Drilling stainless steel sinks

[Tim Streater]

We're getting one of those undersink filters which come with a tap that you mount in the worktop (doubtless we can get an oil company to mount a drilling rig over the granite worktop to make the necessary hole).

But later, if we redo the kitchen and get a sit-on sink, that's stainless and tends to come only with H/C tap holes. Would drilling an extra hole through the stainless be easy enough (I never drill metal these days so wouldn't know what to use).

(Hmmm could use a mixer for one hole and the filter tap the other hole but I bet the holes would be the wrong size hmmm)

Cheers,

[The Natural Philosopher]

best to use a punch.

Qmax IIRC.

[Andrew Gabriel]

IKEA used to (and may still) sell a kit with a pipe cutter and punch for their SS stinks, as they don't have any tap holes pre-drilled. This cost much less than buying the punch alone from a tool supplier. Of course, it might not be the right size for your tap.

[dom]

Still have mine, and surprisingly good quality. 40mm IIRC.

[Dave Liquorice]

Ooo, don't they? That's useful to know. I detest the shed sinks that have two tap holes. The unused one a) looks naff with a blanking plate b) is bound to leak. Of course it saves them 5p in nonly have to manufacture and carry one sink top per design instead of LH and RH versions.

[Mike Clarke]

They still do - "FIXA 2-piece tool set" £10

I got one last year and it did the job fine, I've just checked the size and it's 35 mm dia.

The pipe cutter claims to cut pipes from 3mm to 16mm but I've never used it because my existing fixed size 15mm cutter was more convenient.

[AlanD]

Brita do a kitchen mixer tap with a 3rd tap for filtered water, delivered from another tube within the same spout.

bought one from Costco about a year ago. It fits a standard single-hole sink, and has a cartridge and associated pipework under the sink.

Fitting is easy enough, it takes the water feed from the cold site so no extra plumbing on the supply side needed.

Alan.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Well, that was the case ~7 years ago. At the time, I looked in the likes of Wickes and B&Q, and their sinks had ugly edges, and I could only find ones that looked like a customer had used it to beat a member of staff over the head, or they'd driven the fork lift truck over it. The IKEA ones were not accessible to the public, and all in pristine condition. They also had a very low profile edge, which looked better on an inset sink.

I didn't put any tap hole in mine - I mounted the tap behind it in the worktop, so it's rock-solid.

[Tim Streater]

We'll be using sit-on sinks (assuming we can get hold of one) so that approach won't suit.

[Owain]

And Ikea save having to drill two holes and supply a blanking plate, and get the profit from selling the cutter kit.

Owain

[Dave Liquorice]

I expect the two holes would stamped out when the sink is formed, blanking plate is peanuts (but 5,000 peanuts still cost a lot). Profit on the cutter, yep like that. B-)

[Dave Liquorice]

pre-drilled.

Wanders off to Ikea site, doesn't look like any of their sink tops have tape holes. The pipe cutter and 35mm Q max (or very similar) punch is =A310.

Lawson want =A39.04 + delivery for 35mm Q-max puch. Rapid =A38.17 plus.

Wobbly taps is very dependant on the quality of the sink top and rigidity of the pipe work. Decent bit of stainless and pipework won't wobble. Of course these days people tend to use flexable (as in hose) connectors to taps as lining up 15mm copper to a mixer taps 10mm tails is "too difficult". B-)