Under mount or top mount sink for kitchen

[ajkoontz]

Why do you think it's harder to replace an under mount ?



To me (all things being equal) they are the same amount of work or hassle.

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[ajkoontz]

Why do you think it's harder to replace an under mount ?



To me (all things being equal) they are the same amount of work or hassle.

Below would be an example of undermount being more work to uninstall after countertops. It's also an example of why you don't hire tradespeople on FB marketplace. This was my attempt to try to cheaply fix the crack described in my above post by re-enameling the sink. The sink didn't leak it just had a gawdawful crack. The only thing good that came out of this was the repair was so bad I had no choice but to replace the sink. Yeah, I paid the guy upfront (my mistake, $150 wasted), but I couldn't believe the guy walked away from this job. Lesson learned and I can laugh about it now but posting as a cautionary tale.

   

[Cabinet Monkey]

Below would be an example of undermount being more work to uninstall after countertops. It's also an example of why you don't hire tradespeople on FB marketplace. This was my attempt to try to cheaply fix the crack described in my above post by re-enameling the sink. The sink didn't leak it just had a gawdawful crack. The only thing good that came out of this was the repair was so bad I had no choice but to replace the sink. Yeah, I paid the guy upfront (my mistake, $150 wasted), but I couldn't believe the guy walked away from this job. Lesson learned and I can laugh about it now but posting as a cautionary tale.

That’s not an under mount sink - sorry.  

It’s a farmhouse sink and they DO NOT come in top mount versions.  You can choose to install it with its top edges above your countertop - and that would make removal easier than the way you have shown your pic………

BUT…………..we’re weren’t discussing farmhouse sinks ( or vessels , or German Silver, or pedestals, or fully integrated sinks like corian )

With the way most of farmhouse sinks are made (huge variations in size and contour even from the same manuf.) you are going to a lot of cabinetry work refitting the new one, making whether it sits above -or- below the countertop rather inconsequential. And frankly, the one you show will be easier to uninstall than one that protrudes above the countertop because you’ll be able to use gravity as a free and efficient helper removing the sealant.

So , my orig. question still stands about UNDERMOUNT vs. TOP MOUNT sinks if you’d like to weigh in on those.

[JosephP]

Under mount, and shoot the first person that suggests a garburater

I'll take the bullet:  why not?  Ours is +/- 20-30 years old (we've been in the 30 year old house for 20 years...I cannot remember if I replaced it soon after we moved in.

No problems.  That's not to say I don't recognize the potential for problems...

1)  Friend's wife worked in a commercial kitchen.  He constantly had to unplug pipes and re-explain to his wife that their home disposal didn't have the same capabilities as the commercial disposal.

2)  Christmas at mother-in-laws:  Somebody peeled several pounds of potatoes and tried to feed all of the peels down at once.  We ate out that year...Chinese, just because that seems like where you should go when you have to cancel Christmas dinner.

A little common sense goes a long way.

[KC]

That’s not an under mount sink - sorry.  

It’s a farmhouse sink and they DO NOT come in top mount versions.  You can choose to install it with its top edges above your countertop - and that would make removal easier than the way you have shown your pic………

BUT…………..we’re weren’t discussing farmhouse sinks ( or vessels , or German Silver, or pedestals, or fully integrated sinks like corian )

With the way most of farmhouse sinks are made (huge variations in size and contour even from the same manuf.) you are going to a lot of cabinetry work refitting the new one, making whether it sits above -or- below the countertop rather inconsequential.  And frankly, the one you show will be easier to uninstall than one that protrudes above the countertop because you’ll be able to use gravity as a free and efficient helper removing the sealant. 

So , my orig. question still stands about UNDERMOUNT vs. TOP MOUNT sinks if you’d like to weigh in on those.

HomeDepot is selling at least one drop-in 'farmhouse' sink.

[ajkoontz]

So , my orig. question still stands about UNDERMOUNT vs. TOP MOUNT sinks if you’d like to weigh in on those.

To the OP: If it were me, I would pick an undermount sink. I totally agree with everything you said about UM looks better but are harder to replace. You are also spot on about top mount being 'clean' both literally and figuratively. UM look cleaner and the countertops are easier to clean, no lip to catch crud and gunk. In my home I have a farmhouse sink, and while this is not technically a true undermount, I enjoy the benefit of the UM style of not having a lip to catch and trap gunk on the countertops around the sink. I would also highly recommend you consider a single bowl sink vs dual bowl. I was hesitant about getting a single bowl but after having one for several years now the benefits WAY overweigh the downsides of single vs double bowl. 

To CM: Top mount (drop in) sinks are easier to install and remove. Source- anyone who has worked with both types.

[Cabinet Monkey]

To CM: Top mount (drop in) sinks are easier to install and remove. Source- anyone who has worked with both types.

Would you care to share WHY you think top mounts are easier to install and uninstall ?

Some random remark about experience is hardly conclusive or forthcoming with tangible supporting evidence.

I have 4 decades worth of experience with just about every type of sink imaginable,  and I am not convinced one type is inherently easier to install or un-install vs. the other.    Does my (likely more) experience make me correct and yours wrong ?    HARDLY.  That's why I am asking why those that think top mounts are easier to say exactly why they feel that is the case.

They both require sealant, they both require mechanical connection accessed from underneath, they both require the same plumbing connections, so ...........................................................

Personal preferences for material, size, bowl configuration, disposal or no disposal, have little to no bearing on whether a top mount sink is EASIER to install than its undermount twin.    FWIW - many companies product stainless steel sinks that allow you to install the same sink either way !

[EightFingers]

Last countertops we had the sink was an undermount sandwiched between the plywood and the countertop material. How would you replace that?

[museumguy]

Last countertops we had the sink was an undermount sandwiched between the plywood and the countertop material. How would you replace that?

Sometimes, you can't replace a sink by itself. You need a whole new top. We did a lot of undermount sinks in laminate tops. The sink is glued directly to the laminate. There's no replacing that sink without destroying the top.

[Cabinet Monkey]

Last countertops we had the sink was an undermount sandwiched between the plywood and the countertop material. How would you replace that?

You either :

remove it with the countertop when you take that off

-or-

you cut out the plywood sub-top and curse the person who installed it that way.