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How to install laundry benchtop to use existing plumbing?

Hi all, I’m embarking on my first ever DIY… installing a laundry benchtop. (Forget you see the dryer, it hasn’t been taken out to the shed yet… thank gosh for wood heaters in winter)

We have the stock-standard 45L Everhard classic stainless steel laundry unit, which I was going to replace with a kaboodle unit and new sink.

Once I began demolition, I realised if I can, I should just keep the same unit in the same place and install the sink in the new benchtop. Thus, saving us money and a lot of work.

We have a Bunnings acacia timber benchtop in mind, which is 26mm thick.

My question to anyone with insight, is how do I ensure the existing drain pipe will meet the sink again once 26mm is added between the sink and pipe?

What am I missing? What piece will I need to get to rejoin them?

I hope the photos are enough to give you an idea of what I’m working with, and hope I’ve explained my concern clearly enough!

please - any help would be great 😊

thanks

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @ElaineBenes. It's fantastic to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about sink traps.

In terms of the drainage, what you’ve identified is a common situation when raising the height of a sink. Because your original Everhard tub sat quite deep, the existing S-trap is positioned lower than you now need it. The simplest solution is to cut the pipe beneath the trap and extend it with a new section of pipe and a couple of joiners.

Just keep in mind that modifying fixed plumbing like this is classified as plumbing work, so you’ll need a licensed plumber to do that part of the job.

If you’re looking for a workaround that avoids altering the pipe, you can try extending from the top of the existing trap upwards to meet the sink waste. This would involve adding a few fittings and an extension pipe to bridge the gap created by the new benchtop height. It can work in some cases, but it's a bit fiddly and may not be as neat or reliable as repositioning the trap properly.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

ElaineBenes

Thanks very much Mitchell.

I definitely didn’t want to modify fixed plumbing, so I simply chose the shortest extension for the top of the existing trap upwards to meet the sink waste.It worked perfectly!

Now at my next conundrum….

How to aesthetically hide these taps and cord? I have a little bit of leftover benchtop, but would be happy to buy another to keep the consistency.

Anyone have any ideas? The washing machine taps extend about 100mm.

I’d love some mockups if anyone can?

EricL

Hello @ElaineBenes

Your laundry makeover looks great and its good to see that you got the laundry sink back into place. It might be possible to build a cover of sorts, but it will occupy a bit of space on your benchtop, and it will definitely stand out. If you can put up with the taps and power cord for a short while, I propose saving your resources and waiting for the right moment to have the taps and power point transferred professionally to another location. This will give your laundry that perfect finish you're after.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Dave-1

Good Evening @ElaineBenes

🙂 Nice work with the bench and sink! I have done my laundry pretty much the same way! 🙂

Laundry retrofit and my taps plus pwerpoint is still in teh same place. I actually dont mind them like that as it suits the type of laundry I wanted.

Everything from Flexi Storage Studio Black And Oak 1 Bay 5 Wall Shelf Kit - 1 Bay to plain Flexi Storage Decorative Shelving 200mm Black Matte Shelf End Brackets comes to mind 🙂 You could put a shelf just under the taps on the wall and actually have the shelf with an edge that hides the taps so it just looks like a shelf. I like the idea of "hiding" it in plain sight more then changing things around. The power point up top could also be hidden with the taps in a vertical set of shelves like the first link I posted. Or you could have some small duct with the cable clipped inside it tho that could look a little clinical.

I was trolling through Storage Baskets and saw this Flexi Storage Home Solutions Black Double Slot Medium Wire Basket plus so many other ideas! 😀 That basket could be mounted off center to the taps so say the left hand side the taps sit within the basket and the right is for whatever you want.

Just remember if you are going to mount anything on the wall, check with a stud finder for pipes or elecrical cables. If you dont have one then you can take a good guess that the pipes will follow a straight line up and down or across, The power will do the same mostly tho if you know the nearest powerpoint to that one it will probarly be fed from there so you can "guess" which way the cable will travel.

Dave

Nailbag

Hi @ElaineBenes

You have two options, either to follow along the lines of @Dave-1 suggestions to conceal the power cord and plumbing fixtures, or @EricL to leave as is until your can afford to have them professionally relocated below the bench. The later would be my long-term preference. Moving the GPO will be the cheaper relation, and I would recommend having one above and one below the benchtop. Relocating the plumbing will require the wall to be opened up and then put back and then patched.

Nailbag

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