ADP Glacier Vanities

ADP Glacier Vanities Buying Guide

ADP calls Glacier its most customisable vanity. The range is built around choices you make before you order: the tier, the layout of doors and drawers, the width, the top and the cabinet finish. This guide sets out what each choice changes, using the product specifications and manufacturer installation and care guides. The wider ADP vanities and furniture page covers the brand's other ranges.

Lite or Pro

Glacier comes in two tiers, and the difference is inside the cabinet. Lite has a fresh white interior and, on the door and drawer lines, white pressed metal drawers with a soft-close adapter. The all-drawer Lite lines use ADP Deluxe drawers and include a small white drawer organiser. Pro has a Graphite interior, ADP Deluxe grey drawers where the layout has drawers, and a premium handle selection.

The decision is about what you see and touch every day. If the drawers are opened often and the interior colour matters to you, Pro is the one that changes it. If the vanity is for a guest bathroom or an ensuite that sees light use, Lite has the same soft-close action, the same cabinet finishes and the same tops. The interior and the handle selection are what change.

Choosing the layout

The layouts in this collection are named for the storage behind the front.

Door and drawer lines are described by ADP as giving maximum storage and flexibility. The Twin is wall hung and the Trio is the floor standing version with a kick. The doors hide a tall open space for bulky items, and the drawers sit where you reach for daily things. All drawer lines are described as maximising space with a clean, simple design, and they trade the open space behind a door for drawers throughout. All door lines are described as a simple, no-fuss solution with plenty of room to store larger items. Depth differs by line, so read the specification sheet linked on the listing for the exact unit.

The Ensuite door and drawer vanity projects 395mm from the wall and comes as a single centre bowl at two widths, which makes it the most compact of the main layouts. The Mini is a 400mm wide wall hung vanity, 220mm deep and 555mm high, with a ceramic top, one tap hole, a single soft-close door that hinges left or right, and an adjustable shelf inside. It is the choice for a powder room where a conventional vanity does not fit.

For a view of the compact end of the market across all brands, see ensuite vanities and slimline vanities.

Widths and bowl positions

The range of widths depends on the line. The Mini is a single size. The Ensuite comes at 750mm and 900mm. The Slim lines start at 600mm or 750mm and reach 1500mm. The Twin and Trio lines start at 750mm and reach 1500mm or 1800mm depending on the top, with 1050mm available on some of them. Most widths offer a centre bowl. A left or right offset bowl is offered at 750mm, 900mm and wider on several lines, which leaves a clear run of bench beside the basin. A double bowl is offered from 1200mm or 1500mm depending on the line.

Size guides give a workable way to match width to room. A 750mm vanity suits a small main bathroom or a guest bathroom with one basin. A 900mm vanity is the standard single basin size for a main or family bathroom, and it is not wide enough for two basins. A 1200mm vanity is a large single or a tight double, and sources disagree, so check the spacing on the specification sheet. A 1500mm vanity is a comfortable double, and 1800mm gives two users real separation. The size collections list what is available at each width: 750mm, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm. For two bowls, the double vanity page lists every layout.

Which Glacier suits which room

Size guides place a powder room vanity at about 400mm to 500mm wide and 220mm to 350mm deep, which is where the Glacier Mini sits at 400mm wide and 220mm deep. They place a small ensuite at 500mm to 750mm wide, and a small main bathroom at 750mm to 900mm. The Glacier Ensuite at 750mm or 900mm wide with a 395mm projection fits that bracket, and it is the line to choose when the bathroom is narrow and the door has to swing past the cabinet.

For a family bathroom with one basin, the Door and Drawer Twin at 900mm or 1200mm gives the most flexible storage in the range, because doors and drawers cover both tall and small items. For a bathroom shared by two people, a double bowl at 1500mm is the comfortable minimum in the guides, and 1800mm gives separation. The all door line is the one with room for larger items, so choose it, or a door and drawer line, when bulky things have to live in the cabinet.

