Undermount sinks - hard to fit, or not?

SWMBO and me are debating the kitchen design.

I'm keen on wooden worktops as they are fairly easy (compared to stone) to install, repairable (unlike laminated chip) and more affordable (unlike stone).

However she is keen to have stone round the sink with an undermount large rectangular stainless sink which all seems very sensible for that part of the kitchen...

I have found various places that let you template and fit your own stone (they machine it to your drawings or wooden 1:1 template) and I feel confident enough to do that for a 1.2m x 650mm worktop.

eg

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in Reading

That worktop will abut to a wooden worktop which will be router trimmed to match the stone front profile exactly. That part of the worktop I wouldn't fancy in stone anyway as it has limited front support due to 2 appliances and no cupboards so mostly relying on end-panels for support apart from a rear batten.

I will look to finding some fine ali or SS "D" shaped profile to glue over the joint which will act as a water barrier as well as visual demarcation.

That brings me to the actual question:

How hard is it to do an undermount sink?

I've seen a few youtube vids that suggest it basically comes down to:

a) Get the hole right

b) Run silicone or some funky glue around top edge of sink

c) Mount with everything upside down and secure with clips, which are either screwed and plugged into the underside of the stone, or some other clip, eg Franke's which bang into 3mm slots you angle-grind (there said it!) into the underside adjacent to the sink rim.

Is it actually this straight forward or are there a multitude of things that can go wrong?

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim Watts
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Pretty simple.

I did a belfast under wood: basically get wood top cut right for taps etc.

Mount basin securely on same base or other - the unit had a shelf which needed cutting for drain, then a bit of packing and silicone got the Belfast in place. Top just fits over with big bead of silicone on it first, tidied up from inside the sink.

Slate far better idea than wood. Gets too wet.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I have seen so many wooden worktops with black mould round the sink that I would never have a wooden worktop however nice they look when new.

Jonathan

Reply to
Jonathan

Jonathan ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.co.uk) wibbled on Saturday 08 January 2011 17:56:

Yep - that's why we're looking at a *stone* worktop around the sink, and the sink will be undermount stainless steel. The wood worktop is everywhere else.

Oddly I'd be happier mounting a belfast as TNP says, they pretty much sit on a frame.

It's the SS and the clips, risks of dilling holes in stone, clips falling off, effectiveness of the silicone or whatever magic gunk is used to bond the sink to the underside of the top and other things that bother me as I've never tried anything like this before...

But i do like the idea of designing a sinktop and sink assembly from scratch

- I would have a recessed area for the sink + drainer, maybe drainer grooves (but I wonder if it's better not to bother with a recess), slight overhang of worktop over sink (minor minor cockups in specifying the cutout should be less obvious) and the whole 1200mm unit will be siliconed up to wall tiles - should be an absolutely bombproof area, water wise.

I like SS sinks as they are more forgiving of dropped glasses and you can clean and polish then no matter what.

I prefer wood for it's forgiveness of dropping glasses, plates etc, and the fact that damage can be patched or sanded out - but I agree, it's not a good thing around the sink area.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim Watts

Tim Watts ( snipped-for-privacy@dionic.net) wibbled on Saturday 08 January 2011 18:09:

But i do like the idea of designing a sinktop and sink assembly from

That's ambiguous - I meant if having a recess, don't bother with grooves...

TBH a recess and a SS wire plate rack (which can be hung up out the way) is probaby more useful...

Reply to
Tim Watts

Hi Tim,

I am wondering about doing the same sort of thing in my kitchen. Do you know how the granite and the wood worktops are joined? Does the granite have the hole and channel cut into it to take a worktop joiner bolt, or is it done some other way?

thanks,

dan.

Reply to
dent

dent ( snipped-for-privacy@googlemail.com) wibbled on Sunday 09 January 2011 21:24:

Well, it's not something I've ever seen done - though it seems like a very good idea for our kitchen where the sink is at the end and the concept of wet area and dry area is well defined.

I hadn't though to try to clamp them. As they are fixed down to the same subframe - shared long batten at rear and the sink cabinet would have a batten on the side to support and fix the wooden worktop to, the stone one probably just being bonded down with silicone - I don't think there is too much scope for major movement.

I wanted to cover the join in something raised (the D shaped metal trim I mentioned) to provide a method to contain water to the "wet side".

If I can find some profile about 15mm wide and 5mm high I'd fill the joint with silicone and then silicone the trim centrally over the joint. I haven't sourced such trim yet - but if that fails, I'll go with some 15-20mm wide SS strip - which thinking about it, might actually be neater. I could even bend it over the front edge too if I'm crafty.

If I really wanted to clamp them, I'd probably use a regular fish-tailed clamp, but cut the stud short leaving about 2-3cm overlap with the stone, then resin bond that into holes drilled into the edge of the stone.

But I have a feeling trying to clamp them like that will lead to cracked stone. If the wood and the stone want to move, I'd rather they can with a hidden joint to take it up rather than trying to force them together.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim Watts

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