# Bathroom Vanity - Ok to cut it in back?



## majch (Mar 22, 2012)

Hi everyone -

We purchased a bathroom vanity and the square pre-cut hole in the back is not big enough. Our hot/cold water pipes coming in from the wall won't fit in the pre-cut hole and it causes it to not be pushed up far enough against the wall.

These are the specs:
Solid Wood Frame	Yes
Wood Species Birch
Side Panel Material	Plywood
Side Panel Thickness	3/4-in

and here is the link of the vanity : LINK

Would anyone see any issues if i cut a bigger hole in back? I've never done it before and just want to ensure i'm not missing something that would cause this to fail.

Thanks


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## 1acre (Oct 5, 2015)

it's ok to cut a larger hole in the back. in a lot of cabinets, it is 1/4" melamine product on the back and cosmetic only. Regardless, making a bigger hole won't weaken the cabinet strength in any significant way. And it is done all the time.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Just use a fine toothed blade or utility knife so splintering is minimized.


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Most of the vanities I install have solid backs. I normally cut holes for the supply lines and waste lines with various hole saws. Might work in your case. If I don't use a hole saw, then it's my Porter cable jig saw with a scrolling blade with 18 tpi. It cuts nice and doesn't tear up the cabinet back, many which are very thin material. If you want, put some blue painters tape on the cabinet where you're going to cut to minimize tearout and splintering. When I build custom vanities, I turn matching escutcheons like in the pic here. White oak.
Mike Hawkins:smile:


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## MT Stringer (Oct 19, 2008)

A metal cutting blade in a jig saw makes a smooth cut. Tape off the area with painters tape, draw the cut lines and get after it.


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## GLR (Dec 15, 2015)

Hello Majch good looking vanity.
Most all the cabinets I've set over the years have backs, except most vanities. The vanities I've set that customers got from the big box usually have large sq cutouts, not always in the right spot. Not all plumbers rough in the same. I will usually make the sq cutout larger to the side that's causing interference, as cutting only one or two holes for the water or drain plus the large sq cut out would kinda look like a bu bu. In your case, the cut out will not be seen, due to the drawers. I personally would simply enlarge the existing hole appropriately. 99% cut outs I make with an old laminate trimmer, w/plunge bit. I cut my holes tight(measure, measure, measure) so the scutcheons cover any frayed edges. Any method should work for you as others have explained, knife, hole saw, jigsaw, fine key hole saw or hand saw for straight cuts. Hope the drawers aren't full cab length if the plumbing is too low. Gary


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## majch (Mar 22, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the feedback. For the suggestion with painters tape, would I tape the area I want to cut through or the tap the area around my cut? I assume the latter, but don't know.


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