It's really starting to SINK in

Well we're still recovering from a wonderful housewarming party last weekend, but have worked up enough energy for a process post for you. First up, details on how we installed our stainless steel kitchen sink into our gorgeous, refinished butcher-block countertops. (yes, the gorgeous part is a matter of opinion, but we think they are)

How to install a stainless steel kitchen sink into butcherblock countertops

Step 1: Purchase your sink. We found our lovely double-basin stainless steel sink on craigslist for only $30. The brand is Kindred--you may not have heard of it because it's made in Canada. This posed a few problems in finding hardware to go with it, which I'll get to later. The picture below was taken shortly after we bought it, when we were testing to be sure it would fit in the sink hole we had cut. And yes, that was way back when our countertops were water-stained and unfinished, and the bathroom had no walls.

Step 2: Purchase and install faucet and strainer baskets. We chose to do this before the sink was in place, for a few reasons. First, we were excited to get the faucet installed and have that ready to go. Secondly, the space between the faucet and the back wall is very tight, so it left an extremely small amount of space for tightening sharkbites and other plumbing necessities. So, we did this before the sink was place in the countertops.

Step 3: Purchase sink clips. These come along with a brand-new sink standard, but since we repurposed an old sink we had to buy these ourselves. This was the most difficult thing about the whole project--as this is a Canadian brand, we would have had to pay exorbitant shipping costs to have the manufacturer's version shipped to us from Canada. Also, our countertops are 1 3/4" thick, which is thicker than the max size for the standard size sink clips. Solution: use a store-brand version of sink clips from Ace hardware, but replace the screws with longer ones.  The clips come in many different types, as you can see from the picture below. The ones we used are most similar to those you see at the bottom left of the photo.

(via www.keeneymfg.com)

Step 4: Clean and prep sink. I had to scrape off old, crusty plumber's putty and caulk off of the edges of the sink with a utility knife, then dust off the edges to be sure there was no residue left behind. 

Step 5: Attach sink clips to the runners on all edges of the sink.

Step 6: Apply silicone caulk (ONLY silicone, not acrylic/silicone mix!) around the underside edge of the sink, all the way around. We also applied it to the butcherblock countertops, right where the edge of the sink would sit, because we're paranoid and wanted to ensure a good seal. 

Step 7: Set the basin of the sink into place. Yes, the silicone will spill out of the edges more than you want--LEAVE IT ALONE. Do not touch it or it will leave unsightly silicone smudges on your lovely wood counters. Instead, don't touch it now, wait for it to dry, and when it is you can cut off the extra caulk precisely using a sharp utility knife.

Step 8: While you have someone else pressing down on the top of the sink (or place a weight in each basin), tighten each of the hold down screws until the sink is securely fastened. For ours, Jeff added a tiny bit of extra caulk around the edge of the sink in places that seemed they hadn't gotten enough, just to be sure.

Now that we are living in the house and using the sink daily, I am SO thankful we went with a double-basin sink! Even though it takes up more "counter space" than a single-basin would, it allows us to dedicate one whole basin to a drainer for dish drying, while the other one is used for day-to-day washing and use. We love it! 

Soon to come is a post on how we refinished our butcherblock countertops.

Thanks for reading,

J&M