Kitchen sink has come loose...

[UTH]

......hoping this is a job I can do myself, but what's the best way to do it?

I must say, ever since it was fitted I have wondered what was actually holding it in place, and clearly as of last night, whatever it was, wasn't up to the job. It's a pretty big sink, and Mrs UTH filled it up yesterday, so obviously it became very heavy, and came loose.

Any thoughts on what I need to do to secure it again? I'm guessing drilling/screwing into the quartz from below isn't the done thing?

[Mr Pointy]

If there aren't any slots or holes for clips then it looks like it was just siliconed in & was probably done while the worktop was upside down. Can you get any support in from below to help take the weight of the sink? The worktop doesn't look very thick so drilling into it might not be a good idea.

[UTH]

Mr Pointy said:

If there aren't any slots or holes for clips then it looks like it was just siliconed in & was probably done while the worktop was upside down. Can you get any support in from below to help take the weight of the sink? The worktop doesn't look very thick so drilling into it might not be a good idea.

Yeah I think it probably was siliconed in, but I know it would have been done once the worktop was in place

Hmmmmmm, so you think it needs a solid support underneath.....I'll see If I can work out how that might work. Can't say having a 'supporting post' in the middle of the cupboard below would be too helpful, but yes, the worktop is quite thin for drilling.

[Rough101]

Ours, whilst glued in at the factory, also has a few small tabs around the edge that look they are in with short screws and plugs, a previous one has tabs on wing nuts that were epoxied in place.

On Corian I have seen the sink sandwiched between the corian and a ‘picture frame’ of MDF.


There is a come done with me episode where Peter Stringfellows sink collapses in just this way!

[Mr Pointy]

UTH said:

Yeah I think it probably was siliconed in, but I know it would have been done once the worktop was in place

Hmmmmmm, so you think it needs a solid support underneath.....I'll see If I can work out how that might work. Can't say having a 'supporting post' in the middle of the cupboard below would be too helpful, but yes, the worktop is quite thin for drilling.

It doesn't have to be a post in the middle - it could be some sort of cradle at the edges. It depends on the arrangement of the cabinet underneath.

Obviously you're going to have get the sink out & get both mating surfaces scrupulously clean before running a bead of something round the edge again but I'm not sure what the best stuff is to use - maybe something from the Sikkaflex range. Ordinary bathroom sealant is going to struggle with the weight unless you can get permanent support in there to assist. It's a big sink & there will be a lot of weight in it when it's filled up.

Check the lip isn't bent before you put any sealant on.

[Chris Stott]

Take the sink out and clean the edge and under the worktop. Then glue it back in with an epoxy adhesive.

To keep it in place while it dries you’ll want something like a threaded bar through a piece of wood long enough to span the sink… put this through the plug hole, tighten up and leave to set. Then seal the edge with silicone.

[Doofus]

Also consider a couple of shelves inside the unit below the sink for it to sit on, rather than a leg/legs.

[crispian22]

Take the sink out,clean up the edges of any old silicone and also under the worktop.
Re seal with either a clear silicone or sikaflex adhesive, you then want to cut 2 lengths of solid timber that will span the internal width of the unit,you'll need a 90 degree bracket screwed to each end of the timber,get someone to hold the sink in its correct position whilst you push the timbers up under the sink and screw the brackets into the unit.
Finally position sink and clean off any excess adhesive/silicone and let it cure.

[Wacky Racer]

Post up a photo of the area under the sink, It will be heavy full of water so needs some kind of substantial support from underneath rather than a few cheap clips.

[UTH]

Not the greatest photos. I had a look around the seal and can't see any signs of clips or brackets etc......so it looks like it was only held with the glue or whatever was used

[Promised Land]

Wacky Racer said:

Post up a photo of the area under the sink, It will be heavy full of water so needs some kind of substantial support from underneath rather than a few cheap clips.

It should have support bars similar to these under the sink or like Howdens do, the top lip of the sink is recessed into the top of the base unit carcass, therefore the carcass is supporting the sink, OP’s without being there and looking deeper looks like it was siliconed under the quartz top.

[tux850]

UTH said:

Any thoughts on what I need to do to secure it again? I'm guessing drilling/screwing into the quartz from below isn't the done thing?

Siliconing undermount sinks in place is seemingly very common, and for small(er) sinks apppears to often work okay. Yours does look quite big though and with a full fill of water and dishes would represent quite a weight.

Ideally it needs properly supporting from underneath, and not just at intervals along the edge like any form of clip would do but continuously if at all possible.

