Thanks so much @Joseph Corlett, LLC, and for replying so quickly too. The Blanco sink we wanted was a regular one bowl sink, not an apron front. Not sure if this would change anything. The picture you posted was great. So when installing a new sink, we would remove the front of the cabinet and the sink would slide out, correct? I found out about sink straps from your posts here after we started the remodel. If I had known before, I would have picked a contractor willing to install with straps. We are a big family and a large sink is important to us. He cannot understand how straps attached to the cabinet are strong enough to hold up the sink. He is not willing to cut into the new cabinet as he says it would weaken the cabinet (see triangular pieces in corners that would have to be removed in picture below). It would also void the warranty, and he has supplied the pre-fab cabinets, so either I find someone else who is willing to, or I get a drop in sink to avoid attaching to the plywood, which is the way I'm leaning now. Do you know of anyone with your expertise with strap installation in Los Angeles? I hope there's a way to install the top mount sink into the quartz where we can do an undermount with straps in the future. Also a side question. We had mold damage which started the kitchen demo. Mold was around the dishwasher cabinetry (dishwasher leak), and also on the plywood subdeck around the sink (we think from weak caulking and holes in grout between granite tiles on countertop). Is there anything that can be done to protect the cabinets from dishwasher leaks? By the time you realize the dishwasher is leaking, the damage is already done. Thank you so much. This the sink we had planned to install: Blanco Precis - Undermount The top mount we will probably install: Diamond Blanco Sink - Top Mount

I'll rewrite this: "In some cases the "minimum" cabinet size reflects what is considered by some as the sink cabinet being wasted space and not saying that the cabinet may need to be amended to affect a fit" in another way: = = Usually, the size declared as "minimum" cabinet size is the safest size to give to the public because it involves no amending to make a fit. In reality, it wastes a fair amount of space when one adopts a strict optimizer point of view. -- Yes, in frameless boxes a 33 inch cabinet leaves 31.5 inches in the interior; and from a 36 inch cabinet leaves 34.5 inches. The amount of space available inside is 1.5" less than the width of the exterior. -- If your sink is greater than these dimensions (31.5" or 34.5") by an inch or a bit more, you MAY have to do some work cutting some of the chipboard out, to allow the sink rim to rest directly on the chipboard sides and also not be too high. OR' you could do no cutting, and instead add a strip of metal filler on top of the chipboard sides everywhere, to raise the level of the counter. I did this and I screwed the metal strips to the chipboard sides, thereby making a solid frame of all the cabinet boxes all screwed together, and also giving the counter a base to rest on that was better than resting it on the chipboard sides. Ta da!

There are people here that undermount a 33 in sink in a 33 in cabinet. I think the most recent thread about that was several weeks ago, so try searching via google (add site=ths.gardenweb to your search terms) vs the forum search feature. I almost did this. This is what I learned here. -do not cut down the sides to do this in frameless cabinets, pick a different sink -the 33 in would be from edge to edge. You need to make sure the outside bowl wall to outside bowl wall measurement is less than 33 in (cabinet width) - 2xcabinet wall width. -if you ever need to replace the sink, it will be difficult It is done though, and there are people here that have posted about it. I ultimately decided to pick a different sink since I used frameless cabinets. I now have a Franke Orca and love it! It is huge, but only needs a 33 in cabinet (it's maybe 31 inches? Can't recall exactly).

Rip 1" off the top of the cabinet sides, install (2) Sink Straps from Regent Stone Products, and drop the sink into the cabinet. After the tops and faucet are installed, silicone the sink flange, run a bar clamp through a 2x4 spanning the top and through the drain and clamp the sink in place. Check your reveals, tighten the straps, and remove the clamp. If you ever need to change the sink, you'll tap the cabinet front off and be done in less than 2 hours. Get the 36" sink please.