Creating support for undermount sink

misskool

The granite worktop fitter wants us to build a support for the HEAVY ceramic undermount sink. He and OH doesn't want to drill the worktop for the mounting screws that came with the sink so it's now time to play the design game.

the sink sits slightly off centre a 1000mm Wickes base unit. It's slightly above the shelf. We have pine battens, adjustable brackets and all sorts of jiggery pokery and the shop is open till 8pm.

HELP :rotfl:

latecomer

Presuming you have a centre post I would fix a strap betwen there and the back of the unit (providing its not just 3mm chipboard) and then fix 2 straps on top of this to the side of the unit at the other side of the sink.

One thing I dont understand is why a granite fitter isn't able to fit an undermount sink? I thought that would be more common than not.

misskool

The installer is fitting the sink, but he doesn't want to drill holes into the granite and the OH agrees with him (it's a very heavy sink). I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for that but now we need to build the support for the sink before he gets here. Which is Wednesday.

Is it best to support the lip (about 3cm) or the base of the sink? OH thinks base.

The unit is very solid indeed (thick chipboard for all of it including the back).

The problem with running cross pieces to support the bowl at the bottom is that the overflow pipe joins to the plug connector across the back section so both cross straps would have to be on the front half of the sink with the plughole behind them (if you see what I mean).

The solution so far is to run a strap across the front of the unit using adjustable brackets bolted through the sides of the carcass and screwed to the centre post, then two straps running parallel to the carcass sides with more adjustable brackets on the rear wall of the carcass. The sink can then sit on these and have some adjustment up and down.

The only problem being that there'll be a bar half way across the front of the cabinet when you open the door.

OH did think about building a frame and putting it onto the ground via holes drilled in shelf and base, but the marble installer wants some adjustment travel and without adjustable feet he thought that would be difficult to organise.

Any comments?

puddy

you probably paid more for the sink than the cabinet, any chance of swapping the cabinet for a belfast cabinet, they are designed to have the sinks sitting on top of them.

ive just had a sink put in which is a insert ceramic. the worktop is only laminate (hence the insert) and the sink is so big there were concerns that the worktop wouldnt hold it, seems ok though. but the entire top half of the cabinet (wickes 1000mm) is taken up by the bottom of the sink, so i doubt if its a problem that you have the bar across the front, you wouldnt really be using it and only you will know when you open the door

misskool

jenner wrote: »

you probably paid more for the sink than the cabinet, any chance of swapping the cabinet for a belfast cabinet, they are designed to have the sinks sitting on top of them.

ive just had a sink put in which is a insert ceramic. the worktop is only laminate (hence the insert) and the sink is so big there were concerns that the worktop wouldnt hold it, seems ok though. but the entire top half of the cabinet (wickes 1000mm) is taken up by the bottom of the sink, so i doubt if its a problem that you have the bar across the front, you wouldnt really be using it and only you will know when you open the door

the base unit is in the corner of the kitchen. There's not much chance of it going out and don't think wickes will accept return of one already predrilled. :rotfl:

Will do the bar thing but OH is now fretting the weight of the sink + water will be too heavy.

Any more ideas?

Alan_M_2

The sink needs both support underneath and attaching to the granite.

It's quite normal to drill and resin the mountings into the granite for this very installation, why is the fitter unhappy about doing so? It's standard practice.

misskool

Alan_M wrote: »

The sink needs both support underneath and attaching to the granite.

It's quite normal to drill and resin the mountings into the granite for this very installation, why is the fitter unhappy about doing so? It's standard practice.

I didn't even think there would be a problem with attaching to the granite. Find out tomorrow when the fitter gets here