Useful tips...
- Bowl and drainer handing - with most of the inset sinks you will need to choose whether you want to have the drainer on the left or the right. When we talk about left and right hand for undermount sinks, in the case of an undermount sink with an extra half or three quarter sized bowl, they are referred to as left or right hand small bowl. The handing will be dictated by how your kitchen is laid out, and how the hole in your work top is cut.
- Work tops and installation into these - The material your work tops are made from will also have an affect on what sink you choose, if you have laminate worktops you will only be able to have an inset sink as undermounted sinks would show the composite material underneath and cause it to fall apart from water ingress. Undermount sinks can only be fitted into solid wood, granite/composite stone materials and Corian type materials.
- Sink dimensions - Will the sink you have chosen fit my kitchen? This is a very important question and one that if often overlooked. When buying a sink to replace an existing sink you need to take into consideration a few dimensions that the sink has. The first is the 'Cut-Out size' this is a very important one, this dimension refers to the size of the hole in your worktop the sink will fit into, when buying a sink you need to get one that is ideally the same or larger than your existing sink cut-out, also check the radius on the corners are compatible and won't leave a gapping hole, this will then allow you to modify the hole to make the sink fit. The next measurement to look out for is 'Minimum Cabinet size' this is the size of the unit that you sink fits over, the minimum size is there to take into consideration the sink bowl and any fittings that will make the size wider, like the overflow assembly or a second half bowl. Most of the single bowl sinks will fit into a 600mm base unit, if you have fitting two undermount bowls you will need to take into consideration all the spacing required when fiting these, i.e. the bridge inbetween the sinks, this will usually mean you need an 800mm base unit.
- Accessories and Undermount sinks - If you choose to buy accessories like strainer bowls, chopping boards and drainer grilles and are planning to use them with an undermounted sink you will need to make sure that the accessories will fit into your work top. This will depend on what kind of overhang you have on the sink edge, with the accessories you need to make sure you choose a flush fit edge or a reveal edge on your work tops, this means that the accessories can sit on the worktop or on the sink edges.
