Kitchen Sink Installation

Installing a kitchen sink is an easy way to improve any home's overall worth. It adds aesthetic and monetary value to the home with very little cost to the homeowner. In fact, those homeowners who enjoy the work of home improvement can do the project for nothing more than the cost of the materials and the investment of a few hours of time.

The first step is determining how much room you have for the new sink. If you're simply replacing an old sink, this is straightforward. Just determine the size and depth of the sink you have and purchase something similar. If you're installing a new sink into a fresh countertop, the task is a bit more complex.

Countertops are usually either flat or equipped with "backsplash" which prevents water from splashing over the back of the sink, logically enough. A backsplash counter will have less room to accommodate a new sink. Make a measurement of how much space is available on the counter top and underneath the counter as well. This should give you a working set of dimensions from which you can determine the right size range of sinks for your project.

Next, compare kitchen sinks for their features and how they fit your home. A double sink is a great way to add flexibility to a kitchen. The advantage of having two working areas are tremendous for cooks and for washing dishes. Sometimes, sacrificing one large sink well for two of smaller size pays off in convenience. You'll want to consider how many holes the sink has to determine whether or not it can accommodate extra features, such as filtered water taps, sprayers and extra faucets.

An undermount stainless steel sink is a popular choice today because of the durability of the materials and the ease of care. If you're replacing a porcelain sink that's seen better days, consider upgrading to stainless steel. Your investment will last longer and won't show signs of wear and tear as easily as does porcelain.

Most sinks will come with a template that allows the installer to determine how to make the cut in the counter. Place the template on the area in which the sink will be located. Mark the boundaries denoted by the template with a pencil and remove the paper. Because this material is going to be cut out, you'll need to secure it with a piece of wood that spans the width of the cut and is fastened to the material to be removed by screws. This will prevent it from falling in the hole while you're making the cuts.

After you have the area to be removed marked, drill small holes in every corner, just large enough to accommodate your saw blade. The saw blade is then placed in the holes and the cuts made along the demarcated lines. The fastening material should have prevented the area that was removed from falling in the sink and you should be able to lift it away now.

Line the edges of the hole with caulking or silicone to make a watertight seal. Most of the rest of the materials you'll need will have been included with the sink itself. After hooking up the drain hardware, set the sink in the hole. Fasten it underneath the counter with the provided hardware to ensure that it's held snugly in place. Tightening the sink down will likely cause caulking to be squeezed out from the edges of the sink on the top of the counter, so be sure to clean this up before it dries and becomes a problem.

All that's left is to hook up the necessary plumbing and you're new sink is ready to go. You'll want to run water through the fixtures for a few minutes to flush them out before using them and to make sure all the fittings are properly hooked-up and leak-free.

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