I replaced a vanity top a few years ago in DH's bathroom. The old one was not glued - just placed on the top of the vanity. It may not have been done right, but it worked for 20 years that way. We did the same with the new one.

Can you post a pic? I'm just thinking that in your situation, is there anyway you can just replace the sink and or the faucet and do some cosmetic changes to the present countertop? We lived with 40 year old vanities (just renoing now after 16 years in the house), and just changed the faucets when we first moved in.

I am thinking that when you replace everything in the future, you may not want to be tied down to today's choices. Given the price of cambria, could you not just replace the whole thing with a complete unit from someplace like Costco?

But, hey, this is coming from someone with Robin's egg blue fixtures in her main bath, and a gutted to the studs/subfloor Master... so my tolerance for less than perfect may be different than yours! LOL

Unfortunately, the vanity is built in and 77" wide, so there is no way to buy a prefab unit as a temporary fix. The existing vanity has chipping paint, and its very low - made 25+ years ago. The top is laminate and not in bad shape, but the sink/faucet are horrible - and the sink is a hexagon shape so I don't know if the cutout would work with anything else. And I really don't want to buy a new drop in sink just as a temporary fix.

But if we got a new top and just sat it on top, I was hoping it could be used again when we get new vanity cabinets. I guess I would just need to make sure the width of the alcove doesn't vary much from the current height to the higher elevation where the top would eventually sit.

Numbers,

How much would your new Cambria top be? Wouldn't you also have to buy a new sink and faucets anyways? I checked the Costco website, and they have a very nice looking 75" vanity that includes marble top, sinks, backsplash for around 2K. I guess I'm thinking that perhaps your wait for a completely new vanity might be so long, that your tastes might change and you might be sorry to be tied down to the choices you made today. If your total cost for a 'temporary' fix up is minimal, then I'd say go for it. But personally I wouldn't spend $1k or even several hundred dollars now, I'd wait.

raehelen - Thanks for the suggestion. I have a quote for just under $1400 for the top, and the vanity I want is about another $1500 (RTA, we finish). We only want one sink since there is a window on one side. Plus I need something contemporary but not ultra modern to fit my house. So I don't think the Costco option really works for us. The price for the top is really good - most places charge for the whole slab and this one obviously didn't.

I will probably just wait a while and see how finances go.

Yes, you can remove a granite top from a vanity. Just make sure they don't glue it, but just set it on the vanity and put silicone across the counter/vanity inside corner seam. It's not going to slide off or anything. When you're ready to replace the vanity, score the silicone with a utility knife, unhook the plumbing, and carefully lift it off.

Another option, since your finances are uncertain, is to just buy a prefab laminate counter from HD or Lowe's for

I would just postpone the reno until you have a handle on how things will be financially. I would personally not feel OK laying out that money so soon after losing a job.

I recently replaced the top of my vanity, I hired a handyman to remove the old cultured marble top, which came off easily enough, although there was a little damage to the dry wall where he pulled off the backsplash. I bought a new granite top and had it installed on top of the old vanity. Mine is also a built-in, and is in an alcove, going from wall to wall. It seemed easy enough to do, I'm not sure how they attached the new granite top, but the old cultured marble did not appear to be glued to the vanity.