The sink in the kitchen has a strategically important role, so you need to choose and install it with your own hands correctly.
Choosing a kitchen sink and preparing for its installation
Before deciding how to install a sink in a countertop, you need to decide on the choice of product. The best option is to connect a deep sink and not too high a mixer - in this case there will be a minimum of splashes when washing dishes. The sink should be deep so that it is convenient to wash large pots in it or stack plates after a family dinner.
The material also matters - the easiest way is to connect a traditional stainless steel sink yourself. Enamelled steel would also be a good solution.
Do-it-yourself kitchen sink installation requires the following tools and materials:
- sealant;
- Self-tapping screws and screwdrivers;
- Jigsaw;
- Fasteners (as a rule, they are included with the product).
Advice! Before you fix the kitchen sink, you should carefully treat all the seats with sealant. This will provide high-quality waterproofing and protection of chipboard from damage due to high humidity.
Types of kitchen sinks
Installing a sink in the kitchen with your own hands can be done using various technologies. The installation method is selected depending on the type of sink design:
- Overhead are considered the most budgetary and easy to install with your own hands. The sink is put on a separate cabinet. The disadvantage of this option is that there are gaps between the sink and the cabinet.
- Mortise are installed directly into the countertop, for which you need to cut the appropriate hole.
- Undercounter sinks are in the more expensive segment, mounted below the countertop, providing excellent sealing and appearance.
Washbasin installation
A democratic overhead (built-in) sink is made of stainless steel. It is mounted on a separate module and covers its entire upper part. The installation is very simple here - special L-shaped elements with an oblique slot are used for fastening. About 4-5 such fasteners are provided for one sink.
Advice! The connection of the mixer is carried out before the stage of installing the sink (the sink is already installed with the installed equipment) - otherwise it will be inconvenient to do all this at subsequent stages.
How to fix a surface sink with your own hands:
- It is necessary to attach L-shaped fasteners to the cabinet from the inside and make notes;
- Screw in the marked places with self-tapping screws. It is important to choose short 15 mm self-tapping screws and screw them in so that 5 mm remains above the mark, no less;
- Cover the end of the box with a sealant - it will protect the furniture and additionally glue the sink;
- After that, the sink is installed on self-tapping screws screwed into the cabinet and moves until it fits completely;
- Then the fasteners are fixed, the excess sealant is erased, you can start connecting the sink to the water supply and sewerage.
Mortise sink type - step by step installation
Of course, it is easier to install a do-it-yourself overhead sink, but the mortise model provides a greater level of tightness and looks very neat on a cabinet with a common worktop. The question of how to embed the sink into the countertop is solved quite simply - you just need to make a hole under the sink correctly.
Installing the sink in the countertop is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- On the countertop, find the installation site of the sink and determine the shape of the future hole. To do this, the sink is turned over and circled along the contour directly on the countertop or on cardboard. If you have chosen a product of complex shape, then the finished template is most likely already included in the kit - this will help cut the desired hole;
- The finished template is applied to the countertop at a distance of about 7 centimeters from the edge and they begin to cut it out. To do this, 1.8 cm deep recede from the edge of the template, leaving support for the sides of the sink;
- On the cutting line, first make a hole with a drill, and then cut out the contour with a jigsaw. The lower part of the tabletop is fixed so that it does not fall out when cutting and does not damage the edge of the remaining surface;
- A sealant is applied along the contour of the saw cut. It also covers the lower joints of the sink;
- You can begin to fix the sink - it is pressed against the included clamps;
- After the excess sealant is removed, you can start connecting communications.
Installation of a sink flush with or below the level of the countertop. Shells of an unusual shape
An inset sink can be mounted flush with the countertop - however, this is a laborious process that requires experience, since it involves removing the layer of countertop under the rim. The depth of removal is equal to the height of the side with a layer of sealant.
