Vessel vs Pedestal Sinks

Vessel versus Pedestal Sinks and the Pros and Cons of Each

By Mark J. Donovan




Vessel and pedestal sinks are in when it comes to renovating a bathroom. Remodeling a bathroom involves making a number of major decisions when it comes to installing new bathroom fixtures, and chief among them is sink selection. When it comes to bathroom sinks there are lot more types of sinks to choose from today than in decades past. Vessel sinks and pedestal sinks have become increasingly more popular and are commonly found in today’s modern bathrooms. Vessel and pedestal sinks each have their unique charm, as well as their own separate advantages and disadvantages.

Vessel versus Pedestal Sinks Pros and Cons

Vessel sinks are raised up sink bowls that mount on top of bathroom vanities.

One of the major advantages of them is they help to raise the bowl up closer to a person’s hands and face. This can be helpful when performing the morning routine of getting ready for work or school. Vessel sinks also offer some safety advantages. Electric curling irons and hair driers are less apt to fall into a vessel sink versus a pedestal sink or under mounted sink.

Vessel sinks come in a wide range of shapes, styles and materials. Some have a classic old fashion look where others are very modern. Bathroom vanities associated with vessel sinks are also uniquely designed to support the raised bowl.

The plumbing associated with a vessel sink can be a bit more complicated than a traditional drop in bowl bathroom sink or even a pedestal sink. The faucet assemblies associated with vessel sinks commonly mount on the back wall behind the vessel sink, or on the backside of the bathroom vanity.

Bathroom Pedestal Sinks

Vessel sinks can be quite pricey to install, particularly when you add to the cost the price of the supporting bathroom cabinetry.

Pedestal versus Vessel Sinks Pros and Cons

Pedestal sinks are more commonly found in small bathrooms or power rooms. Pedestal sinks typically are free standing, meaning they do not mount on any type of bathroom vanity. Most pedestal sinks offer limited work surface area, and thus are not ideal for main bathrooms where counter surface area is vitally important.

Pedestal sinks also require some tricky plumbing as the supply and drain lines often need to hide behind a narrow vertical base that the pedestal sink mounts on top of.

Like vessel sinks, pedestal sinks come in all sorts of styles, shapes and sizes. This said, and as already mentioned, they typically are smaller in size compared to other types of bathroom sinks. Because of their compact size pedestal sinks are ideal for small bathrooms. There are even corner pedestal sinks that are designed for the smallest of powder rooms.

Pedestal sinks range widely in price, depending upon the style, size and material used. This said, pedestal sinks can often be found to be affordable alternatives over standard bathroom sink vanity solutions.

Bathroom Remodeling Bid Sheet

The decision on vessel vs pedestal sinks can often be a hard decision to make, as each has their unique pros and cons. The best suggestion is to visit a local bathroom supply store and compare the two sinks side by side before making a decision.


For help on your bathroom remodeling project, see my Bathroom Remodeling Bid Sheet. The Bathroom Remodeling Bid Sheet provides a request for quote checklist section that you can provide to prospective bathroom remodeling contractors. It also includes a comprehensive bathroom remodeling cost breakdown table, in Microsoft Excel format, that allows the contractor to include his projected remodeling costs for every phase of the project.

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