hi there,

Upmounted = the rim sticks up over the counter and it's caulked on the outside of the sink. You can see the entire rim/profile of the sink, which has a definite aesthetic appeal. Great for solid surface and other counters where you can't really expose the edges of the material:
{{!gwi}}

Undermounted = the rim is mounted lower than the counter and it's caulked to the counter on the top of the rim. Many folks find this a more useful mount since it enables the sink to act as a crumb-catcher and you don't have any water drips along the outside:
{{!gwi}}

Check out the link below to AtticMag's sink gallery for lots more pix. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Atticmag's fabuloso sink gallery

Thank you! Thank you!!! This is exactly the information I needed. Does my cabinet maker need to know what I want, or is it built the same regardless and just up to the way the contractor installs it?

A farm sink that is pushed out or forward is called 'proud'. Your cabinet maker will have to custom fit the sink especially if it is a Shaws sink. Go to the website below. It has some good info for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Attic Mag- Sinks We Love

I think your cabinet maker needs to know. If you look at the two pictures from circuspeanut, the top one sits higher in the cabinet so the space underneath the sink is slightly taller. If I were you, I wouldn't just describe what I wanted to the cabinet maker and the contractor. They may not use the same terminology as you use, and they may or may not have ever done it the way you are requesting. I'd try to find a photo of exactly how you want your sink installation to turn out and point out to them the features you are requesting (i.e. "I want the edge of the sink to sit forward and slightly above the finished counters, exactly like it does in this picture.") I'd also make copies for everyone involved with the cabinets, the sink install and the countertops. You could even make them sign off on it if you want to really cover your bases.

I'd definitely let your cabinetmaker know how you plan to place the sink - depending on how far forward you put it, s/he might need to slightly adjust the support struts that are built underneath.

My farm sink install was a collaboration between the plumber and the cabinet maker -- the one made sure it was placed high enough/far forward enough under the counter, and the other made sure it was level enough for correct water flow to the drain.
Enjoy!

We pulled ours way out - like 2-1/2" or so because the Shaw sinks are so rounded on the front corners, we wanted it where it would be a flat cut all the way around. I mean flat cut front to back, it is still very rounded in the bottom corners, but we didn't want any gaps and that seemed like the simplest thing to do. I love it because it sticks about an inch beyond the self edge, which is about the same as the width of the sink itself. It's comfortable to work at, but others may not like it as well.

See how the front corners are rounded all directions, we wanted to get back to where it flattened out a bit to fit the cabinet better...

{{!gwi}}

Here are pics of both my Shaw sinks. I know for the Shaw sinks they do absolutely say the cab maker should have them on site before cab construction. The other part of the installation is between you and countertop guy.

Hi Julie,

Below is a link to a thread on this topic. In it, I shared my (typical!) obsessive thought process that went into exactly how I wanted my sink to sit. With the Shaw's, there are sooooooo many options! Options you may not realize at this point (bwa ha ha!). Options you may not want to know about. LOL!

But it definitely matters how the sink cabinet is built. For example, the sink is 10 inches deep (or so). So, depending on whether you are undermounting, upmounting, or "flatmounting" it, that will determine the height of the actual cabinet that it sits on.

:-)

francy

Here is a link that might be useful: Ignorance is bliss when it comes to installing a Shaw's!

Does anyone have their entire farm sink cabinet "bumped out"? My cabinet maker sent me a design this way and it seemed strange to me, but actually it's that way in this inspriration photo. Any opinions on this? Thanks

Hi, I just got my single 33" solid granite sink in and will be getting it installed in a few weeks. I love the look of all of your farmhouse sinks. What kind of extra support did you use in the installation of the sink? Thank you

I spoke to someone at Rohl about support for their Shaws sink. They told me to have a support of 2x4s under the basin. However most of the pictures I see have a horizontal rail underneath of only 1 1/2" to 2". Either the 2x4s are turned on their sides or some other method is used altogether. (I asked about a 40" long sink; possibly a shorter sink would need less support.)

My sinks sit completely on a platform which is part of cabinet. This is the only way my cabinet makes does this type of sink cab. I didn't question it as it seemed to do the job very well. Since they are already installed it would be impossible to take a pic, but if you need additional info, I could do a quick sketch.

Mine sits on plywood. I have a case (I'm a construction defect atty) where the sinks are, pardon the pun, sinking away from the countertop, which is overstressing the caulking and in some cases getting mold growing on the broken caulking. Hence, I made sure that mine was supported well. The sinks in that case are not farmhouse -- they are lighter weight, and clips might be good enough according to my experts -- but once I've seen the wrong way to do something I take a belt and suspenders, overkill approach to doing it right.

Depending on how you plan to install the sink it can affect the whole sink base cabinet. But that also depends on the way the sink base cabinet for a farm sink is made by the brand.

Best -- before sink base is ordered -- to show a photo of how you want it to the KD/contractor and discuss how/if that works with the sink base cabinet itself.

Here the the key things to talk about:

Upmount or under mount? -- that is, does the rim of the sink sit above or below your countertop. Easiest to undermount, which is the classic way. Then you deal with the sink reveals, as someone discussed upthread.

Pulled forward? -- do you want to pull the sink forward (have it sit "proud") in the cabinet and how far. That affects how much space is behind the sink and how the countertop relates to the front rim as well.

Sink cabinet pulled forward? -- Affectionately known here as a "double bump out" which is what you see in the first photo. I have a huge space between my faucet and the backsplash. (In retrospect, so much I could have done some storage there).

Sink support and base style -- my sink base came with a plywood bottom, which supports the sink. They did cut outs for the pipes to descend. 2 x 4s can be used as cross braces if there is no plywood in the base.

Some sink bases are built like an H -- the sink slips into the top, effectively, and some are built like an n, where the sink sits on it. Those require different solutions on the sides.

Trick is to figure out what the sink base cabinet looks like and how high the sink is designed to sit given how you want to install it. Much easier, too, if contractor/installer has experience with this.

If you're going to upmount, that's a whole different ballpark that usually requires the sink based to be customized since upmounted sinks sit higher. (why my sink base cabinet was made twice -- it was wrong the first time when the KD "assumed" how I wanted it.) LOL! (well LOL now, not then)

Once you've gone through the whole drill it's easier but understanding in advance can save a lot of headaches.

Thank You for all the great advice. I do have a KD with construction background so that should help. He has put in farmhouse before, but not a granite one and it is heavy. I did email the company I bought it from so I will see what they have to say.

I definitely want my sink under the counter and sitting proudly out a few inches. I just can't wait to see that big beautiful black granite sink with my maple and cherry chocolate cabinets.

This forum has been great for advice as I am remodeling an entire house that we hope to live in soon. We are trying to sell ours so at least we aren't living in the remodeling mess. It sure is a bad time to sell, we have lived here 22 years and could not have picked a worse time if we tried.

I will post kitchen pictures as soon as I get done. Thanks again to all of you, Mariofo!!

JRTgal- I would love to see more of this inspirational kitchen picture- can you tell me where it is from?

i need help!!!!! i just bought a farmsink from overstock.com and i does not come with any mounting hardware. what can i use???

cleo07, whatever you described is exactly what I want and the sink is installed that way (flush with the adjacent cabinet door) but the countetop guy told me that having it flush would make the contertop overhang (1.5") stick out and create a square corner that can break. The solution he proposed is to taper the edge (cut it diagonally) so the edge will sit on the sink. Can you share a picture of your installation? thanks

Sunny K - you may not have noticed that Cleo07 posted in 2008.

Sunny K:

Clipped corners at sink installations are an aesthetic issue, not structural. Get what you want, please.