Kitchen sink installation

[a]

I have installed the sink in a cutout in a laminate worktop (and sealed all the cut edges with varnish). The sink has a foam type gasket (self adhesive, came on a roll) running all the way round that it sits on and has some really bad screw fixings that secure it to the worktop. The question is whether I should be sealing round the sink with silicon too? The installation instructions dont mention it, perhaps indicating the gasket is sufficient to stop any splashes (which seem more numerous than the previous sink being shallower) going under - but I feel it would be better with a bit of sealant round it? (It is a stainless steel sink in a black worktop - translucent sealant?)

cheers

Dave.

[Grunff]

Yes, all the sinks I've fitted seem to come with those fixings.

Definitely.

It isn't.

Yup.

Yes, clear/translucent silicone is good.

[a]

they are like a black hard plastic clip which supposeadly grips a hole in the metal sink lip and a hinged metal gripper that digs into the worktop - I eventually figured out how they went on but they dont seem to grip the hole on the metal lip all that well when you tighten up the screws.

As I thought really, wonder why the instructions didnt recommend it.

thanks

Dave.

[Set Square]

The sealant doesn't need to show - it should be *under* the gasket, with any surplus wiped off once the sink is secured in place.

When I fitted mine, I had a job to get it to go down tight onto the worktop - so used some strips of wood over the sink and G-clamps onto the worktop until the fixings were in place.

[a]

Dont you want to stop water reaching the gasket though (it isnt rubber, looks like foam)?

[Set Square]

I assumed the gasket to be impervious to water. Wouldn't be much good if it weren't - because it is supposed to stop water getting under the sink, and the water needs to come into contact with it for this to happen.

My main aim was - in case the gasket wasn't 100% effective - to stop any water getting to the raw edges of the chipboard. I sealed the edges of the chipboard with sealant anyway, but tend to go for belt-and-braces solutions!

[Brett Jackson]

The sink and hob I just bought came with some sort of putty on a roll. Seems to be quite effective.

[Andrew Gabriel]

My IKEA sink came with that too -- seems to be very effective. Small amounts carried on oozing out from under the rim for about a week, which gave me confidence it was sealed all round. I didn't bother sealing the cut edge of the worktop, and no water ever seems to have got through to it.