
last year
I'm not sure what you mean by fail? Do you mean fall off the wall as in wall mounted or warp? There are lots of options. Either a wood effect plastic type, which are now very realistic and are made to withstand moisture or just a regular pedestal basin and store items elsewhere. We have small vanities next to showers and as long as you close the door when you shower its no problem at all. I also love reviews posted before the item is even installed, how do you know after 5 mins if it is fit for purpose? That may be why they pressure you to review items as soon as they are delivered.
sjrsjrsjr
Original Author
last year
Thanks. Yes by fail I meant split or blister due to steam/moisture. I don’t have any other useful storage nearby so I can’t just go with a basin.

Most seem to be made of MDF, the one I like says engineered wood. It has lots of good reviews (as you say, some done even before installation!) but one review does say it cracked after five months despite good care.

I’m not even sure price determines quality. I‘ve previously had Roper Rhodes wall hung drawers that were really badly designed- drips from the basin penetrated the drawer edge and blew it.
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Hi everybody, thanks for all your suggestions. Both Lauren's and Whizywig's look really interesting. I don't think the door move would work in this case though - see below for the space around the room. I really liked the idea of a sort of 'wet room' shower by the bathroom and had suggested that myself to somebody in a bathroom showroom. But I was advised that wet rooms can actually be a pain, because water does spray about the bathroom and in a confined space, that turns our to be really annoying (apparently). I was told I would need to be constantly wiping things down? I wasn't utterly convinced but not sure why - it could very well be correct! I'd also considered a very low bath with a shower over it (makes it easier to use as shower on a routine basis). I liked that idea as the main purpose of having both was to make both very usable - as opposed to shower over bath and that being a bit annoying for daily use as a shower. However, I haven't seen a low bath in usage, so not sure what they are really like!
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Isla Cherry
last year
Yes totally agree about price not always being indicative of quality. I would avoid engineered wood (although it looks great) and go for a surface that is MDF wrapped in a veneer. I usually dry myself in the shower and then step out onto the mat so I'm not sure how it would get so wet. Just use an extraction fan linked to the light, open the window if the bathroom has one and leave the door open for a while after using. I don't know what good care for a vanity constitutes but wiping it with a weak cleaning product and then drying it thoroughly should be plenty. Dripping plumbing is more down to a useless plumber or limescale causing tap cartridges to fail. It sounds as though your plumbing connection was leaking under the basin.
sjrsjrsjr
Original Author
last year
It was actually water splashes dripping over the front edge of the ceramic basin and down on to the door edge. I can only imagine there was no foil wraparound.
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DB Durovin Bathrooms
last year
consider this wall hung vanity unit with anti moisture material,

Vanity units for small shower room - avoid?

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Isla Cherry

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Vanity units for small shower room - avoid?

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Isla Cherry

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Isla Cherry

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