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Finishes & Cosmetics · Appearance (cosmetic)

Vanities and bathroom counters

The cabinet under the bathroom sink and the top on it. It is the most-photographed object in any bathroom and the most common single-item bathroom upgrade there is.

The cheapest real bathroom upgrade; cultured marble vanity tops last about 20 years and the cabinet under them 50+MonitorFinishes
The quick answer

The vanity is the one thing in a bathroom you can change without touching the waterproofing, which is why it sits at the very bottom of the bathroom cost ladder. It is a plumber for an afternoon, not a renovation. The integrated cultured-marble top in every 1980s and 1990s Canadian bathroom lasts about 20 years; the cabinet beneath it lasts 50+, which is the same box-versus-doors logic that governs kitchens.

Read the full breakdown ↓

Why it matters

The vanity dates a bathroom faster than anything except the tile. It is also the one thing in the room you can change without touching the waterproofing, which is why it sits at the very bottom of the bathroom cost ladder: a vanity swap is a plumber for an afternoon, not a renovation. There is a clock here too, and it is a good one to know. That integrated cultured-marble top, the moulded one-piece bowl-and-counter in cream or beige that is in every 1980s and 1990s Canadian bathroom, has a life of about 20 years per InterNACHI. The cabinet under it lasts 50+. So in a 1995 bathroom, the top is well past its life and the box beneath it very often is not, which is the same box-versus-doors logic that governs kitchens.

How to spot it

Value tells: an integrated cultured-marble top with a moulded bowl, a builder oak or white melamine box, a strip of bulb lighting above, a frameless builder mirror glued to the wall. Mid tells: a quartz top with an undermount basin, a shaker or slab door, a framed mirror, a proper light fixture. Premium tells: a double vanity, a stone top with a full backsplash, drawer banks, wall-mounted or floating cabinetry, and a custom millwork vanity in a genuinely high-end home.

What it costs

We are not going to publish a Canadian dollar range here, because the honest answer is that a vanity is a retail product whose price is whatever you choose to spend, from a few hundred dollars at a big-box store to five figures in millwork. What we can tell you is the order: a vanity swap is the cheapest real change in a bathroom, and it costs a small fraction of the refresh tiers on the bathroom card.

What to do

Monitor. If the layout and tile are acceptable and only the vanity is dated, you are looking at a very small number, not a renovation. Price it that way in your offer.

Education and triage, not a home inspection. Casaroo names the vanity tier it can see. What the plumbing behind it looks like is a question for the tour, and for the inspection.

Common questions

Can I swap the vanity without touching the plumbing?

Usually yes, provided the new vanity's drain and supply lines land close to where the old ones did, which is why a like-for-like swap is a plumber for an afternoon rather than a renovation. Moving the sink to a different wall is a fixture relocation, and that is a different number entirely. Keep the sink where it is and the vanity is the cheapest real change a bathroom can have.

What is that beige moulded sink and counter, and is it worth keeping?

That is a cultured marble integrated top, and it is the default in Canadian bathrooms from roughly 1980 to 2000. It has an expected life of about 20 years, so in most homes that still have one it is at or past the end of it, typically showing dulling, yellowing, or crazing around the bowl. The cabinet under it, however, is often fine, and lasts 50+ years.

Sources

Cultured marble lifespan (about 20 yr) and bathroom cabinet lifespan (50+ yr): (**Tier B**). Bathroom job bands for context: (**Tier B**). No defensible Canadian per-unit vanity rate exists; this card carries no invented figure.

Last reviewed 2026-07-12. This guide is general education, not a home inspection and not advice for your specific property. Always consult the appropriate licensed professional, and get a licensed home inspection before you remove conditions or buy. Cost ranges are 2026 estimates that vary by region, size, and access; confirm specifics with a qualified professional.
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