Hairline crack in porcelain bathroom sink

10 years ago

Yesterday, when my plumber was doing the piping for my new kitchen sink, disposal and washer and dryer, the vibration caused a cologne bottle in my bathroom medicine cabinet mirror/door (on other side of the wall) to open and a bottle of cologne dropped onto the bathroom undermount porcelain sink and produced a hairline crack. The crack is also visible when viewed from the bottom of the sink.

My questions:

1) Is there anyway to repair this crack or should I simply replace the sink?

2) If I have to replace the sink can it be removed easily? The second photo below is of the sink as viewed from the bottom up. It shows one of the 4 things that secure it in place. Is it simply a matter of unscrewing these things or is it more complicated?

3) I will be having a granite person coming to my kitchen to do the fabrication work for my kitchen base cabinet tops. Should I wait for him to see if he can remove the bathroom sink granite and therefore allow me to replace the sink?

4) If I can replace this sink, can I replace it with a stainless steel one? This way, I will not have to worry about it cracking again. Is it okay to use a stainless steel sink for the bathroom? I truly don't know.

Any feedback will be highly appreciated.

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

klem1
10 years ago
#1 No dependiable repair available.
#2 Quite simple as sink replacements go. Disconnect drain line,unscrew supports with one hand while the other supports sink so it doesn't drop on you. There should be plumber's putty between sink and vanity top but some use tub & tile caulk instead which can make it difficult to seperate sink from top.
#3 It's neither nessary or customary to remove vanity top.
#4 Kind of unconventional but if you can find the correct size and stainless suits you there is no reason not to use stainless.
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User
10 years ago
It was a fluke accident that caused the crack in the porcelain, don't over react.

Literally millions of us have porcelain sinks, toilets, floor tiles, etc and go a lifetime without dropping a cologne bottle into them.

This post was edited by saltidawg on Mon, Sep 1, 14 at 12:42
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bostonoak
Original Author
10 years ago
Really, really appreciate the feedback so far. It' been very helpful.

My plumber offered to replace the bathroom sink. But I want to help him with the cost.

I've noticed that there are a lot of choices online.

But the challenge is figuring out how I can get the right size.

Would measuring the hole on the counter-top work (left to right, up to bottom)? I realize that the sink would have to be than the counter-top hole but by how much?
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jakethewonderdog
10 years ago
OP,

Before you replace just the sink, consider the cost of replacing the entire unit.

I have a very similar vanity/ top / sink that came from Lowe's and was not terribly expensive ($350). The one that you have isn't in bad shape, but if you wanted to change styles, or if it was otherwise damaged this would be an opportunity to swap it out.

BTW: The bowl is probably sealed to the granite with silicone sealant - you will have to cut it from the top after removing the bolts. You don't use plumbers putty on granite.

Also, the top is pretty much permanently attached to the base. I was going to take the top off mine when I brought it home to make the installation easier and lighter... I think it was epoxied on to the sink base.

I do agree, however, that the sink is probably fine. If the crack gets bigger or leaks, deal with it then.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sink and base

This post was edited by jakethewonderdog on Wed, Sep 3, 14 at 9:02
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