Specifying pedestal sinks for a hotel renovation is a procurement exercise, not a design mood board. When you are touching 50, 200, or 500 rooms, every decision compounds: a two-hour install difference becomes hundreds of labor hours, and a single unclear dimension becomes a container of wrong parts. This manual walks FF&E buyers and project managers through a repeatable specification process — from room-type allocation to the acceptance checklist at the dock.
Why pedestals show up in renovations
Three forces push hotels toward pedestal sinks during a renovation:
- Labor cost. A pedestal mounts to the wall on a column with minimal rough-in. Installation runs roughly 1.5–2 hours per unit versus 3–4 hours for a vanity. At 200 rooms that is 300–400 plumber hours versus 600–800.
- Floor space. A pedestal occupies 15–25% less floor footprint than a comparable vanity, which matters in compact guest baths and historic buildings where the footprint is fixed.
- Maintenance. No cabinet interior, no door hinges, no countertop seam. Housekeeping time per room drops, and there are fewer failure points over the asset life.
The trade-off is storage. A pedestal gives no under-sink cabinet. That gap must be solved in the drawings, not discovered on site — usually with a wall shelf or recessed niche.
The specification workflow
Follow this order. Each step produces a written line item you can hand to procurement and to the factory.
Step 1 — Allocate by room type
Decide which rooms get pedestals, which get vanities, and which need accessible fixtures. Do not assume one fixture fits all rooms.
Step 2 — Pick the pedestal subtype
Full pedestal, half-pedestal (semi-pedestal), or wall-hung. These are not interchangeable. The ADA question (below) decides some of this for you.
Step 3 — Lock dimensions
Confirm overall width, depth, height, and basin interior depth. The basin depth is where low-cost units cut corners, and it determines splash performance.
Step 4 — Confirm material and finish
Solid surface (artificial stone) or ceramic. Document composition in writing.
Step 5 — Set the drain and rough-in
Standard drain hole is 45 mm. Confirm wall rough-in height and supply line spacing before drawings are issued.
Step 6 — Write the QA line
State the acceptance criteria: what gets inspected, what is rejectable, and who inspects.
Step 7 — Build the procurement timeline
Back-schedule from the renovation start date, including production, QC, and transit.
Step 8 — Confirm commercial terms
FOB for B2B project orders. Confirm MOQ, tier pricing, and Incoterms before signing.
Room-type recommendations
The table below is a starting allocation for a 50–500 room renovation. Adjust for brand standards.
| Room type | Recommended fixture | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Standard guest room (non-accessible) | Full pedestal | Lowest installed cost, compact, easy to maintain |
| Guest suite primary bath | Vanity (or pedestal + shelf) | Guests expect storage; solve with niche if pedestal |
| Powder room / half bath | Full or half pedestal | Period look, minimal footprint |
| ADA-accessible room | Wall-hung basin or half-pedestal | Full pedestal does NOT meet knee-clearance rule |
| Lobby / public restroom | Wall-hung (heavy-use) or full pedestal | Durability and cleanability drive the call |
| Back-of-house staff bath | Full pedestal | Cost and maintenance priority |
The ADA constraint, stated without ambiguity
A full pedestal sink does not qualify as ADA compliant. The column obstructs the required clear knee space beneath the basin — accessibility standards call for roughly 700 mm (27 inches) of clear knee clearance, which a full column blocks.
For accessible rooms, specify:
- a wall-hung basin with nothing below it, or
- a half-pedestal / semi-pedestal variant that preserves the required toe and knee clearance.
Do not let any supplier tell you a standard full pedestal is ADA compliant. It fails inspection and creates liability. We sell full pedestals; we will tell you plainly they are not the right choice for accessible rooms, and we will point you to the wall-hung or half-pedestal options instead.
Dimensions and specs to lock down
Our typical pedestal basin spec:
- Overall: W45 × D45 × H85 cm
- Finish: White, gloss
- Basin interior depth: 12 cm or 17 cm (two available profiles — the 17 cm profile holds more and splashes less; the 12 cm profile is shallower and lighter)
- Drain hole: 45 mm standard
- Material: Solid surface (artificial stone), non-ceramic sanitary ware per JC/T 2116-2012
Confirm these against your rough-in before ordering. The two basin depths are not interchangeable in a design — pick per room and document it.
Material choice in brief
For a renovation where service life and repairability matter, solid surface (artificial stone) is the stronger long-term spec:
- Independently tested to JC/T 2116-2012; water absorption 0.1% (limit ≤0.5%), Barcol hardness 46 (min ≥35).
- Repairable in place — scratches and light damage sand out rather than requiring replacement.
- Seamless, no glaze, no crazing risk.
Ceramic remains valid for tight-CAPEX, low-abuse rooms. The material comparison spec sheet breaks this down side by side.
Procurement timeline
Plan from the renovation start date backward. The table assumes sea freight to the continental US.
| Phase | Typical duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Drawings frozen / spec signed | — | Gates everything |
| Sample approval | 1–2 weeks | Request a physical sample or live video inspection |
| Stock allocation & dispatch | Ask per order | Longer if the quantity exceeds current stock |
| On-site QC and crating | Within production | Our QC team inspects every unit before crating |
| Sea transit to US | 2–4 weeks | Confirm port and Incoterm |
| Customs / delivery to site | 1–3 weeks | DDP available for retail; B2B is FOB |
| Total buffer to plan | ~8–14 weeks | Add slack for brand approvals |
Tell us your target install week and we will back-schedule a confirmed production window. Do not book the renovation crew before the container is on the water.