If you decide to install and connect the sink so that it is below the level of the table, you will have to resort to the services of specialists. After all, this installation method is chosen for expensive structures - not from steel, but from natural, artificial stone. For fastening in this case, special tools are also required - for example, a jigsaw and diamond-coated saws. Indeed, in such sinks there may not be a hole for draining water - complete sawing of products in industrial conditions is not carried out. Sinks made of natural materials are fixed with a special assembly adhesive.
As for sinks with an unusual shape, they are supplied with a paper template, according to which the installation hole is cut.
Do you want to connect the sink yourself correctly? Do not forget 3 more nuances:
- Rubber seals are best replaced with silicone sealant. Rubber will not provide a snug fit and does not have sufficient service life, while the sealant will fill all the gaps and cracks;
- Sinks made of natural or artificial stone are best connected together to prevent falling and damage;
- Fastening the sink to the countertop or module with self-tapping screws is carried out exclusively by hand. Using a tool can create too much stress, which can damage the structure.
Main connection rules
When the installation work is completed, you can connect the sink. To do this, the hoses through which cold and hot water will pass are connected to a common plumbing system.
Advice! The connection requires the use of a rubber gasket to better seal the joint.
After the hoses are fixed, the connection is carried out in the following sequence:
- A siphon outlet is introduced into the sink (it is better to use S-shaped structures, since the bottle clogs too quickly);
- A pipe is added to the siphon (angular rigid or flexible corrugated);
- The pipe from the siphon is led into the sewer pipe;
- All connections are checked for leaks.
It may turn out that the diameters of the pipes from the siphon or sewer are very different. In this case, it is mandatory to use an adapter - a sealing cuff. This completes the installation of the kitchen sink.
One of the main places in the design of a modern kitchen is the sink. Its role is to provide conditions for the initial processing of products, cooking and washing dishes. Therefore, the installation of a sink in the kitchen should provide for:
- convenient supply of communications to it: water supply and sewerage;
- tightness of connections;
- hygienic installation.
Scheme of a standard attachment of a sink to a countertop from below.
The choice of a new kitchen sink should take into account not only the external aesthetic appearance, but also the method of installing it yourself. There are several of them:
- installation on brackets: by fixing to the wall using metal holders;
- consignment note: mounting the panel on a special pedestal without a countertop;
- installation of a mortise, integrated sink: the panel is mounted in the holes of the countertop or under the countertop slab.
The following instructions on how to install a kitchen sink in different ways will help you install correctly.
Preparatory work
Before performing work in the kitchen to dismantle the old sink and install a new one, it is necessary to turn off the water supply from the hot and cold water supply risers.
Dismantle the old sink: disconnect the faucet fastening nut, piping, remove the faucet; disconnect the siphon from the drain hole, then from the sewer pipe, plug the pipe hole with improvised means; remove the sink.
Mounting on brackets
Installation of a sink in a countertop.
Tools and materials required for installation:
- building level;
- perforator;
- screwdriver or screwdriver;
- self-tapping screws with plastic dowels;
- sink brackets.
Step 1. Make the markup. Mark a horizontal line at a comfortable height. Horizontalness is checked using the building level.
Step 2. Turn the sink upside down, place the brackets as they will stand when the sink is installed, measure the distance between them. Transfer the resulting measurement to the wall, mark the future location of the brackets. Attach the brackets to the wall according to the marks and mark the locations of the mounting holes.
Step 3. Drill holes for fasteners according to the marks. Hammer plastic dowel inserts into the holes. Attach brackets with screws.
Step 4. Install the sink, fix according to the design. Connect the faucet and siphon to the sink. Installation instructions are usually included in the delivery. Connect to water supply and sewerage. Turn on the water, check the tightness of the connections. If a leak is detected, unreliable elements should be disassembled, dried and reassembled using additional sealing with silicone, carefully installing the gaskets included in the kit.
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Panel mounting
Scheme of inserting a sink into a countertop.
