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36-in wide sink into a 36-in base cabinet?

12 years ago

We went to a plumbing supply store the other day and really liked the 36-inch wide Elkay double sink (ELUH3621R), however our base cabinet is also 36 inches. The salesperson told us that it is quite common to install sinks into base cabinet of the same width, you may just need to cut the sides of the cabinet a little at the top (it's undermount and we'll have granite). This will invalidate the warranty for the cabinet, but frankly I am willing to do that if that allows me to put this really nice sink in.

Anyone strongly disagree?

Featured Answer

suzanne_sl

12 years ago

Here's a link from last Sept. that shows how someone modified a sink base to make a sink fit.

I Googled ["sink base modification for sink site:gardenweb.com"] and came up with several posts on this issue. P.S. I learned how to do that kind of a search here - very handy!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sink base modification

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Comments (9)

Kay M
12 years ago
I let them cut away at my sink base in order to get my sink to fit. And my prior base was cut for the sink to fit as well, so I do agree that its done all the time. Was worth it for me to risk the warranty to get the sink I wanted.
breezygirl
12 years ago
Folks here routinely do it. I would suggest you have someone skilled do it or read up on it if you DIY it. My prep sink base will need to be scooped out also to fit my sink.

Somewhere here someone has posted pics of her sink base scooped out for a sink. It's a very old thread so it wouldn't show up with a search on this site. You'd have to try a Google search, but that might be difficult also. I don't think I bookmarked the thread.
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I took a quick look at the website. It seems like the sinks referred to as 36 inch are 36 inch total, and 32 inch inside dimension, so the the 2 inch rim is included in the size. If that's the case, it could work. What you need to do is call them & ask what the minimum cabinet size is that you will need. There are often a number of considerations with sinks.
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Nicole: If the end pieces I pictured above were missing, you'd be looking at an exposed cabinet style and the top and bottom rail on each end and a hole between the three. The drawer end covers the void and makes your eye continue the line from the doors upward. A flush piece in the void would have to fit perfectly, be finished matched, would not continue the line, and would therefore look stupid. You're not going to find any pictures because no one would ever go through that much work for something that's not going to look good. Here's a full size 33" apron sink properly mounted in a 36" cabinet. The distance from the cabinet end to the sink apron end will be 3" on your job, not the 1 1/2" pictured here which I admit doesn't look too bad. That sink was replaced by this short apron Elkay Quartz Luxe. The bottom of the apron now lines up with the adjacent drawer bottom, and there is virtually no cabinet face exposed which I think looks better. I made the customer find a factory painted color match trim (you provide, you agree color matches) which I installed above and flush with the top of the middle rail to fill the gap. That didn't have to fit nearly as nicely as flush side fillers would have to, because only the person reaching under the sink will ever see it.
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Check out the Kraus KHU104-33 -- 32.75" long, but it's a 60/40. We felt the smaller side of a 30/70 just a bit too small for our needs. (There may be a variant of this sink -- we needed the larger sink on the right side, which is not that common, apparently.) Good luck! ETA: Ours is a 36" (maybe 37"?) sink base.
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Why must “the drawer ends be returned to the apron sides?” I personally don’t like the look so want to see what it looks like just to have 3” of cabinet face on either side.
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SusieQusie60
12 years ago
I have a Blanco supersingle (maybe 32"?) in my 31" cabinet...not on purpose!! But that's another thread. Bottom line: It's one of my favorite parts of my kitchen so far. I DIDN'T like the thought of someone taking a saw to my beautiful expensive new cabinets, but it was definitely worth it to get this sink in. Not sure what you can tell from this pic:

SQ
kompy
12 years ago
Depends. Are your cabinets framed or frameless. You can "SCOOP" a framed cabinet. The strength of a framed cabinet is at it's 4 corners. Scooping the sides will not affect its integrity. However, it's not a good idea to scoop the sides of a frameless cabinet. It's weight distribution is all around the perimeter of the cabinet.

Only other con to point out, is it will be difficult to replace your sink down the road (if need be). It would require removing the countertop to replace your sink. The top and/or backsplash could be damaged during this process.

If your cabinets are framed, you can always consider scooping the side and then ordering the sink in a TOP MOUNT style, not undermount. Then you can replace your sink if needed.

So you have to decide:
1. Choose a Smaller Undermount
2. Scoop Sides and get the Under mount Elkay Sink (w/ future risks!)
3. DON'T scoop sides and get the Elkay Sink in a top mount version.

With the growing popularity of granite and quartz tops, the problem of 'trapped sinks' will continue to be potential problems for those homeowners down the road.

KOMPY

Here is a link that might be useful: Article from Granite Pro on
writersblock (9b/10a)
12 years ago
>However, it's not a good idea to scoop the sides of a frameless cabinet. It's weight distribution is all around the perimeter of the cabinet.

This is also done all the time. You just need to make sure you have adequate support for the sink, with rails or whatever.
kompy
12 years ago
Hey WB....was wondering about that. I've been in biz for a long time and always heard not a great idea. But beefing and re-bracing makes sense.
Carl Norum
12 years ago
We have a 33" sink in a 33" base; it was no problem at all. Replacing the sink, if necessary, will be quite a job, however.
slush1422
12 years ago
Not sure if this is helpful or not. We just modified our Ikea 36" base cabinet to fit our undermount 36" Blanco Silgranit sink. Here are a few pictures I took today. They did not have to trim the sides at all (only the plywood).
From Ikea Cab Blanco Sink modification
From Ikea Cab Blanco Sink modification

Close up of some of the cuts:
From Ikea Cab Blanco Sink modification

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