There are pros & cons to both types...pretty much the pros of one are the cons of the other :-)

* Negative reveal means you won't see the silicone, but you also cannot see if/when it gets grungy underneath. Dirty water/food/etc may splash up and hit the underside of the countertop. To clean it you have to feel it or try to see under it. Also, there is the possibility of broken glasses or chipped granite if you try to take something out of the sink at the edge--you think you can lift it straight up but then you hit the granite overhang...the one more fragile may chip or break.

* Positive reveal means you can see the silicone (but you can get clear) and could also collect crumbs. But, it's easy to see when it needs cleaning and most likely you will not get the grunge build up b/c you will be cleaning it better and regularly (plus it's not dark so "things" won't grow as much!)

I wanted a positive reveal but, unfortunately, I got mostly a negative reveal.

HTH!

I asked for and got a positive reveal. The silicone is clear so how are you gonna see it? It is my personal opinion that it is more difficult to do a good positive or neutral reveal which is why they try to talk you into a negative reveal. It hides their mistakes. Go to some showrooms and look at the sinks and how they are installed and decide which you like better. And, no a positive reveal isn't a 'crumb catcher'. Don't accept anything other that what you specify in your contract. Good luck!

Thanks so much for your responses.

Anybody else on the sink reveal?

How about the edge profile?

Am I right to think the barely smoothed over 90-degree edge will be prone to chipping (it's fairly hard soapstone but still . . . )

I regard acountryfarm's set of pix as the definitive sink reveal pix (not to mention the nicest install I've seen), although hers is a Shaw's sink and I don't know how much that works for your style.

Bluekit and Acountryfarm -- Such a lovely sink and I agree that that is a nice install and the reveal looks good too. Would you say that that is very slightly negative?

Thanks again.

The sink at our beach house has a positive reveal of about 3/8." It has the original silicon caulk which is now about eight years old. Although the caulking is now getting kind of funky despite regular cleaning, I can strip it out and replace with new and it will look fine.

I guess I would be a bit concerned with a negative reveal install. My experience with disposers is they splash alot -potentially putting all that gunk under the counter and on the caulk. Which of course you can't see or wash off.

I have Corian with a radius on top and square on the bottom. I can't imagine 90-degree corners on the top.

When we sat down to finalize the contract with the granite company, we requested that the sink edge be slightly rounded and that they use clear caulking, so we have those items in writing. I'm not sure exactly how much reveal there will be.
When the measuring person comes out on Monday, I will request a slight positive or neutral reveal. Granite install will be on the 20th.

We have an Elkay stainless steel sink which is designed to have a positive reveal. The edges are polished. We wanted a positive reveal because you can see what needs cleaning. The sink edge reveal is about 1/4".

Here is a picture:

I want the counter flush with the sink, I guess that is neutral. Do I need to specify an edge profile for the sink...I never thought of that and I have no idea what I want! And I only had a brief conversation with the fabricator about the edge being flush. I think I need to go see her again, write all my preferences down and get them to sign before they do the template. These little details are killing me but they are so important not to mess up.

I think the GCs blowin' a little smoke. They should be able to get a tight fit so the caulk is minimal. Why can't they cut a radius for your sink corners? Like the one above? I would be worried about cleaning that inside corner. It seems like the profile would be close to an eased edge which is a standard profile for soapstone but your waterfall would be bettter for chipping.

We're going to do 3/8" positive reveal so we can get the sink grid to fit & so I can rest a cutting board on it and chop over the sink.

Thanks so much for all these responses. I've definitely got some thinking to do.

Thanks to the OP for this thread. I went with the slightly positive reveal based on the information I learned on this site but can a few more of you comment(with pics would be great for comparison) on the *edge profile* around the sink?

Our fabricator suggested either an eased edge (square but with an angle cut at the top edge) or a slight rounded top - I guess waterfall describes that.

Any other possibilities that someone chose and really likes/dislikes?

Attic Mag has some great examples of reveals of sinks. Show these to your GC and fabricator. Stand your ground. What you are asking for is not unreasonable.

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

I'm very confused by your use of the term waterfall--that usually means a double or triple level of cascading rounds. like you see here down at the bottom. Perhaps your contractor and fabricator are confused, too. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: granite edges

Just a follow-up from the OP: Our soapstone and sink were installed last week (there's another thread with more pictures of the stone -- called "our soapstone's in!!!" I think) and I have to thank everyone who helped me stand up to the fabricator and get what I wanted. I'm very happy with how the sink install turned out.

Here's a picture of what we ended up, reveal-wise. It's barely positive, about 1/16 to 1/8" of sink edge showing. I'm liking it so far, although we've only been using the sink since yesterday. The sink is the Ticor S112 large single-bowl, by the way. And it hasn't been plumbed yet in this photo (but it was yesterday: whoo hoo, a working sink!!!)

We decided to go with the eased edge, just a slight rounding of a basically square edge. I'm still a little ambivalent about that. It looks great but I'm nervous about chips in the edge. Time will tell, I guess.

Yes, I just saw your other thread. Your kitchen and soapstone are just gorgeous. So glad it all ended happily.

Beleeza is a very hard soapstone. I doubt you will have any problem with chipping. Love your sink and the reveal!

Beleeza is a very hard soapstone. I doubt you will have any problem with chipping. Love your sink and the reveal!

oops! sorry for the multiple posts!