Overhead sinks are mounted in cabinets specially designed for this, often without internal structures, in order not to interfere with the connection of water and sewer pipes. The sink panel serves as a countertop in such a pedestal. Therefore, the assembly of the cabinet with your own hands should be carried out as reliably and correctly as possible. Inside the cabinet, if necessary, additionally install fasteners for jumpers, which give rigidity to the structure. They can be made from planks or pieces of board and used as small shelves.
Tools that will be needed for work:
- screwdriver for cabinet assembly;
- jigsaw or hacksaw - for cutting holes in the housing for communications, if necessary;
- adjustable wrench - for mounting the eyeliner.
When choosing a place to install the cabinet, it may turn out that the existing water supply and sewage outlets in the kitchen are located on the side of one of the walls of the sink, and for some reason it is impossible to lead them to the place from the back, open side of the cabinet. In this case, the installation of the sink will require preliminary marking and cutting holes into which communications can be connected (Fig. 1 a) and b)).
Scheme of installation of an overhead sink.
The sink panel, which is installed on the pedestal, can be actually laid on or slide in from the front. In the second case, the pedestal has grooves for the bent “sled” of the panel, along which it moves until it stops.
When installing the overhead sink panel on the cabinet from above, a brief instruction will help to avoid mistakes:
- Mark the position of the lower edge of the sink, previously placed on the cabinet of the sink panel, and fix the support bars at the level of the mark to additionally support the sink filled with water.
- Apply a layer of sealant along the upper perimeter of the cabinet and install the sink panel in its original place.
- Install the faucet and connect it to the water pipes using a flexible or rigid connection. Install the siphon and connect it to the sewer pipe. Check the tightness of the connections by running water. Identify deficiencies in the installation and eliminate leaks.
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Installation of an integrated sink
A sink purchased for installation by cutting into a countertop should be selected with a template included in the kit. Otherwise, marking and cutting the hole for the sink can be difficult and not accurate enough, which will lead to the penetration of moisture under the sink and ruin the wooden countertop.
Making a hole for a sink in an artificial stone countertop will have to be entrusted to a specialist. It is quite difficult to do this with your own hands without the necessary tools for processing such material.
Tools for work:
- jigsaw and drill;
- wrench or gas wrench - for the installation of communications.
- Step 1. Carefully cut out the template for installing the kitchen sink along the contour. Determine a place on the countertop where the installation of the inset sink will not be interfered with by the elements located under the countertop. Place the template on the countertop and carefully align it parallel to the edge, secure and trace around the contour with a pencil.
- Step 2. Paste the surface of the countertop along the contour with masking tape. This is done in order to protect its surfaces from damage by the jigsaw body when cutting a hole.
- Step 3. Drill a hole for the jigsaw blade with a drill. Cut the hole exactly along the contour. This must be done without pressure on the jigsaw, otherwise its blade will bend, and the cut will be uneven or oblique, deviate from the contour line. In any case, this will require additional refinement of the cut with a sherhebel, file, etc. Cut a hole for the sewer outlet and water pipes, if necessary.
- Step 4. Carefully treat the cut surfaces with silicone sealant. Allow the time required for curing. Try on a sink.
- Step 5. Install a siphon of the selected design on the sink. Install a drinking water faucet on the countertop (if necessary). Using the template, mark the holes on the sink panel for installing the faucet. Drill holes. Fasten the faucet with the flexible hose connected to the sink. Install the sink fixtures included in the product kit. With their lack of reliability. you can make a mount with your own hands from a metal mounting tape by threading it into the holes of the mounts.
- Step 6 Glue the edge of the countertop with a rubber seal or apply a layer of sealant. Install the sink panel. From the bottom side, inside the pedestal, fasten the mounting tape with tension using self-tapping screws to the details of the pedestal. Apply a layer of transparent sealant around the perimeter of the installed panel (its excess can be cut off after hardening).
- Step 7. Connect communications inside the cabinet.