My fabricator cut a negative reveal without asking me what I wanted.

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

My fabricator did not ask me what reveal I wanted on our undermount sink installation. I didn't know there was a choice. I want a positive reveal, he cut a negative one that covers the sink opening by 1/4". Can it be fixed on site?

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PRO

Presidio Tile & Stone

6 years ago

What's the sink model number? Unless a customer specifies a reveal, we go with the template provided by the sink manufacturer.

Negative reveals are cleaner in appearance than a positive reveal.

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Comments (10)

Angel 18432
6 years ago
You didn't know there was a choice, but wanted a positive reveal????

does not make sense.
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I don't know if there is actually a standard. I think you can basically choose any size you want--and there are disadvantages to having it too big. A half inch on all sides closes up your sink quite a bit, and is a big area for gunk to collect on. But even if one were to choose a half inch, it should be consistent all the way around! It shouldn't be less than a quarter in some places! That is just sloppy work on their part! I think you could ask them to redo it. I wanted a slight negative reveal-just enough to hide the caulk. So I specified 1/16th. Mine seems to be consistent all the way around. Francy
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Honestly, it all boils down to where you prefer to have your "gunk" collect in the sink area. Undermounts are more popular with hard counters (granite), whereas overmounts are more practical for more fragile surfaces that chip easily and surfaces that aren't solid (formica). Because a large percentage of folks are using granite these days, you'll read a lot about undermount sinks on this forum, but it's by no means your only choice. In terms of the reveal itself, I wrote a post in this thread with photos illustrating the relative "gunkiness" of each type of sink mount: Sink Mounts & Gunk
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May I see pictures of your undermount sinks with negative reveal
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Comments (29)
A negative reveal might be better for hiding imperfections in a handmade sink, like the Shaw's farm sink. If your top lip is especially wavy, or slanted (as mine is), then a negative reveal will hide that better. (But lots of people have Shaw's with postivie reveals. Mine is too wonky.) Regarding negative vs zero reveal, with a zero reveal, one will see the caulk, right? So that may or may not be an issue for someone. I prefer not to see the caulk, so I prefer even a tiny negative reveal (like 1/16th-1/8th). Regarding the question about why an undermount sink has to sit lower than the counter. The easiest answer is because that is the definition of "undermount." :-) There is also an "upmount" style where it sits above the counter. And there is a "flushmount" where the counter and sink are on the same level. But some of these styles can probably only be done with a farm style sink that sits on a base, and needs no support from above. Francy
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@shelayne he's darn lucky he's so cute because otherwise he might not have made it this far! ;) @raee the cabinet was rather tricky for my builder and took a bit of finagling, so I feel fortunate that it worked out as well as it did. It's not something I would have felt comfortable trying to do myself! But then again, I'm a chicken too :)
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
"Negative reveals are cleaner in appearance than a positive reveal."

Negative reveals are crud hiders and make life easier for fabricators because they don't have to be as accurate.

A negative reveal could be changed to a positive reveal on site without too much mess in about 5 hours if the sink has to be pulled and reinstalled.
0
User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
How much is it worth it to you to change? I'm sure that you can have a positive reveal site cut as a change order. He is going to want to be paid for that change. Anything that was was not specified by you on the front end is a paid for change order. And it will be messy and expensive.
PRO
Presidio Tile & Stone
6 years ago
When you use a CNC and a waterjet, there's no concern with accuracy. I think caulking, whether clean or dirty, looks better hidden under your stone. Regardless of personal opinion, there is no "standard" reveal. Every sink manufacturer is different and nearly all come with a template.
Chessie
6 years ago
Presidio Tile & Stone, I have to agree with Joseph. I think the cleaner appearance is with the positive reveal.
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago

There is virtually no exposed caulk on a properly mounted undermount sink with a positive reveal.
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PRO
Presidio Tile & Stone
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The flange on a stainless steel allows for a tighter fit to the granite. A porcelain sink or cast iron sink would not have as tight of a fit and you would see the caulking. In addition, a lot of the cheap porcelain sinks have a warble to them and aren't smooth and consistent themselves.
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greg_2015
6 years ago
With a positive reveal, while the caulk may look fine if done properly, after you've actually used the sink I think that area would be more likely to collect gunk.

Which is why some people may feel like the negative reveal is cleaner.

I think this is just a case where some people prefer one way and some prefer the other way and there is no 'better' way.
simstress
6 years ago
@Presidio - There are cast iron sinks being made with a flat flange specifically for undermount now. There aren't many though. I looked. I agree the rounded flanges are not as great for undermount.
0

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My fabricator cut a negative reveal without asking me what I wanted.

Presidio Tile & Stone

Comments (10)

Angel 18432

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Joseph Corlett, LLC

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Presidio Tile & Stone

Chessie

Joseph Corlett, LLC

Presidio Tile & Stone

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simstress

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