I would go for the 36" shower. We have that in one of our bathrooms and it's just enough. My step-daughter rents a place with a 30" shower and she can barely move in in.

I have a 30" vanity in my 9x5 basement bath and it works fine. Our basement bath is mostly used as a guest bath. I would have put in a 36" vanity if it would fit.
Enjoy your bath!
-jasper

I think there is confusion in terms. A vanity is the cabinet that your sink sits on. If you want a 36" countertop you need a 36" vanity cabinet. I guess some people refer to a vanity as the base cabinet and the top together.
Thickness in countertops matters but probably not as much in a bathroom and especially if it won't be used every day.
Most people don't want marble flooring in a full bathroom because it will very slippery.

Our basement bathroom will be nice but bare bones. NO vanity because I do not want anyone using the vanity as storage for brushes, combs, shaver or anything else that should not be there, we have bathrooms upstairs for storage of personal grooming tools. So the basement bath is just toilet, semi-pedestal sink, overhead light fixture, mirror and light fixture, fan, tile floor, towel hooks and small shower stall.

We are just finishing a basement with a full (with shower) bath. We went with a 48" shower. It feels pretty big. I wish it had a bench, because I think it the extra space would be more useful. Our vanity is 36", and we have an 18" linen cabinet next to it for storage. Although we have baths with storage upstairs, I figured it would be nice for extra towel/linen storage, since we will have a pull-out guest bed in the basement (but no closets for storage). We actually chose a Silestone counter top from ecounters.com. It was almost the same price as the HD Pegasus granite top and does not need sealing or maintenance. It looks wonderful!

HTH a little. Good luck with your decisions.

Hi lisalm

Thanks for your input. Would you know the size of your bathroom? Mine will be 7 X 7.

Regarding Pegasus, is it same as all other granite? I am so sonfused, why it is so cheaper when granite is so expensive per sq ft??

Here is my dillema...I am looking at a 36" cultured countertop for $239. Another granite guy, a friend of mine is giving me a granite countertop with the sink and installation for $250. And that is any color I choose ( I have black galaxy for my small wet bar area). I am looking towards blue pearl for my vanity countertop.

Coming back to Pegasus, would you know how it is different from regular granite? And what did you like about silestone countertop.

Thanks for all the help. Still confused about this part of my basement.

Sofia

Hi Sofia. Our bathroom is an L shape. The rectangular part is roughly 8 1/2 x 5, and then the shower corner (if you imagine in tacked onto one side of the rectangle) is the 48" x 48" square.

I don't know for sure if Pegasus granite is different from other granite, but since it is so much cheaper, it has many questioning it. Some posters here believe it is a granite mixed with resin--not a solid stone. The $250 for the granite top plus sink from your friend a fabulous price. Why not go with that? The only thing about granite (in general) is that it has to be treated periodically to prevent staining.

My Silestone top from ecounters was $309 (I believe). Silestone is natural quartz mixed with resin. It does not need treating and can not damaged by water. We chose it because it has a slightly more honed/less shiny appearance than does granite, and dh felt like the shiny granite would be a bit too much for a basement bathroom. I liked both equally well, so we went with his choice here. Our Silestone color is called "Capri Limestone". It's a pretty, cream color with subtle flecks of brown and rust.

HTH. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Hi lisalm

Thanks for the info. I just found the same thing regarding sealing the granite every year today. Wondering if you or anybody reading this psot would know the cost involved? My wet bar is 8 ft and 25 inches wide and my countertop will be 37 inches wide.

Do I have to seal it every year?

Thanks
Sofia.

How are you ventilating the steam from the shower? What is your ceiling link above it? I'd recommend you investigate those two issues as well.