This is a surprisingly easy DIY…not a whole lot of instructions needed.

DIY vessel sink

Materials needed for vessel sink:

Basic instructions:

  1. Buy a serving bowl
    This is probably the hardest part! I wasn’t looking for specific measurements, just one that looked good and that you can fit your hands in (you will look silly taking bowls off store shelves and sticking your hands in them as if you were washing—just like I did for several months 😀 ).
    If you look at a pre-made vessel sink, it’s just a bowl with a whole cut out of the bottom.
    Please keep in mind that it should be something that is water-safe and can also hold standing water.
    Check the bottom of the bowl for any special instructions. For example: we currently have some serving bowls that say not to leave them submerged in water, clearly those would be a bad idea for a sink.
    I ended up getting this one at Target, but Home Goods or TJ Maxx would be great options as well.
  2. Drill a hole in the base of the bowl. 
    What you use to cut the hole will depend on the material the bowl is made out of. Ours is porcelain, so we used a carbide grit hole saw (examples here–affiliate links).
    This was much easier than it seems like it might be.
  3. Attach your sink to the vanity.
    Apply a bead of caulk (made for bathrooms and kitchens like this) on the underside of the bowl. One circle around the hole, and another circle around the outside edge (both on the bottom of the bowl).
    Line up the holes in the vanity and the sink base and put it in place. I recommend putting something weighted inside the bowl like a gallon of water to make sure the caulk cures flat and seals.
  4. Attach your pipes and sink drain per the instructions that came with the fittings.
    A seal should come with the kit, if not, you can use plumbing sealant under the drain.
  5. Install your faucet according to the instructions that came with it.

The Hubs did all of the work on this particular project since it really is one person job.

DIY vessel sink

The bowl was from Target, on clearance for $12.  The faucet is from IKEA.  We had a hard time finding any we liked that were actually made for vessel sinks, and they were quite expensive.  So we went to the kitchen faucet department instead and not only did we like the looks better, they were nice and tall and they were cheaper!

If you have any questions about the process, I will certainly pass them on to The Hubs!

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27 Comments

  1. Did you need to seal the sink drain onto the serving bowl somehow, with silicone or something? Or did the drain come with somesort of rubber seal?
    I like the faucet and the whole sink is amazing, you are genious.

    Reply

    1. Thanks! We are pretty happy with how it turned out.

      We did seal it. A rubber gasket came with the drain, but it was too thick for our particular bowl. So he used a plumbing sealant paste under the drain and we haven’t had any leaking yet!

      Reply

  3. Ok this is one of the simplistic smartest things I have seen in a long time. Genius just genius! Love it! come visit me sometime at
    homemaker-mom.com

    Reply

  4. I like it!!. What about the floor, have you had time to try out that stuff you were talking about? Can’t wait to see pics of the whole (tiny) room:)
    maryanne

    Reply

    1. Hey Maryanne! I did try one product, and it hasn’t worked yet. We’re keeping at it though. I can’t wait until it’s done and I can share the pics!

      Reply

  5. Hi Christina! I’m a fellow FPM Scavenger Hunter (I’m Ashley, player name BrooksEditorial), and I thought I’d pop over and say hi! I really like your blog! My husband and I bought a foreclosed home a little over a year ago, and the renovations have been SO MUCH WORK (but fun too!). Like you guys, we’ve DIY-ed almost everything. Hubby is a woodworker, so between him, both our dads, and our electrician friend, we don’t pay full price for anything 🙂 I’m looking forward to seeing more of your creative DIY ideas!

    Reply

  6. That is one neat vessel sink! I’m thinking of remodelling our kitchen and vessel sink is a great idea however, i’ll be asking my husband to install the sink. I don’t think i can do it properly.

    – Terracqua.net

    Reply

  7. I never thought a plain looking bowl will look beautiful as a sink! This is a good idea. I have always loved the idea of vessel sinks. I think it’s time to make some bathroom makeover and put this vessel sink on the bathroom top!

    Reply

  9. Hi Christina – What size hole did you cut? We’re thinking about doing this in our powder room and have all of the materials, but are just trying to figure out the hole!

    Reply

    1. Hi Catherine! It depends on the size of your pipes. The drain pipe that comes out of the sink will have a rubber seal with it that will go between the pipe and the sink. You’ll want the hole in your sink to be slightly smaller than that seal.

      For our set-up, we used a standard vessel sink pipe kit from Home Depot, and a 2″ carbide grit hole saw from Milwaukee Tool.

      We also recommend some Real-Tuff thread sealant. It’s a paste that helps seal up plumbing and it works very well.

      Reply

  11. Just found your website and am loving it! My hubby is wondering how your hubby constructed the powder room sink base from recycled wood. If he has a drawing or something, we’d appreciate it. We have a small bathroom with really no room for a sink and your sink base is PERFECT!

    Reply

    1. Thank you Laurie! I will see if I can find it, if not we’ll make another one. Mind if I email it to you?

      Reply

    1. Thank you! We did not countersink it–we didn’t even think of that before installing it. But it has not been an issue, this particular bowl still drains just fine.

      Reply

    1. Sorry, I don’t remember what size, it was several years ago now. It was based on the size of the drain assembly, so if you already have that, you can take it to the store with you to get the proper size.

      Reply

  15. Hi Christina!
    We just did this with a vintage Japanese bowl and while it is gorgeous, it isn’t very functional. I’m hoping you might have a suggestion. Our plumber installed the bowl during a bathroom renovation. The drain, however, is slightly ABOVE the bottom of the bowl. Sealed, so no leaks, but all the water doesn’t drain! Do you have this same problem? What does the bottom inside of yours look like? Thanks so much!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jenna! So sorry to hear it’s not working for you! We occasionally had some slight puddling, but certainly not enough to cause an issue. I’d send you a picture, but we don’t own that house anymore.

      What other people have done to avoid the problem is had a little lip carved out of the bowl around the hole so that the drain would be recessed and sit level with the bottom of the sink. Did you guys cut the hole yourself or did the plumber do it?

      Reply

  16. I love this post! I am sitting in France wondering why all of the vessel sinks here are so boring and/or so expensive, when I also had the idea to convert an old floral basin+pitcher set, which you can find in any flea market. My husband is still skeptical, but I think this is certainly worth a try. Thanks for reinforcing the inspiration.

    Reply