Laboratory Casework

Wet stations are where casework fails first, so they get specified first. A sink base is not a door cabinet with a hole in the top — it has a partial-height back panel or open rear so the trap, supplies and waste line have somewhere to live, and it is dimensioned to the bowl rather than the module. Angled sink bases solve the corner sink: a removable front panel gets a plumber in without pulling the counter, and the unit mounts to the adjacent bases so the run stays continuous.

Bowl choice drives the cabinet. Drop-in and undermount bowls in 14-gauge type 304 stainless with fully welded, polished radius corners are the workhorses; service sinks in one, two or three compartments with sloped drainboards handle glass-wash and decontamination duty. Coved horizontal and vertical corners are what let staff actually clean the wet zone.

Chemical storage is a separate decision from general storage. Acid and solvent-storage base cabinets are lined or coated, vented where the design requires it, and separated so incompatible classes are never in the same box. We will not tell you a cabinet makes a room code-compliant — that is your AHJ’s call — but we will segregate the classes, keep vent connections reachable, and put the spec sheets in the submittal. Fume hoods themselves are covered on our fume hoods page.

How the choice gets made. Walk the room task by task. At the glass-wash sink, water and detergent are constant — stainless or phenolic. At the reagent bench, splash is occasional — epoxy steel is fine. At the write-up wall nothing spills — laminate. In a vivarium or cannabis processing room where the whole surface gets hosed and sanitized, stainless is the only family that survives the cleaning protocol.

Stainless also buys serviceability: it can be steam-cleaned, wiped with harsh disinfectant, dented and straightened, and it carries no coating that can fail. That is why sterile processing, pharmaceutical and cleanroom projects specify it even when the chemistry is mild — the cleaning regime is the driver. For cleanroom gowning and transfer equipment, see Eagle cleanroom products.

Hospital and clinical labs buy a different mix than research labs. Research runs on flexibility; a core lab, micro bench, histology suite or specimen-processing area runs on throughput and on knowing where a consumable is at 3 a.m. That pushes the schedule toward drawer-heavy base cabinets, glass- or solid-door storage cabinets so kits are visible, sink bases at specimen and hand-wash stations, and seated knee-space positions at read-out and microscopy.

Storage cabinets built for healthcare use carry closely spaced slides — commonly 45 slide positions on roughly 1⅝-inch centers — in 18-inch or 26-inch depths, single or double width, with solid or framed-glass double-panel doors, five-knuckle hinges, 4-inch wire pulls and roller catches. Slide spacing matters for standardization: cabinets that accept the same baskets and trays your other departments use turn restocking into one process instead of one per room.

Two more clinical realities: disinfection protocols are heavier than in most research labs, which pushes specimen, decontamination and sterile-processing areas toward stainless; and renovation is the norm, so field dimensions, elevator access and after-hours delivery windows matter as much as the schedule. For carts, case carts, linen and transport equipment that pair with clinical casework, see healthcare material handling solutions.