Advice about undermount sinks & solid surface countertops, please

13 years ago

My Mom bought a house that has solid surface countertops (might be quartz) in the kitchen, and there's an undermount sink set into it. The hole for the faucet is cut into the counter, not the sink. The sink is really not working for her, and its enamel is somewhat stained, so we'd like to replace it with a single bowl stainless steel undermount sink. Is this really hard for a plumber to do? Is there any risk of the counter cracking? And is there any online source for stainless kitchen sink that any of you would recommend. Finally, is doing the single bowl sink a mistake? My sister says most people far prefer two compartments, but does this make any real difference for resale? Thanks for your help, Nabq

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Comments (4)

eam44
13 years ago
The undermount sink should have been attached to the counter with a bead of silicone and cleats that screw into a depression on the underside of the counter. Faucet location has no effect on this. If it was installed correctly, you'll have no issue replacing it. If it was installed differently, you might have a problem changing sinks, and may want to have your sink repaired instead. You'll have to have a plumber take a look and give you an estimate.

By quartz, you mean the manufactured acrylic and stone chip counter, correct? These are a little more rigid and tougher to repair (should there be a crack) than solid surface acrylic counters, but again, as long as the sink was installed properly your counter should be just fine.

I've found both Ebay and Amazon.com to be good sources for sinks and plumbing supplies in general. If you're going to choose a stainless steel sink, go for the lower guage (16 vs. 18) if you can afford it, and check out the SS sink thread (below) from a week or so ago on this forum.

I have never understood why anyone with a dishwasher would want a two bowl sink, so as far as your sister's comment, it's a little outdated. In the olden days these were useful for washing dishes on one side and rinsing on the other. Today we tend to use sinks for food prep and disposal before loading the dw. Two smaller compartments make the sink less useable: which side gets the garbage disposal? How do you wash large roasting pan with that wall in the middle of your sink? I'm sure you will find the single bowl much more useful. I doubt either will have much effect on resale.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless
nabq
Original Author
13 years ago
THanks so much, EAM44. This was everything I wanted to know. I agree 100% about the wall in the middle of the sink. Thanks again, nabg
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eam44
13 years ago
Happy to help :)
herbflavor
13 years ago
have you actually found a new sink with the exact perimeter size ....I wouldn't think any cutting could be done of the counter. If it's not an old sink,maybe the same brand sink still has what you want in that size. I would have a plan B in the back of my mind.