PVC or plywood: choosing a vanity for a humid bathroom

For a humid bathroom, choose a vanity cabinet that is built to take water. Waterproof PVC is made for that job, while plywood depends on the grade of panel used. SUMO Sanitaryware’s bathroom vanity sets use waterproof PVC cabinets with sealed edges, and every set comes complete with an end-to-end insert basin, pop-up waste and bottle trap.

PVC or plywood for a humid bathroom?

A bathroom vanity lives next to a running tap. The shower fills the room with steam most days, water splashes over the basin rim, and the doors get opened with wet hands. Whatever the cabinet is made of has to live with all of that.

PVC and plywood both turn up in bathroom vanities. So the useful question is how much water the material itself is built to take, and how much rests on the grade, the finish and the edges. With a waterproof PVC cabinet, the answer sits in the material. You can see SUMO’s in the SUMO bathroom vanity set range.

What plywood is, and why the grade matters

Plywood is made from thin wood veneers glued together in layers, with the grain of each layer running across the one beneath it. That cross-laminated build is what makes it steadier than solid wood: it shrinks and swells less.

How a plywood panel copes with moisture comes down to its grade. The bond classification describes how well the glue between the layers resists moisture, and structural plywood is made in two. Exterior panels are designed for repeated wetting and drying. Exposure 1 panels suit uses that don’t involve long exposure to weather. The engineered wood association APA explains both in its guide to plywood.

So if a plywood vanity is on your list, ask which grade the panels are and how they’re finished. That tells you what the cabinet was made for.

What waterproof PVC gives a SUMO cabinet

The SUMO SVC-08 vanity set in Black, with its mirror cabinet.

SUMO builds its vanity cabinets from waterproof PVC, so there’s no grade to ask about. The panels are specially treated PVC, the edges are sealed, and the surfaces carry a waterproof coating and a nano coating on top. Steam, spills and splashes run off, and the construction is tested against everyday exposure to all three.

Day to day, the specially treated PVC resists swelling and warping, and the surfaces wipe clean with very little upkeep. Waterproof PVC. Smooth surfaces. Simple design.

PVC and plywood side by side

In a humid bathroom, the first two rows decide it. On a SUMO cabinet, the material answers both before you ask.

What comes with every SUMO vanity set

A vanity is more than the cabinet. The parts around the basin decide how smoothly it goes in, so it helps to know what’s in the box before you order. Every SUMO vanity set comes with:

• The waterproof PVC vanity cabinet, 600 (L) × 475 (W) × 500 (H) mm
• The mirror cabinet, 500 (L) × 120 (W) × 700 (H) mm
• An end-to-end insert basin
• A pop-up waste
• A bottle trap

The pop-up waste and bottle trap are the drain parts below the basin. They come in the set, so you don’t buy them separately. Like every SUMO product, the set is designed in Japan. Each SUMO vanity cabinet has a 1-year warranty, and an S$80 transport fee applies once that year ends. The delivery and warranty page has the full terms.

Ten finishes, same cabinet and parts

Once the material is settled, the colour is the only thing left to pick. All ten SUMO finishes use the same waterproof PVC cabinet, at the same size, with the same parts.

• Wood tones: SVC-03 Light Oak, SVC-04 Wood Grain, SVC-06 Dark Oak, SVC-07 Brown Walnut
• Greys: SVC-01 Marble Grey, SVC-02 Grey Brownish, SVC-05 Smokey Grey, SVC-10 Matte Grey
• Plain colours: SVC-08 Black, SVC-09 Beige

Three to start with: the SUMO SVC-01 vanity set in Marble Grey, the SVC-03 in Light Oak and the SVC-08 in Black.

Quick View

Bathroom Vanity Sets

SUMO SVC-01 Waterproof PVC Vanity Cabinet with Basin, Marble Grey

S$1,199.00

Quick View

Bathroom Vanity Sets

SUMO SVC-03 Waterproof PVC Vanity Cabinet with Basin, Light Oak

S$1,199.00

Quick View

Bathroom Vanity Sets

SUMO SVC-08 Waterproof PVC Vanity Cabinet with Basin, Black

S$1,199.00

Before you choose a vanity

Four quick checks and you’re ready to order:

1. Check the space. The SUMO vanity cabinet is 600 (L) × 475 (W) × 500 (H) mm.
2. Think about how much water the cabinet will see. Beside a shower, or in a bathroom that stays humid, a waterproof PVC cabinet takes it in its stride.
3. If you’re also looking at a plywood vanity, ask which grade the panels are.
4. Pick your colour from the ten finishes.

Questions

Settled on PVC? Compare all ten SUMO vanity finishes, or send us a photo of your bathroom below and we’ll help you pick.