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Counter-Seal System for undermount sink with laminate countertop

15 years ago

I am finally renovating my home from extensive Hurricane Katrina damage and am considering using laminate for the perimeter countertop, with something more upscale on the island. The sink would be located where the laminate would be but I would really like to have an undermount sink. Has anyone used the Counter-Seal System for an undermount sink with laminate countertop? Have you had any problems with it? How does it look? Are you satisfied with the SS sink from the Counter-Seal company?

Comments (4)

oldtimecarpenter
15 years ago
This product is for the pros. Unless you have a awful lot of experience with laminating counter-tops, I suggest you leave it alone. Contact the company for experienced installers in your area or try Karran, another company that is pioneering under-mount sinks in laminates. Karran has been around a little longer and most laminate installers now have experience with it. We have used the sinks and they work very well.
sophie_blue
15 years ago
I don't know what the Counter-Seal System is but I can tell you that our current apt has had a laminate counter with undermount sink for about 20 years now. The sides of the laminate around the sink are covered with stainless steel. I imagine this is very old-school and nobody does it this way anymore since it's not very aesthetically pleasing but no issues with moisture at all.
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You can use the CounterSeal method with some standardized size stainless sinks. They have to have the template on file. It's not cheap, and you end up with a ring of Corian around your sink attached to the laminate. YOu still have seams around your sink, which is the weak point in laminate. There was a poster on here who had that fail---badly. ANd you're locked into the Corian colors which may or may not match your laminate color well. Done right, the color match looks great. Done badly, it' looks like exactly what it is, a ring of off colored plastic around your sink rim. Although there are some sources that will sell on the net, it's designed to have a trained fabricator install it. It won't be warrantied if you DIY. The Karran process uses solid surface sinks (solid acrylic) in white or bone and the only thing that keeps the assembly watertight is the thin skin of your teeth laminate thickness. You have to have a licensed installer to do this, and it's not an inexpensive choice. Not available DIY that I'm aware of, and it's not warrantied if it is. There still isn't a method to undermount a sink in laminate that is as inexpensive as the laminate itself. It will cost $300-$600 to be done, and must be done by a licensed fabricator to have a warranty. I don't trust any of the methods for longevity and I would not put them in my own house. Gibby's looks great, but I have to point out that it is a vacation house and doesn't receive everyday usage. I'd have to recommend that if one of your goals is to have an undermount sink, you shouldn't make do with questionable half measures in laminate. You should redo your budget to include the acrylic/stone surface that you love, plus the undermount sink---from a reputable fabricator.
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I am in the same boat, or similar boat anyways. Everyone says don't over spend for your area. I have WAAY over done that already just for the bones and structure. But also granite, while it is gorgeous, just isn't that important to me and I don't have high end finishes anywhere else. Although what I do have is what I wanted, so if I wanted granite, I would find the budget for it. But since it isn't that big a deal to me and since I am also nearing the end of my $, the countertop is one place that I can save some money and upgrade later if I want to. As far as looking funny for the next owners, will cross that bridge when we get to it. I plan to be here for the long haul unless something unforeseen happens. So for now, I am all about function and saving a few $ in the process if possible. So we have gone hi-res laminte all the way around, but my sink is in the corner, and might not have been the best choice for a corner, but oh well, I love it anyways. So I am going to have to do something different in that corner with the countertops. My other countertops should be here in a week or so. I think I will live with those for a little while and go from there. We have grown use to no countertops around the sink. We don't have to open the drawer to get out the silverware. :-) (the microwave is only there to try to hold the dishwasher down while the racks are pulled out. I only use the dishwasher as a dish drain)
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My understanding is that the brackets should be primary and that way if your sink failed some day it could be replaced. My granite fabricator said that was the method responsible fabs use. If it is a strong epoxy, he said it is doubtful the sink could be removed without breaking the granite. (On the other hand, I would think a sink failing is not that common.) I have not finished going through the process myself so I can't evaluate how it looks or works yet. With brackets, there does need to be some kind of caulk to seal it from leaks. If you have a Silgranit sink it cannot be plumber's putty or that will stain your sink permanently. I believe the caulk is a silicon-based, which is what it sounds like you have, WillTV.
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I got a Karran undermounted sink with new laminate counters at my lake place earlier this year. I'm lovin' it so far. I did get a sink with a faucet deck so if I ended up having some kind of problems and had to get a different sink I could just swap it out and not have to deal with faucet holes in my laminate. Plus something about the faucet going through the laminate just made me think more potential complications. The contractor who did the work said his counter guy had done quite a few of these with good results and felt it was a "good system". I do think the sink itself is a bit more prone to staining than the Corian sink I have at home and takes a little more effort to clean than my Corian sink. That kind of thing doesn't bother me but I know some people hate it so I wanted to mention it. The other thing I do sometimes wonder about is chipping the edge of the laminate around the sink. You know how those edges on a laminate counter seem to chip. I am careful not to bang things against the edge. Overall though I really like it. So nice to be able to just wipe things into the sink plus I have more counterspace without the big edge I used to have with my cast iron sink. Here's a picture.
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3katz4me
15 years ago
I opted for a Karran sink but I saw a counterseal sink/counter on display - it looked pretty good but how it holds up longer term I don't know. I've had the Karran sink for a little over a year at my weekend lake place. No problems so far. Things to consider in my opinion. I'm careful about the edge where the laminate meets the sink - it seems like this might chip easily. The Karran sink does stain easily though it does clean up easily too with softscrub. It's the kind of sink you need to clean frequently though. Here's a picture of mine.

{{!gwi}}
sternhopper
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the replies so far.

oldtimecarpenter: Thanks for the advice. I'm not a DIY'er and would definitely leave it to the pros. I e-mailed the Counter-Seal company to ask for certified installers in my area. Maybe I can see the installation in person at one of their shops.

gibby3000: Thanks for posting the picture and your observation about the edge possibly chipping easily.

I was not familiar with Karran sinks, so I googled them. They look good however, I do want to have a SS sink.

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