Vanity units
The cabinet, the basin, the top and the plumbing behind them. We brief contractors to fit a vanity that suits the room's waste point and the humidity it will live in.
The unit and the pipes
Much of what is sold as a bathroom vanity in Dubai is sold as a product off a showroom floor. Fitting one is a plumbing and carpentry job. The unit has to line up with the waste and supply points in the wall, sit level on the floor or hang from a wall that can carry it, and survive years of splashes and steam.
How much does a bathroom vanity cost in Dubai?
A bathroom vanity in Dubai is priced as one line inside a bathroom job: no published UAE renovation price list shows a vanity on its own. The nearest published band for work of that size is the minor refresh, AED 3,000 to 9,000 per bathroom, and full renovations that list a vanity in their scope start at AED 8,000 per bathroom. The unit itself is a product you choose, so we ask contractors to show supply and fitting as separate figures.
The word covers three parts that are often priced together: the cabinet or frame, the top, and the basin, which may sit on the top, be set into it or be moulded in one piece with it. The mirror, its lighting and any storage above are usually counted with the vanity as well. A vanity unit is the whole assembly; a vanity top is only the worktop.
The cabinet is the weak point, because steam and splashes find every cut edge. Solid wood moves as the humidity changes and depends on its finish. Standard MDF swells once water reaches an unsealed edge, while moisture-resistant board and plywood with sealed edges last longer, and PVC foam board does not take up water at all. For the top, quartz, solid surface and sealed natural stone all resist water; marble needs resealing and marks under acidic cleaners.
Two details matter as much as the board. Every cut edge and hole should be sealed, including the ones drilled on site for the waste pipe. And the cabinet should stand on legs or a kick, or hang clear of the floor, so it is not sitting in water every time the floor is mopped. An extract fan that clears the steam helps every material last longer.
A wall-hung vanity keeps the floor clear, which makes a small room easier to clean, but the wall has to carry the unit, the top and whoever leans on it, so it needs blockwork or a reinforced frame behind it. A floor-standing unit is simpler to fit and holds more, and it sits on the finished floor, so it goes in after the tiles. In a powder room the choice often comes down to whether the door clears it.
Either way, the width and the basin position follow the waste point. In buildings that forbid moving MEP, as Emaar's apartment rules do, the basin sits where the waste already is and the vanity is chosen to suit it. A double vanity needs a second waste and supply, which makes it a drainage change rather than a swap.
A lit mirror or a shaver socket adds electrical work. In Abu Dhabi, the Electricity Wiring Regulations 2020 allow no extension or alteration to an installation without prior notification to the Distribution Company, with a narrow carve-out for like-for-like repairs, so even a new mirror circuit belongs with a licensed contractor. Our Abu Dhabi page covers the permits there.
A vanity swap on its own is a small job. Inside a full bathroom refit it is one line among many, and the bathroom cost bands show where the whole room should land.
Scope
The old unit comes out and a new vanity, top and basin go in on the same waste and supply points, sealed and made good. The nearest published band is the minor refresh, from AED 3,000 per bathroom.
from AED 3,000
The vanity is chosen with the layout, the tiles and the lighting, and fitted after the floor and walls are finished. Full renovations that list a vanity in their scope start at AED 8,000 per bathroom.
from AED 8,000 per bathroom
A second basin, or a vanity on a different wall, needs new waste and supply runs. It is priced after a survey, once the building has confirmed the drainage can change.
Priced after a survey
Questions
The bathroom, the community, and the vanity you have in mind or have already bought. We come back with contractors who quote against the published bands, and show you where each quote sits against them.