No rolling. Lots of shaking and rattling.

The two porcelain pedestal sinks in our master bathroom have rattled since installation. I can't remember whether Jeff or Yank the plumber hooked them up, but it was after I tiled the floor and walls (in the epoch where, of necessity, I acquired many new skills.)

A pedestal sink consists of two parts: the pedestal and, obviously, the sink. While the pedestal provides a supportive stand, the two pieces are not attached to each other by any means but gravity. For true stability, the sink is meant to be fastened to the wall it abuts. Ours never were.

If you bumped into them (a normal occurrence for us) they rattled. If you scrubbed them (a normal but less frequent occurrence) they rattled. They rattled with a deep but clanging hollow chime--or sometimes rumble--of porcelain on porcelain. And they banged into the tile wall, which was more of a boomity boomity thing. It was an unsatisfactory and somewhat disconcerting condition for sinks.

When I learned (via our handyman who never showed up again) about their improper installation, I began to puzzle over what I might do. The bathroom framing had been done when Jeff was on the verge of losing his powers. Had he, correctly, provided a plank behind the now-tiled wall? He didn't remember, of course. He'd been faltering enough by the time I finally tiled, that it never occurred to him to mention the need for bolts.

Yesterday, I detached the J-bend from the wall, shut off the supply valves, and unhooked the supply pipes which run from the floor to the sink. Then, after carefully walking the sink/pedestal assembly away from the wall, I drilled through the tile. The initial hole was the hardest, requiring the pin-prickiest of drill-bits, followed by sequentially larger bits until I'd achieved two nice half-inch holes. Then, I plowed in further to see what I would hit. Drywall, then air, then...wood? Yes, wood.

I walked-rocked the sink back into place and, with a socket wrench, ratcheted a nice fat hex-headed bolt and washer through each hole (the holes that were always there) in the back of the sinks.

The solidity of the now rattle-free sinks is a satisfying thing, indeed. Next up--replacing my cruddy stiff faucet handles.