We have a granite countertop with an undermount iron/enamel split sink. My wife wants a stainless steel single-bowl sink. Here is an example of what she would like.
I am trying to determine what measurements for a new sink would be a fit for the opening we have. In the link it says, “31 1/2” X 18 1/2” single bowl undermount kitchen sink, 10” depth, Fits a 36” sink base”. I don’t know what they mean by “sink base”. If it’s 31-1/2" wide, where does the 36" come in?
The opening in the granite we have is not perfectly rectangular. The two narrow sides are parallel and 30-1/2" apart. The longer sides are slightly bowed out, 17-1/2" apart at center and 16-1/2" apart at the edges. I don’t know what measurements would be compatible with this opening for a new sink.
How can I determine what new sink will fit in my existing opening?
The sink cabinet is 36" You also can get them in 3" increments from 30"-42". 36: is the most common for a double bowl sink fitment. In addition to the 31.5 width, you have an inch or so of metal flange and the mounting clips that hold the bowl to the underside of the top. That’s why you cant put a 36" or even a 34" wide bowl in a 36" cabinet. You have to account for the width of the cabinet walls plus room to install.
Long story short, you have to keep your original bowl unless you want to do some expensive and ultimately unsatisfactory rework to the top. The cutout is unique to the bowl you originally chose almost certainly is a Kohler Brookfield based on your description.
If you wanted to replace it with a SS sink, you’d have to find a fabricator willing to come out, hand cut the opening to a larger size and reinstall a bowl. Speaking as a kitchen designer and former granite installer/fabricator, that’s just not gonna happen.
To PROPERLY cut and polish the opening you need lots and lots and lots of running water and grinding and polishing tools. You cant get that in your kitchen and the risk of breakage is too great to consider taking the top back to the shop.
If you found an installer willing to do it onsite, you will end up with rough uneven edges and a noticeable color and sheen difference at those cut edges. Trust me, I’ve replaced at least a dozen tops where the owners tried this very thing. \
Your best bet is to find a good quality 16 gauge drop in sink and use that. Then the edge is not polished at all and you can even go with a slightly larger bowl as well. You need to measure the distance from the back edge of the opening to the wall and see how much room there is for the faucet hole, the new lip might interfere.
MikeG, thanks so much for that info. That also answers the other questions that would have come next. I’ll post a photo of the situation when I get a couple of minutes.
Question for CookingWithGas and MikeG, my wife and I are about to have the kitchen done, and she wants a sink just like the one in the photo, perhaps not in white. I like the split design.
She doesn’t want an drop-in, and I appreciate the information about how we are stuck with whatever we choose because of the finishing needed on the cut edges.
My questions: Is there any particular disadvantage to a split sink other than taste? Is there something I ought to know before choosing one?
And, any other stuff we ought to know about? Gotchas?
I prefer the split sink because I’m the cook and I use the left side for food prep and scraps because that’s where the garbage disposal is, and the right side for parking dirty pots & pans until I can wash them.
My wife prefers a single-bowl sink because some items are too large to lay flat in the right side of the sink, like my large sauté pan. I just hold it sideways but that’s hard for her if it’s heavy.
I like the look of enameled cast iron, but I will tell you it’s hard to keep it clean. Food stains are manageable but we have anodized aluminum pots and sometimes they leave dark scratch marks. I really like the look of pristine enamel but since it’s never really pristine I might have picked SS if I had it to do over again.
