| In
This Article:
We carefully layout the sink
hole, cut the hole using a jig saw, adhere the sink basin with
caulk/adhesive, and attach the counter to the vanity. |
Related
Articles:
|
| Skill Level:
3 (Moderate) |
Time Taken:
About 2 Hours |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
 |
The counter, set in place on the vanity cabinet.
The porcelain sink basin to be installed. |
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The sink comes with a paper template to guide in the hole
cutting.
The counter had a gap on the right hand side, so we flipped
it over and used a belt sander to remove a little material. |
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We set the sink in place to determine the best location.
We put strips of masking tape in the counter and made red
marks to indicate the inside edge of the cabinet. |
 |
Caution: Care must be taken when cutting a hole in a
counter top. If the hole is positioned wrong, the opening may expose
the top edge of the vertical front section of the cabinet. While
this may not seem like a problem, sometimes the basin will contact
the front panel, making it necessary to file away some wood.
On this project, we measured the counter overhang on the front,
and added the cabinet front face thickness (3/4" is common) and
arrived at a safe distance for the hole.
If the basin cut-out is too far to the back, it will be difficult
to clean between the sink and the back-splash.
 |
We transferred the center-line marks to the bottom of the
counter.
Then we taped the template to the bottom, being careful of
the front-to-back placement. |
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We drilled a starter hole, using a 3/8" drill bit. The
hole is set back from the red cut line, in case the laminate
chips.
We stuck the jig saw blade in the hole and started cutting. |
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We cut part way around the circle...
...and then turned the saw around to cut from the other
direction. |
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There is a reason for this reversal. When the cut is completed
the center part is going to fall, and swing sideways, and probably
peel off the laminate. Note in the picture above how we moved the
counter so the middle of the hole is over the side of the cabinet.
This will support the "off-cut" when it finally breaks
free.
 |
Almost finished with the cut.
When the cut was completed, the center part was balanced on
the edge of the cabinet, so it did not peel away any laminate. |
 |
 |
We flipped the counter over and set it in place.
We set the sink basin in place to test the fit. No
problems. |
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If the hole was too small and the sink did not fit, I would use a
belt sander to carefully sand away the excess material. It's
important that the sanding belt be moving into the laminate,
to prevent the laminate from peeling away.
 |
This is the caulking/adhesive that the sink manufacturer
supplied.
We ran a bead of adhesive along the underside of the rim. |
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And we set the basin in place.
On one side, the caulk did not ooze out, so we added a
little extra. |
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It looks like a mess.
After spreading and smoothing, it looked much better. |
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Actually, the caulk on this project started to dry before we were
ready to smear it. We tried the usual smearing-with-a-wet-finger
technique, but it made a mess. Almost starting to panic, we grabbed
a piece of toilet paper and splashed some water on it. We quickly
wiped around the rim of the basin, expecting to have to yank the
sink out and start over. But to our surprise, the caulk smoothed out
perfectly with a wet piece of T.P.
 |
After the sink adhesive had time to set, we attached the
counter to the cabinet. First we drilled holes in the corner
mounting brackets.
Then we drove deck screws up into the underside of the
counter material. |
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Caution: Careful measurements must be taken to avoid
having a screw pop through the top of the counter. We try to use
screws that are 1/8" to 1/4" shorter than the combined
thickness of the counter, the cabinet corner brackets, and any gap
in between.
 |
With four or five screws holding the counter in place, our
job was done.
Later, the homeowner, who happens to be a plumber,
installed the faucet and the bathroom was ready for use. |
|
Tools
Used:
- Cordless Drill/Driver
- Jig Saw
- Belt Sander
- Drill Bits
|
Materials Used:
- Laminate Counter
- Adhesive Caulk
- Deck Screws
|
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