Wow, thanks for the information. Your repair looks about the best it could given the amount of damage. I had no idea about this and will certainly ask questions when we finally get to the point of getting our counters. I don't want to have a new counter top with the need for future repairs built into it.

Trebruchet, was that rod embedded on the underside of the granite? I just had Sea Pearl installed a month ago and after reading your post I checked and think there is a rod on the sink edge of the countertop. It is not on the other 3 pieces of quartzite. There was never a discussion about this, because of course, I was too naive to even ask about it.
I had read your posts about the sink reveal and using silicone and thought I had covered the important issues, but now I find out how little I knew about the whole process.
I am about to be sick.

"Trebruchet, was that rod embedded on the underside of the granite?"

loyalandtrue:

Yes.

Don't panic. As long as you maintain the seal between your sink flange and the bottom of your deck and keep your tops sealed you have nothing to worry about.

Rods fail due to a stream of sequential errors. It starts with a leaking sink which starts from a lack of mechanical fasteners. This isn't much of a problem if a rod is stainless steel and embedded in epoxy as the MIA recommends. Unfortunately, it's usually cold steel, like this, embedded in polyester which is water resistant, not waterproof like epoxy. Of course, fabricators use cold steel and polyester because they're much less expensive than stainless and epoxy and can't be seen by customers. Until they explode.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Wed, May 28, 14 at 7:13

"Your repair looks about the best it could given the amount of damage."

aamichz5:

It isn't the amount of damage that affects the final look, it's the amount of money the customer is willing to pay.

You're looking at a structural repair that had little cosmetic work. I could go back and obscure the line with color and particulate matches and contrasts, but that takes time and time is money.

I've been in this business long enough to know that when she walks into the kitchen and exclaims "That looks beautiful", it's time to quit. That and if they hand you a beer and/or a check. Both are signs you're finished.

Thank you so much for the information, Trebruchet. There is definitely some sort of coating over the rod. I am going to call the fabricator today to find out what they used.

Tre - you are a wealth of knowledge. I am afraid to look under my sink but either way, should be OK - as I have quartz and the sink is seated in place.

That repair was amazing, even if you didn't fill in with color.

I love your final comments - I wanted to give our GC some really good beer but he only liked the basics but his son liked the craft beers!

A2Gemini

loyalandtrue:

Please, start at the beginning. Look up underneath your sink cabinet and see how your sink is secured to the stone. If you're not sure, post a picture.

One of the best cosmetically but more expensive repairs for a job like this is to switch out the sink with a farm style. The failed stone is cut out completely and replaced with sink.

It would probably take the same amount of time day of, but would require an initial on-site verification and this job was two hours away. You could probably do it with phone pics and customer supplied dimensions if you're feeling particularly lucky. Plus the cost of the sink and that style isn't inexpensive.

Trebruchet- what kind of mechanical fastening for the sink should I be asking for from my fabricator? Are they multiple options or one gold standard?

Thank you!

I am almost afraid to answer "look underneath your sink cabinet and see how your sink is secured to the stone" because it is probably not how you would do it, Trebruchet!
There are four 2x4s lodged up against the underside of the sink, two on each side, screwed into the cabinet wall.

What is the procedure if the granite installers sandwich the sink flange in between the plywood and the granite? Some installers in these parts like to do it that way but I imagine it's a PITA if repairs/replacements are necessary down the road ... ?

So informative! Thanks for posting.

"There are four 2x4s lodged up against the underside of the sink, two on each side, screwed into the cabinet wall."

Not my favorite, but nothing to argue about as long as they're screwed into the cabinet sides.

" as I have quartz and the sink is seated in place."

a2gemini:

Engineered stone has much more strength in tension than natural stone. You can carefully pick up a 4" x 8' 3cm estone backsplash on the flat and it won't break. That would never happen with natural stone.

Because of this strength advantage, rodding is not a procedure recommended by estone manufacturers.

Thanks- we had a reputable installer and very tight seams, so I am sure they did it correctly- but will have to peak

jellytoast:

Removing a sink so installed would be problematic.

Where was that rod? I'm a little lost in the conversation about "rodding". My husband reinforced our heavy sink with screwing blocks into the cabinet sides. He really worked hard to make sure it was going to hold the heavy sink, 126 lbs. The granite installer put wood blocks in to hold it up but my husband checked their work and some of the blocks weren't even touching the sink. He had a fit and redid them all himself. He often does that of course after telling me I should have made them do it "right". Right... As if I knowâ¦it's holding well over more than two years. I'm glad my husband is a can do guy : ) .

gr8day, there is a metal rod that has been embedded on the underside of the stone about an inch from the outside edge along the sink part of the countertop on mine. I had no idea it was there until I read Trebruchet's post. I just hope it does not do what the one Trebruchet had to fix did.

Thank you loyalandtrue. I hope your granite won't do that either. Maybe you could reinforce it on the sides with some extra support of some kind just in case! Thanks again.

"Trebruchet- what kind of mechanical fastening for the sink should I be asking for from my fabricator? Are they multiple options or one gold standard?"

illinigirl:

There are many ways to mechanically fasten a sink. Some fabricators use a special tool that cuts a hole for a bolt that mounts directly into the top which holds a clip which holds the sink. Although I've never seen the phenomena, I've heard that the weak spots in the top created by this method can eventually be seen from the top. Again, I have no verification of this. This is cheap and fast.

The Sink Setter rails work very well but are relatively expensive as do the Cinclips.

My inexpensive favorite is the Hercules Universal Sink Harness. It places the burden of sink support on the cabinet sides, not the stone. It is so powerful, you can lift the stone off the cabinets if you over-tighten it. Best of all, it turns your sink into a 10" deep steel truss, making one of the weakest parts of your top, the sink cut-out, into the strongest.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Thu, May 29, 14 at 11:10