Measuring before you order

Standard vanity depth runs about 450mm to 500mm, and a shallower unit of about 360mm to 400mm suits a small room. Measure from the finished wall to the front edge of the top or basin, not to the face of the cabinet, because the top can overhang the cabinet and a separate basin projects further. Leave about 700mm to 750mm of clear floor in front of the vanity for standing room. Mark the footprint on the floor with tape and walk past it. If you have to turn sideways to pass, the vanity is too wide, too deep, or both. Wall hung heights are set on site, usually so the top sits between 800mm and 900mm above the floor. A separate above-counter basin adds about 100mm to 150mm on top, so a cabinet is often set lower to bring the rim to a comfortable height.

If the gap between the vanity and the wall or a fixture is awkward, the Glacier slim wall hung page lists a 16mm filler strip, a 16mm single infill that reduces the cabinet by 10mm, a 16mm double infill that reduces it by 20mm, and cover plates of 250mm and 450mm. Decide on these before the order goes in, because they change the finished width.

Before the order goes in, mark where the waste and supply pipes come out of the wall or floor, and confirm those positions against the specification sheet for the size you want.

Mounting

Most Glacier vanities are wall hung, and the floor standing Trio sits on a kick. Wall hung leaves the floor clear and is easiest to plan before the walls are lined, because it needs solid backing behind the lining. A floor standing cabinet on a kick covers pipes that come up through the floor. The wall hung vanities and freestanding vanities pages compare the two across brands.

Tops: ceramic, cast marble, solid surface and engineered quartz

The top decides how the vanity cleans and whether a basin comes with it.

The ceramic moulded top is enamel glazed porcelain with the basin moulded in and an integrated overflow. The overflow ships with three cover rings, in chrome, white and black, so you can match the ring to your tapware. Ceramic tops come with a choice of no tap hole for wall taps, one hole, or three holes for a set. Manufacturer care guides say a scratch in glazed ceramic cannot be repaired or removed, and that some visual distortion in handcrafted fired ceramic is not a defect. Clean with a soft cloth and a weak non-abrasive detergent.

The cast marble moulded top is a heavy polymer resin mixed with crushed marble and coated in a gloss gel coat, also with an integrated overflow. It is cared for like acrylic: a soft cloth and detergent, and scratches rubbed out with cutting compound.

The solid surface top (Cherry Pie) is a 20mm acrylic resin top that is non-porous, easy to clean and repair, and free of crystalline silica. It does not need sealing. A basin is sold separately, so choose from ADP's range or from ours. A 40mm upgrade is available in the customiser.

The engineered quartz top is a 20mm top made with up to 93 percent natural quartz, according to the listing, which resists heat, stain, scratches and chips. A basin is sold separately here too, and a 40mm upgrade is offered.

The tops with a separate basin need you to choose the basin and the tap together. The bathroom basins page lists every shape, and inset, above-counter and undermount basins each fit a stone top differently.

The care rules for the stone-type tops are: wipe with a soft damp cloth, use mild detergent for basic stains, and use a non-abrasive polish for gloss and semi-gloss or a scourer pad for matte. These surfaces resist heat and chemicals better than the others, but a hot pan should not go straight on them, because prolonged or extreme heat can damage them permanently.

Cabinet finishes and handles

Glacier is offered in the full ADP cabinet finish selection, so the same colour or woodgrain is available across the range, and the Visual Shopper on each listing lets you build the combination online. The standard handle is a bevel-grip finger pull, and other handles are optional. For polyurethane painted finishes, light scratches can be rubbed out with car cutting compound or polish, and cabinets are cleaned with a soft cloth and a weak non-abrasive detergent, with spills dried promptly. Order finish samples before choosing a dark colour or a woodgrain. Images online can differ from the real thing.

Installation

The points below come from manufacturer installation guides. Follow the guide that comes with your own vanity if it differs.