Mary -- Thanks for that info about the Beleza. We just went with our gut on this stone and didn't do much research once we saw it (after being led to soapstone in the first place by all the cheerleaders on GW). I thought from the sample we got that it must be a fairly hard soapstone (since it was so hard to scratch) but I don't have a frame of reference since it's the only soapstone I've ever seen! But your post reduces my anxiety.

I had my granite installed yesterday and was shocked that I had a 1/2" reveal all the way around. I was not aware there was such thing as a positive reveal as I assumed that all undermount sinks are flush with the counter or the counter overhangs slightly. I was hoping for a slight overhang.

The more I researched this, I discovered that I had ordered the Elkay ELUH1616, which highlights the reveal. I am most disappointed in the plumbing salesperson for not pointing out that characteristic. I was not informed that there were two models of that sink (ELU1616 and the ELUH1616) so when I requested the 16 x 16 Elkay undermount, she said that's what I wanted.

So now I'm more or less stuck with this. I am unhappy with it because it is not what I expected but I will probably just deal with it. I am considering my options but more than likely will be too expensive since I would have to purchase a new sink and slab of granite. I may be able to use my existing slab and use it for a bathroom vanity.

I don't understand why anyone would want a positive reveal. Wouldn't it just catch food and wouldn't water just sit on it?

Lesson to be learned here, make sure you research everything about the sink you are ordering and if the salesperson does not know their products, find one that does!

sw_in_austin.... your fellow Austinite soapstoner here :) I found this thread interesting to read, after the fact. Of all the millions of minutiae that I've grappled with in my head during the 3 years of this kitchen remodel, the reveal of the sink was the one thing I never really pondered much. I just assumed that the "ideal" or "standard" was a very slight negative reveal. Now, having read through this thread, I realise there are pros and cons to both!

I love that we both opted for similar choices in locale and counter material, but that you went with the Beleza and I with the Minas.... you with the slight positive sink reveal, I with the slight negative reveal.

I really really like your sink and the reveal a lot -- not only are you not going to hit anything on the overhang of the stone, but I actually think it looks really good as well. And I admit I'm looking longingly at that HUGE single bowl sink -- talk about pros/cons! I weighed that one back and forth and STILL (and probably never will be) sure of a preference there. Whatever sink I'm looking at, I tend to like :-)

I posted pics of my soapstone install in another thread earlier tonight, but here's the sink pic again:

As you can see, a slight negative reveal, and a 17-3/4" left sink with a 13" right sink (Ticor S105-8). Great study in contrast!

Have you oiled your soapstone yet? And if so, what oil did you (or will you) wind up using? Apparently any old clear mineral oil from Walgreen's or Home Depot will do just fine, but I'm curious if you're holding out for a specific type/brand or not. I haven't oiled mine yet and am pondering this very question...

Cheers from Round Rock,
Supra92

Supra92 -- We just got back from traveling and I saw your comment in my e-mail. It's great to see your soapstone installed (I found your thread with the other pictures as well). It's fabulous looking. And very interesting to see the contrast between the Minas and the Beleza. I haven't oiled the counters yet. I'm waiting to get a big remnant from the fabricator to experiment with. I actually like the way the counters look unoiled but I'm quite curious about how they'd look oiled. I'll be interested to see pics of your Minas oiled.

We had to leave town just as things started to come together to the point where we could actually use the kitchen; there are a myriad of finishing touches -- like that blasted backsplash; oy, I'll be posting about that soon! -- but I think I'll actually be cooking on my new range tonight! And using the counters for some prep. I'm off to the grocery store now.

Congratulations on your really lovely kitchen.

-- sw

we have a zero reveal

i'll link to a picture

it has now been 2 years and still happy with it and no chips

Here is a link that might be useful:

I am considering having a slight positive reveal so that I can rest a cutting board or sink cover directly in the opening without having it fall through.

We are soon to have our quartz countertop and Elkay sink installed. It specifically states on the template for the sink that a 1/2 inche reveal is recommended. On reading pros and cons it seems there is a split preferene. One positive for me is that the counterspace between our stove and the sink is small and this is where we seem to do most of our cooking. With the reveal you can have a custom sized elkay cutting board sitting on the reveal giviing us about a foot more countespace and work space. I'm going to look at the sinks at Home Depot to see if there are any with reveal. Until I read the template specifications and the cutting board specifications I did not even know there was such a thing as reveal. I only hope my fabricators are as good as I was told they are.

If your company uses a CNC machine and your sink comes with a dxf template, they can do an accurate flush reveal with the sink. The CNC machine did make minimally rounded corners that overhang my square sink corners (negative reveal) but that has not been an issue at all. My fabricator commented that the Kohler templates are really accurate compared to some of the others. I have a slightly rounded profie on my sink edge and the countertop edge, chosen to avoid chipping.

I don't think chipping is so much an issue with the harder stones but can definitely be a problem with the softer soapstones. However it is also easy to sand out with the softer soapstones by hand and you get that lovely soft "Franklin edge" that costs a lot extra when you have it done during fabrication.

CNC machines are going to be found with the larger stoneyards that also provide fabrication.I posted all the details on my soapstone installation here, including a profile view of the roundover edge.

julia soapstone installation details

Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC). For stone fabrication, they start around $200,000.00, so not all shops have them. Picture a giant metal table with a gantry above it with a big fat electric motor connected to that. You put a slab of stone on the table and the computer tells the gantry and motor where to cut it. Exactly.

A sink reveal is not usually dictated by a sink manufacturer. Most sinks can have the reveal of the homeowner's preference.