Undermount vanity sink - go with standard fabricator option or spec?
recordaras
2 years ago
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
2 years agorecordaras
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Vessel or undermount sink?
Comments (26)We have a combination of vessels, undermounts, drop-ins and semi-recessed vessels in our house, and I use all of the sinks regularly. There DO seem to be a lot of myths out there regarding vessel sinks! - Are they harder to clean? Ours are EASIER to clean! Because the area of countertop that 'can' get splashed is not directly at the edge of the sink, so you don't get that little line of crud where sink meets countertop. But - if you have hair shavings or trimmings outside the sink, those would have to be swept off the countertop rather than simply down the sink. (Probably better for your plumbing anyway.) Good sink-sizing will help with shavings. - Splashing - Depends on how much water, what angle, sink angle, distance -- NOT a factor of whether your sink sits above or below your countertop. - Trendy? - Maybe. I'm sure some of them will be -- the ones that aren't really good-looking will still be not-so-great-looking 10 years from now, and then they'll also be 10 years old and still very visible simply due to their location. But the gorgeous ones will still be gorgeous! Like every other design trend, the really good ones will age better than the marginal ones. - Too high? - If you don't plan for them, very possibly. If you plan for them, then no. - Limited faucet options? - Yes, definitely. And no one's even mentioned this! Many faucets will not work well with a vessel sink. The handles for deck-mounts need to be located in such a way that they're still easy to reach. Wall-mount faucets tend to be more expensive, and if there's a plumbing problem, much harder to detect before major damage has been done, and much harder to repair. - Breakage prone? - To an extent, yes. Any unprotected exposed edges will be likelier to break than undermount sinks. Of course, replacing a vessel sink is also a much easier endeavor than replacing an undermount. And if the vessel is a 'drain hole only' mount, you can replace it with virtually any other vessel sink. You aren't tied to that one undermount dimension forever. More Counter Space? - Huh? I know math can be a hard subject for many, but doesn't this entirely depend on the size of the sink? I've found that I actually have a bit more counter space around my vessels, and those little round things (eyeliner, lipstick) never roll into my vessel sinks. Bottom line - It's not really such a good idea to generalize, as so much depends on the individual sinks and layouts....See MoreInstalling Undermount Sink without Using Brackets???
Comments (24)Sorry Davridro - I couldn't see this thread there for a while, and I have been busy with other stuff here in AZ.... not diss'in ya Bro - OK?? As far as this whole debate goes - here's the dealeo as far as I'm concerned: The smaller you make the stone around a sink opening (ie; 1" vs 2") the greater you increase the opportunity for fracture - Davidro - you are correct in your argument about the application, etc. The important thing to remember (and I think that you have pointed this out very well) is that the "plane" or "application" of the stone - has to be supported and remain flat without movement or "flex".... Plywood subtops do this very well, but adding steel re-enforcement to the recipe - IMHO - does it even better. I had a friend that actually laminated 3/4" x 3/4" box steel tube to the underside of a 2CM laminated front edge assemblies - so that the steel was not visible because of the front edge lower half covered it - he'd set the assembly directly on top of the cabinets. Sadly, he had to close his doors last year (it's NOT been fun here in PHX), so I do not know what his long term success rate will be - he started doing this process in 2006.... so we'll see. The other "ingredients" that make or break this whole scenario are: 1. stone thinkness - 2CM or 3CM 2. type of sink - stainless, cast iron, plastic, etc 3. size of sink 4. size of cabinet base sink is set in 5. depth of countertops 6. set back of UMS opening from front edge of stone 7. amount of support for sink and countertop from cabinet assembly 8. type of subtop material used (if any) 9. type of rodding used (if any) method of sink attachment and support (type of clips or support assembly used - if any) movement of the home, cabinets and/or countertop assembly (if any) amount of downward pressure or force applied to the sink assembly (gravity, content of sink and weight of garbage disposal and associated plumbing attached to the sink- all pulling down on the sink and the stone) potential for water penetration into the subtop Bottom line here - is that Davidro has some good comments on this thread, and there are multiple scenarios that will play out in determining whether or not an UMS application will hold up - long term hth kevin...See MorePossible to remove a vitrious china undermount sink from Corian?
Comments (21)I am happy to report that the sink has been excised from the Corian! It's now on my DR table (which tends to be my overflow project room) and I spent a few hours last Saturday looking through the remnants at nearby stone yards here in southern Maine. Yikes - what a variation in price! In one very close to my home, I saw a remnant of imperial Danby Marble that was beautiful with the sink, as the soft tan in it was picking up the crackle finish in the sink. I made my vanity in the powder room from an antique bureau. I need a top about 23 x 43, and currently have a 3" back splash. That place quoted me $1050.+ :-( Current top, which I'd save and possibly use again someday, if I tire of the sink above. I went to a much smaller two man operation, and while they didn't have a remnant that I liked as well, their price, including templating and install, was approx. $400. :-) I left my name and they saw the faucet handle that I lugged around to hold up to the stone, so they know what I'm looking for. I'll check back with them from time to time to see what else they may have. I also saw this overmount sink in a painted wooden top in the link below, and if I can't find some stone that doesn't break the bank, I may go this route. I could also do some faux marble painting, in either something like the Imperial Danby or what I think the dark green marble is above - Empress Green? I think that a soft white with tan veins, along the line of what I did on this little antique table with gray veins below might be best in my home, though. Here is a link that might be useful: Another possibility - stained or painted wood...See MoreHow should you mount a fireclay sink (especially undermount)?
Comments (5)I have a Blanco Bridge faucet--they had to squeeze 4 holes in behind the sink. The faucet just fits. Our granite installers seemed to spend hours trying to install the sink and the granite, but it turned out beautifully. There is a seam down the middle of the sink that I can't even find unless I feel for it. My husband did a bit of cursing when he installed the faucet because it was very tight for the connections but it looks great. There is still a surprising amount of space under the sink too. Here is a link to my post about my granite installation which includes some sink pictures. Let me know if you would like to see other pictures. Here is a link that might be useful: Granite/sink pictures...See Morerecordaras
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