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How did you support an large undermount kitchen sink?

14 years ago

Hi,

We have just had a granite countertop put in along with a stainless steel, 30x18 single bowl, zero radius 16 gauze undermount sink installed. It almost occupies the entire cabinet space underneath with no way to do any hardware additions in the bottom. My question is, is the sink well mounted with just the epoxy that my fabricator has used? No sink brackets, rails or plywood supports underneath. Is epoxy alone strong enough to hold up a heavy sink, 1hp food disposer and pots and pans filled with water?

Please let me know if there is anything I can do now to support it in a better way? I realize I should have researched this before..this was the one thing I did not think about and now it is the most important one!

Thanks

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Comments (5)

mrao77
Original Author
14 years ago
Oh, I forgot to ask what is an acceptable gap between the undermount sink and the granite countertop? Do you just apply a clear sealant around the rim to keep water from seeping underneath?
Thanks
remodelqueen
14 years ago
I have the same sink, purchased on ebay (minus installation instructions...UGH.), so I am curious about proper installation as well. I must say, I love this sink and cannot wait to use it! :)
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You are correct to want to have this fixed and I see no other way than them replacing the countertop at their expense and without damage to your cabinets. Suggest they contact the manufacturer of the adhesive to ask what solvent can be used to get the countertop off. Be sure the cabinets are protected from the solvent. If they refuse to/cannot do this - hire another contractor to fix this and let the first contractor know that you will mitigate the damage($$$$) as best as you can, but will hold them responsible to reimburse you the new expenses. This is an option: You may suggest that you are willing to take them to court if you have to. Document the whole process. Or if you think that you can live with it, or if you are thinking of moving, ask for a rebate. This has worked for me in the past. I purchased 8 dining chairs from an online retailer and the chairs were different from the picture on their website. They offered a healthy rebate and I accepted. I would have rather have had the chairs the way they were depicted, but I could live with it and I am also the only one in our family who would notice this. There is always trouble when you have a sharp eye. ;)
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brickeyee
14 years ago
Sink clips should have been used.

Adhesives have a nasty habit of failing at the wrong time.

The joint from sink to granite is caulked with clear usually.
ebse
14 years ago
Yikes--no support could be troublesome!

We have a 130 lb undermount farmhouse sink. The carpenters built a cradle for the sink. It's probably not too late- maybe you could still add one in. Our gap between the sink is very small and filled with clear/white epoxy. Let me know if you want a picture of the cradle under our sink.

We even went one step further and had the carpenters build a support for our garbage disposal so it wouldn't exert too much weight on the sink. That was probably just a super-extra precaution, though.
rubyfig
14 years ago
Water weight is 62 pounds per cubic foot, so your sink (in theory) could hold about 150 lbs worth of water. Personally, I wouldn't trust the Epoxy to hold it. See if they can build some sort of support (at this stage it will most likely have to be from underneath).

Clear sealant for caulking the joint (it is much easier to clean if the counter has an overhang (about 1/4") over the sink opening), but the installer should have done that for you.

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