Sink installation incorrect on kitchen remodel

14 years ago

Hi,

Does anyone have advice on how to fix an undermount kitchen sink where water pools slightly in one corner or advice on problems a sligtly off kilter sink will cause in the long run if I don't fix it?

The countertops are level but the granite installers made a mistake in installing the sink and it about 1/8" lower in the back (opposite the faucet). I bought a beautiful white clayfire sink and so unless I wipe it clean there is pool of dirty water. will this cause staining in the long run?

The best fix would be to remove the backsplash and granite slab and reset the sink. However, the granite company does not want to do this. It will also damage the walls and require unhooking and then rehooking the plumbing. They want to put in a wedge (or wedges) between the granite slab and cabinets so as to slightly tip the slap toward the backsplash. The sink will then be tipped as well and gravity will cause the sink to drain properly.

However, the plumber points out that given that the granite slab is currently level, tipping it will cause any water that splashes behind the faucets to pool behind the slab where the slap meets the backsplash. The amazing guy who custom built and installed my cabinets, but who doesn't live in the area (11 hours away to be exact), thinks that they should put in a very small wedge in the corner of the piece of wood that supports the sink and shimmy the corner up a bit. It is a hard place to reach, but he thinks it should be possible. He says that he can probably do this next time he is in the area. However, this could be months from now or longer as he only comes to the area when he has a kitchen to install and he currently doesn't have any work lined up in my area.

The granite company has not been great, they rushed everything, cut the wrong backsplash. They also improperly measured the cutout for the sink as it is under cut on two sides and overcut on the other two... I can live with these imperfections and, if necessary, with a sink that slightly pools, unless it will cause problems in the long run.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've paid them as I didn't realize the problem with the sink until the faucet was hooked up and the plumber pointed it out to me. They are coming out tomorrow to finish installing the backsplash and deal with the sink problem.

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Comments (4)

User
14 years ago
This particular issue can't be laid at the door of the granite fabricators. The imperprections in a handmade sink are the cause of this problem. And, it's a common problem. Just wipe the water out of the sink and don't worry about it.
MostlyHappyCamper12
Original Author
14 years ago
I appreciate the quick reply and common sense suggestion. I considered that the sink was uneven and called the sink distributor who said that it was possible in a clay fire sink, though they had not previously had a complaint. I think the sink was improperly installed because a level placed exactly along the one side where it is undermounted shows it slightly lower on one corner, exactly where the pooling is. This was pointed out by the plumber when he installed the water and who called it to my attention. That said, I'm so wary of the company at this point that I am worried about them damaging the sink if they attempt any repair. As you suggest, it is probably best to just be careful with wipping it down.
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Circus Peanut
14 years ago
I think you should go with the tiny wedge idea from your carpenter. It needn't take but a very little bit to even the sink back out. On this, I think you can probably trust your granite folks to do it OK.

Unless you have a Shaw's Rohl fireclay sink, most of the others on the market are pretty even, so it sounds like it's a sink leveling issue, not something inherent to the sink itself.

Good luck!
desertsteph
14 years ago
"thinks that they should put in a very small wedge in the corner of the piece of wood that supports the sink and shimmy the corner up a bit. It is a hard place to reach, but he thinks it should be possible."

I'd try this