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aosborn7

Caulk joint where Granite meets apron front sink

9 years ago

Hello! My granite installer messed up the install of our granite and left HUGE caulk joints where the granite meets the front of the farmhouse sink. Needless to say, they WILL be coming out to fix it. Do any of you have pictures you can share to show me what it SHOULD look like. All I know is this is not right, but I don't know how big of a "gap" there typically is, if any. Thank you!




Comments (11)

  • 9 years ago

    The gap between my kohler whitehaven and counter looks the same as yours. The sink is supposed to sit slightly lower than the top of the cabinet. Is the gap uneven? If there is something wrong with yours, it's the sink installer's and/or cabinet installer's fault for not making both level.

    Amy Osborn thanked emilyam819
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hmmm...No, that's not how it is supposed to look. I had someone else from the granite company come out and agreed that the joint line is way too big at the front of the sink. In the back it is a lot tighter. We are having the cabinets fixed and the granite put back on. The picture may be somewhat misleading, the caulk joint is about the width of my fingertip and you can see under my granite.

  • 9 years ago

    We are DIY and it looks like this:

    before/after kitchen · More Info

    Amy Osborn thanked Wendy
  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Of course these are all in stainless, maybe your sink has differences that make this more difficult or impossible.

    It looks like they installed the sink flush with the cabinets, then shimmed at the cabinet tops when they installed the tops.

    Were I called to fix this, I'd cut the caulk between the stone and sink, tap off the cabinet front, pull it and the sink, clean the caulk off the sink and stone, install (2) Sink Straps. reinstall the cabinet front and sink, re-caulk with white silicone, tighten the sink to the stone with a bar clamp through a 2x4 and the drain, check the reveals, secure the straps, remove the clamp, and clean up the silicone squeeze-out.

    Amy Osborn thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a Whitehaven and I have a similar gap, perhaps a shade smaller. Like you, my sink is a "short apron" style put on older cabinets which in my case I know are set as well as possible, but are possibly not as square as they once were.

    My pics -work in progress: · More Info

    This angle is not great for seeing the caulk - but it is what I see. From the floor, it looks like your last pic. I did the "quarter test" above and got one, but could not fit two - more like 1 and a half.

    My pics -work in progress: · More Info

    My pics -work in progress: · More Info

    Amy Osborn thanked jhmarie
  • 9 years ago

    It looks like something isn't level! The gap should be the same all the way around, and absolutely not like that.
    My Kohler 'Hawthorne' (predecessor to Whitehaven) had a very tight joint. The sink was installed just high enough that the counter rested on the sink.

    Pretty sink, BTW. I'm not a granite fan (too specky) but I really like yours with your sink.

    Amy Osborn thanked CEFreeman_GW DC/MD Burbs 7b/8a
  • 9 years ago

    Here is our Whitehaven. Love the sink!

    Amy Osborn thanked luckystar44
  • 9 years ago

    Thank you guys! That's very helpful. I just did the quarter test and was able to fit in 4! CEFreeman, you are right, the granite guy said the counter top to the right of the sink was about 1/4" off. This was after he had already installed the granite and left. He shimmed up the back of the sink to fill the gap, but didn't shim the front. So, now the sink isn't level front to back. They had previously told us that the cabinets were level and we didn't need to do anything prior to the granite install. Unfortunately, we can't move the sink, as it was set in an existing base cabinet and we would have a gap underneath. Jhmarie, your granite and sink look beautiful!!!

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    "Unfortunately, we can't move the sink, as it was set in an existing base cabinet and we would have a gap underneath."


    Sure you can move the sink. Where do you want to look at a nasty and unsanitary gap, at eye level, or well below? You might get some molding that looked like you planned it that way at the sink front bottom.

    Amy Osborn thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
  • 7 years ago

    Hi guys what brand and type of caulk / sealant do you recommend for this Kohler Whitehaven undermount sink?