undermount sink w laminate countertop?

[DogwoodTales]

SWMBO wants an undermount sink, but doesn't want the expense of granite or quartz, so we chose a laminate that she likes. 
I see some options out there for installing an undermount sink with a laminate countertop and they appear to be reliable.
Have you done this and what method did you use? 
Any issues or concerns with installation and longevity/use of which I should be aware?
Will the water eventually leak its way past epoxy sealants and damage the substrate anyway?

One of the methods I found incorporates the sink into the countertop substrate and results in gluing the laminate to the top rim of the undermount sink. That precludes ever being able to change out the sink without significant inconvenience.

One idea that I thought of that I haven't seen yet is to penetrate a chosen wood species with cactus juice and use that to make a rim of sorts (sections would have to be glued together with epoxy) under which the undermount sink would mount. This wooden rim would be integral to the rest of the substrate (which will be made with quality plywood) and the laminate would be glued on top of both the wooden rim and the rest of the countertop substrate, but not the sink. The exposed rim would be coated with epoxy and can be refinished as needed.
One advantage is that the chosen wood species would match the cabinets and the undermount sink can be changed out if needed with another sink of the same size if that were needed due to damage or something. Perhaps that still holds the same risk with water eventually leaking under the laminate if the epoxy sealants fail to protect.
Of course the chosen wood species couldn't be something porous like red oak without being well sealed. In my case it would be hickory, which has closed pores.
One disadvantage might be that if ever the cabinets are changed out (which is unlikely in my case) then the wood species at the sink rim wouldn't match unless the countertop is changed out too - which it probably would be anyway if I'm changing the cabinets.

What are your thoughts on this whole idea of an undermount sink with a laminate countertop?

thanks!

[museumguy]

My previous woodworking job was in a custom shop that did countertops, laminate and solid surface. I did a lot of undermount sinks in laminate tops, exactly as you described, sorta. When done properly, it looks great and holds up well. Keep in mind that you need a special type of sink, it has a rim made for gluing to laminate.

[harderhandyman]

I've done half a dozen or so undermounts in laminate.  I usually rout into the plywood substrate, use drywall screws under the lip to bring the sink up to perfect level and bed it in bondo.  I believe that is Karran's proposed method and it has worked well enough for me. 

Several years ago at the home supply store I found 3 stainless undermount sinks on clearance for $50 each.  They have gone into rentals and are a nice upgrade!  Obviously I saved money on the sink and it only extra time for me to install but the tenants love them.

[DogwoodTales]

Thanks for the input guys! Sounds like the method of integrating the sink under the laminate is what you guys used.
Have there ever been any issues with water eventually getting between the laminate and substrate? Does the laminate edge get damaged?

I'm still concerned about not being able to just switch out the sink in the unlikely event that would be needed. I never have switched out a sink without it being part of a new countertop, but I'd like to not preclude it either.
What about my idea of integrating a stabilized, wooden ring into the substrate and mounting an undermount sink to that much like one would to granite or quartz?
I could then put a slight chamfer around the top edge to help make the top edge more ding resistant.

[Cabinet Monkey]

How many times have you had to replace a sink ?
How many times have you done it without replacing the countertop at the same time ?    

Think you said never, so why are you losing sleep over it now ?

Of course there’s always a risk of joint failure when using different materials.  Is it an acceptable risk ?  It’s risky to drive a car or fly on a plane -things you do all the time.

Do you think a home brew solution would be better than than an already engineered and proven system - especially from the company that invented the technique in the first place ?     Why ?

[DogwoodTales]

Fair points that I have considered and I'm not losing sleep over this 

It's just that I've never heard of this technique until recently and was wondering what issues it might have and how to avoid/mitigate them.
Just hashing this out here and fishing for others experience doing this.

I probably won't replace the sink without replacing the countertop, but why preclude it if I don't have to? I do know people who have replaced their sink without replacing the countertop. I don't know why they did other than they probably just wanted something different for the sink.
There are some drop-in sinks that have a very low profile flange. No thicker than the gauge of the sink, but because there is still an edge to the flange it is a distant second in preference to an undermount.

With that said, what I do know is how the kitchen sink gets absolutely abused in my household and so I have concerns with the technique of overlaying the laminate.
The undermount sink I had at my previous house was under a granite top. One issue was that others in the family (read - NOT me) were inattentive to how heavy pots would chip the top edge of the granite 

So I can easily see that the laminate (running over the sink flange to the edge of the sink) will end up getting dinged and probably even chipped off regardless if I glue it in place with the strongest glue possible.

That and concerns with water seeping under the laminate - but I suppose that's low risk because while the edge will get wet it will never be sitting in water.

[Cabinet Monkey]

I probably won't replace the sink without replacing the countertop, but why preclude it if I don't have to? I do know people who have replaced their sink without replacing the countertop. I don't know why they did other than they probably just wanted something different for the sink.
There are some drop-in sinks that have a very low profile flange. No thicker than the gauge of the sink, but because there is still an edge to the flange it is a distant second in preference to an undermount.

That and concerns with water seeping under the laminate - but I suppose that's low risk because while the edge will get wet it will never be sitting in water.

All things being equal, I agree - why preclude it ?   But things are never equal.  So adding complexity, cost and an increased risk of failure for the “what if” privilege seems fool hardy in my opinion.  YMMV. 

Most people replace drop in sinks in laminate tops for a few reasons. 
1. They want something heavier gauge drop ins in laminate tend to be the cheapest sinks known in the marketplace.  They’re practically free. 
2. They want a deeper or larger sink than orig.  
3. They want a different material. Cast iron instead of stainless.
4. The want a different bowl config.  

but again, it’s far less frequent the replace just the sink and not the sink and top.  

Of course , most people prefer an undermount sink to a lipped/ drop in these days. 

I sympathize with your hard or rough use scenario. Perhaps you’d be better suited with an enameled cast iron drop in -or- farm sink or even a fireclay bowl. Those are practically bomb proof.   Those are safer bets than exposing a laminated edge to rough use.  

 That said , the Karan mount and the Counter-Seal system before it relied on the mating ring being correctly routed out and epoxied to the underside of the HPL skin so that there is nothing for water to destroy should it leak past the joint. The C-S system rec’d chamfering or rounding over the HPL after the epoxy for the mating ring was cured and trimmed away. This made the edge of the joint mor forgiving to use. 

Using one of these out of the box systems should eliminate your water proofing worries and will be a much better bet than you DIYing a mount.  None of them can or will be able to alleviate the abuse your brood will subject the edge to - it’s simple a drawback of the design given your use case.