Kitchen sink installation

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

Definitely.

It isn't.

Yup.

Yes, clear/translucent silicone is good.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.