The vanity should be installed by a qualified tradesperson. Before starting, the installer checks the goods for damage, the position of the vanity and the ventilation, the location of the support beams, whether the walls are plumb and the floor level, and whether the plumbing positions line up with the vanity. For ADP vanities, check for damage within 48 hours of delivery, because claims for damage are not recognised after installation.

A wall hung vanity is fixed to a support beam fitted between the studs. Where there is no beam, the guide has additional support noggins fixed at the right height before the wall is sheeted, and the noggin must be wider than the vanity. The cabinet is fixed through the back at the top and the bottom, into at least two support beams. Horizontal fixings are no more than 300mm apart. The bottom fixings start within 100mm of each end and sit no higher than 50mm from the base panel. Where there is no stud, the guide calls for an appropriately sized hollow wall anchor, and every fixing must clear water and electrical services in the wall. Fixing screws and bolts are not supplied. Transport blocks come out only after the cabinet is fixed.

The wall must be plumb and straight and the floor level. If either is out, the installer packs the vanity so it does not follow the wall, because fixing a cabinet hard against a bowed wall twists it and can crack the top at the joins.

A floor standing vanity must sit level and true on the floor, or be packed to do so. On some ADP units a detachable kickboard locks on with cam fittings, and units of 1200mm and wider get a centre support panel in the kickboard.

Plumbing, waste and drawers

Plumbing belongs to a licensed plumber. The installer measures the plumbing positions and drills holes for the pipes in the back panel or the base with a hole saw. The installer should note the clearance behind the drawers when choosing the water supply fittings, because the pipes take room inside the cabinet. If the unit has electrical fittings, an electrician is involved.

Glacier includes a chrome universal plug and waste, and other finishes in gloss white, matte white, matte black, brushed nickel, brushed brass and brushed copper are listed as options. Check that the waste fits the hole and tighten it by hand only, because over-tightening stresses the basin. On ceramic, place a thin foam washer under the waste neck, sealed with non-acidic silicone. A waste that will not hold water usually has debris in it, a plug that is not locked in, or silicone missing under the waste rim.

After the vanity is fitted, the installer adjusts the doors and drawers, because transport and installation can knock them out of line. Doors and drawers have height, side and depth adjustment. A drawer that will not close generally has an obstruction, such as plumbing or a tap hose, or sits in a cabinet that is not level and plumb. The soft-close adapter on pressed metal drawers can be re-engaged by resetting its trigger tab.

Wet areas, tiles and sealing

ADP's materials are moisture resistant, not waterproof. The guide keeps furniture at least 300mm from wet areas such as a shower or a bath, and out of shower spray. High humidity without ventilation leads to permanent dampness and mould and to deterioration of the materials.

Tiles should run behind and beneath the furniture. ADP does not recommend tiling in around a vanity, because moisture and mould can build up and damage the material. Every edge where the cabinet or top meets the wall or floor is sealed with neutral cure silicone, in a continuous bead where the top meets the cabinet, the wall or surrounding furniture. A gap sealant is allowed where the unit meets tiled surfaces. A separate basin is sealed to the top with a continuous bead.

Mirror and tapware

The Glacier listings picture the vanity with chrome tapware and a framed mirror. A mirror hangs best slightly narrower than the vanity, in about 50mm to 100mm from each side, and 100mm to 200mm above the bench or the rim of the basin so it clears the tap handles. A double vanity takes one mirror over each basin or a single wide one. Choose the tapware before the top, because the tap hole count is fixed when the top is made. Browse bathroom taps and mixers and mirrors to match.

Before you order

Glacier vanities are made in Australia to your selections and arrive with a fixing kit. Confirm the width, bowl position, top and tap hole count before you place the order, and book the plumber and tiler once the vanity is confirmed. If a width is not offered, the custom vanities page covers sizes that are not listed. For the guide that applies to every vanity, from sizing to plumbing, see the bathroom vanities guide.