In our case we had a simple 1.5 bowl sink which was relatively small and fitted within the a full standard 600mm cabinet width. I rebated the top edges to provide a flat mounting surface for the worktop and included a cross-beam for additional support which was probably overkill but easy to do before the worktop was installed and didn't impact storage below.







What have you got underneath? Might be worth taking a few photos from different angles to see what might be most easily achievable.

Edit: Oops - I see you just have! I'd echo the support bar suggestion (even just one made from timber rather than anything purpose-built, but if you can get hold of the latter as pictured it looks ideal) as it should give plenty of support but without impacting cupboard space.

Edited by tux850 on Monday 14th October 10:47

[UTH]

tux850 said:

UTH said:

Any thoughts on what I need to do to secure it again? I'm guessing drilling/screwing into the quartz from below isn't the done thing?

Siliconing undermount sinks in place is seemingly very common, and for small(er) sinks apppears to often work okay. Yours does look quite big though and with a full full of water and dishes would represent quite a weight.

Ideally it needs properly supporting from underneath, and not just at intervals along the edge like any form of clip would do but continuously if at all possible.

In our case we had a simple 1.5 bowl sink which was relatively small and fitted within the a full standard cabinet width. I rebated the top edges to provide a flat mounting surface for the worktop and included a cross-beam for additional support which was probably overkill but easy to do before the worktop was installed and didn't impact storage below.





What have you got underneath? Might be worth taking a few photos from different angles to see what might be most easily achievable.

Looks like this is what I needed doing in the first place. Urgh, I don't sense this being a simple fix.

[Little Lofty]

Use CT1 or similar, standard silicone isn't really up the job, and something like an epoxy will probably mean that its almost impossible to remove if you have to at a later date.

[tux850]

UTH said:

Looks like this is what I needed doing in the first place. Urgh, I don't sense this being a simple fix.

I think something along the line of what Promised Land pictured shouldn't be too difficult - even as a retrofit - particularly as you've got a single flat-bottomed sink and so doesn't need anything too fancy.

I would exercise some caution going readymade as a curspory Google search suggests this is one of those kitchen accessories that are heavily marked up given what they are. I would be inspired by their design but look more towards fabricating something from generic component parts that will be a fraction of the cost. Even just a length (or two) of 3x2 supported at each end with brackets would work perfectly well and cost less than a tenner.

Edited by tux850 on Monday 14th October 10:56

[UTH]

tux850 said:

UTH said:

Looks like this is what I needed doing in the first place. Urgh, I don't sense this being a simple fix.

I think something along the line of what Promised Land pictured shouldn't be too difficult - even as a retrofit - particularly as you've got a single flat-bottomed sink and so doesn't need anything too fancy.

I would exercise some caution going readymade as a curspory Google search suggests this is one of those kitchen accessories that are heavily marked up given what they are. I would be inspired by their design but look more towards fabricating something from generic component parts that will be a fraction of the cost. Even just a length (or two) of 3x2 supported at each end with brackets would work perfectly well and cost less than a tenner.

Edited by tux850 on Monday 14th October 10:56

Yea, thank you, that's what I'm thinking is much option. I'm not too bad with DIY, but my best mate down the road is better with good tools, so hopefully between the two of us we can sort it.

Used to bath our baby in this sink.....amazed this hasn't happened sooner!

[Mr Pointy]

UTH said:

Looks like this is what I needed doing in the first place. Urgh, I don't sense this being a simple fix.

As a simple fix for today get something like a car jack & pack it out so you can use it to raise the sink back into position - dont forget some padding & a spreader plate on the bottom of the sink so you don't dent it. With that in place you can spend the next six months looking for a proper solution.

Bottle jack obvs, not a trolley jack.

[Mr Pointy]

Just searching for "sink support bars" comes up with loads of options:

https://www.the1810company.co.uk/product/sink-supp...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/undermount-sink-brackets/...

[UTH]

Mr Pointy said:

UTH said:

Looks like this is what I needed doing in the first place. Urgh, I don't sense this being a simple fix.

As a simple fix for today get something like a car jack & pack it out so you can use it to raise the sink back into position - dont forget some padding & a spreader plate on the bottom of the sink so you don't dent it. With that in place you can spend the next six months looking for a proper solution.

Bottle jack obvs, not a trolley jack.

Haha, I did immediately think "how the hell is the trolley jack going to fit in there!"
But good idea, Mrs UTH should have one in the VW, will get on the case with that for the short term at least.

[UTH]

Mr Pointy said:

Just searching for "sink support bars" comes up with loads of options:

https://www.the1810company.co.uk/product/sink-supp...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/undermount-sink-brackets/...

Ok great, options out there then.

Surprisingly pricey though aren't they.