Undermount kitchen sinks are beautiful, and allow for easy cleaning of countertops. With no ledge around the sink, it’s easy to brush dirt and debris right into the sink for easy disposal.
Sometimes, these undermount sinks end up falling from the countertop. This can be due to an improper initial installation, having too much weight in the sink, or just old age.
When the sink falls down, you’ve got a couple of options: Re-attach the sink, or Install a new sink in the opening.
Re-Attaching a Fallen Kitchen Sink
While undermount sinks are installed with an adhesive caulking around the edge, most of the weight of the sink is actually held by clips that go into the countertop itself. When the sink falls, it often means that these support clips have been compromised in some way. As such, they often can’t be used to re-attach the sink.
Multiple products exist to provide support to the kitchen sink by other means. One product attaches to the sides of the cabinets and provides bars that extend from the side of the cabinet to the underneath of the sink. These bars transfer the weight of the sink to the cabinet frame, creating a new, sturdy way to hold it up.
A second product designed to hold up a sink consists of adjustable metal pillars that go between the bottom of the sink and the floor of the sink cabinet. These adjustable rods hold the bottom of the sink in place, transferring the weight of the sink to the bottom board of the sink cabinet.
With either of these options, sealant should be applied to the kitchen sink prior to it being reattached, ensuring a watertight seal for years to come.
Replacing an Undermount Sink with a Drop-In Sink
A second option for addressing the issue of a fallen sink is to replace the sink with a drop in sink. Rather than mounting underneath the countertop, these sinks have a ledge that sits on top of the countertop, ensuring they have ample support.
In the event the undermount sink has been damaged due to the fall, replacing it with a drop in sink is often the best option. For this option, the new drop in sink must have a profile larger than the existing profile from the undermount sink. Before installation, the countertop is cut to accommodate the larger size, then the drop in sink is lowered to its new position.
Why Hire a Handyman?
With either of these options, there is a risk that the new sink could fail if improperly installed. Additionally, an incorrect cut to a countertop when installing a drop in sink could mean that the countertops need to be completely replaced.
With this complexity in mind, it’s best to hire someone with experience to perform this type of service. It will make the installation go more smoothly, and leave your expensive countertops at less risk of being compromised.
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