Acceptance standards (on-site QC)
Quality is decided before crating, not after delivery. Our process:
- Our own QC team is on site at the partner production facility and inspects every unit before crating.
- What we check: dimensional tolerance, basin depth, surface finish (no voids, no blemishes), drain hole alignment, and column integrity.
- What you can verify: factory visit in person or by live video at any point in the run.
At your receiving dock, we recommend you re-check:
- Carton count vs packing list
- Visible carton damage (note on the BOL)
- A spot check of 2–3 units per container for surface and dimension
- Drain hole and mounting hardware present
Document rejects with photos and we handle replacement under the order terms.
Budgeting the fixture package
A renovation budget should separate the fixture from the work around it. A useful line-item breakdown per room:
| Cost component | Typical range (per room) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestal fixture (FOB) | Quoted per model — $25–50 for cast ceramic, solid surface materially higher | Confirm against your quote |
| Freight allocation | $10–40 | Spread container cost across units |
| Install labor | 1.5–2 hrs × local rate | Roughly half a vanity |
| Ancillary (shelf/niche) | $15–60 | Only if storage is needed |
| Contingency (2–3%) | — | For damage and reorders |
For a 200-room select-service renovation using solid surface pedestals, the fixture-plus-labor package typically lands well below a vanity equivalent, and the labor gap — not the fixture — drives most of the saving. Build the budget from the room-type allocation in Step 1, then apply the tier pricing from Step 8.
Coordinating with other trades
The pedestal spec does not live alone. Flag these handoffs early:
- Plumbing: confirm drain (45 mm) and supply rough-in height before tile is set. A mismatch means chases in finished walls.
- Tile / waterproofing: the wall behind a wall-hung or half-pedestal must carry the load; coordinate backing with the tiler.
- Millwork: if you solve storage with a niche or shelf, the carpenter needs the pedestal dimensions in the same drawings.
- Brand standards: submit the fixture for approval before the container is cut. Rejection after production is the most expensive error in the sequence.
Commercial terms
- B2B project orders: quoted FOB. You control freight and insurance from the port.
- B2C retail orders: quoted EXW; door-to-door DDP (freight + duties included) available on request — no surprise landing costs for the end buyer.
- MOQ and tiers: quoted on request. Ask for the current tier sheet — it lists the entry quantity and every price break, so you can plan the order against your room count.
- Pricing: quoted per model and per quantity rather than as one published band, because unit cost moves materially with size, finish and order size. Retail across our range is EXW from US$172; door-to-door DDP available on request; trade pricing sits below that.
Request the full tier sheet, not a single quantity, so you can plan the order size against your room count.
Certifications — stated plainly
We do not currently hold cUPC or CE. Both are in progress, with test reports available. We will not quote a certificate number we do not have. If your brand standards require cUPC or CE at signing, raise it early so we can confirm status against your timeline.
Material compliance we can document today:
- Independently tested to JC/T 2116-2012 (Foshan quality inspection, report G21-WT11798T): water absorption 0.1%, Barcol hardness 46.
- Raw material (unsaturated polyester resin 201B) compliant with EU RoHS per SGS report SZXEC23002470101 — this covers the resin raw material, not the finished basin.
Common specification mistakes
- Assuming one pedestal fits every room. Accessible rooms need wall-hung or half-pedestal. Full pedestals there are a compliance failure.
- Forgetting storage. No cabinet means you must spec a shelf or niche in the drawings.
- Ignoring basin depth. The 12 cm and 17 cm profiles behave differently; pick deliberately.
- Booking labor before the container ships. Always back-schedule from the water, not the wish.
- Accepting a verbal certification. Get cUPC/CE status in writing, and verify.
Frequently asked questions
How many pedestals do I need to meet MOQ? We quote the entry quantity and each price break per order — ask for the current sheet and match it to your room count. Most renovations clear the entry quantity easily, but confirm the number rather than assuming it.
Can a full pedestal be used in an ADA room? No. The column blocks the required knee clearance (roughly 700 mm / 27 inches). Use a wall-hung basin or a half-pedestal that preserves clearance.
What is the lead time for a 200-room order? Plan roughly 8–14 weeks including production, on-site QC, and sea transit to the US. Confirm against your install date.
Do you provide samples before a container order? Yes. Request a physical sample or a live video inspection of the production line and QC process.
Are your basins cUPC or CE certified? Not yet — both are in progress with test reports available. We state this clearly rather than imply certification.
Start your project inquiry
If you are renovating 50–500 rooms, send us the room count by type, target finish, and destination port. We will return a tiered FOB quote, packing data, and a confirmed production window — and we will flag any ADA or storage gaps in your current spec before you order.
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About the data: labor estimates reflect standard plumbing installation times for multi-unit projects; lead times reflect sea-freight transit to the continental US plus typical production and QC windows. Certifications are stated as currently in progress. Verify all dimensions and compliance requirements against your project's brand standards and local code before specifying.